A repost here from Facebook … I caught the opening of the Superbowl in a Gordon Biersch waiting for my flight back from Atlanta, and damn, that was patriotic. I shed a tear when Lady Gaga sung the national anthem – straight up, no antics – and then they showed troops watching from Afghanistan, and fighter jets buzzed the stadium. God bless America.
And in case anyone’s wondering, I mean this completely non-ironically. Yes, the Superbowl is the epitome of commercialism, but it need not be crass, and it’s by choice that they’re making it patriotic. I’m not a sports guy, but I love watching football with my family whenever I go home; it gives us something to bond over.
And isn’t that what the Superbowl did for us this Sunday? A third of America watched it, everyone from football jocks to computer nerds. A whole spectrum of people participated in it, from the first Superbowl MVP to Lady Gaga to makers of two minute jingles to troops serving their second tour overseas. They even piped it into the plane, and people cheered and jeered at the outcome.
The Superbowl could just be a game, but it’s an institution that brings America together.
Thanks, guys, for a job well done.
-the Centaur
