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Sport and Society for Arete</div>
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February 7, 2025</div>
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In the beginning, it was no larger than a snowflake. Then, it grew to the size of a snowball. Within a few years, it resembled a Midwest snowstorm. Now, it is nothing short of an avalanche.</div>
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It is time for the Super Bowl and Super Sunday, which will overwhelm the nation.</div>
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On Monday, the Super Dome in New Orleans hosted Super Bowl Opening Night, an overblown spectacle with cheerleaders, marching bands, and the two opposing teams wearing special uniforms for the event. As they marched onto the floor of the Super Dome, the players
were ushered to podiums where they would answer questions ranging from marginally interesting to banal to silly, lobbed at them by the chosen ones in the media.</div>
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The noise, music, and flashing lights provided the frosting on this overbaked cake. The comic relief came from players not in the game posing as media correspondents. It was a great start, but only the tip of the iceberg, as a week of revelry kicked off in
the French Quarter and beyond.</div>
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Celebrating the Super Bowl is not confined to the host city. It is celebrated across the globe by NFL football fans wherever they may be. Bars from Sydny to London fill well before kickoff with Americans and other NFLers. Preparations must be made.</div>
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For Super Bowl XLIII, there was a Super Bowl Breakfast Party in Bangkok, Thailand, that began at 5:30 a.m. in a restaurant run by a Louisiana native. Most of those attending were dressed out in Pittsburgh Steeler gear. All the meats served were flown in from
New Orleans. </div>
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In the United States, parties of all shapes and sizes are held in living rooms and large halls. In these venues, there is no lack of excess promoted by the food and snack industries of the United States. My Thursday newspaper had a special insert, SUPER BOWL
SNACKIN’, containing invaluable information on “A Kansas City Classic” and a plethora of “Philly Favorites.” The ad reminds us that although the winner of the game is yet to be determined, “in the battle of these cities’ signature foods, there are no losers.”
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The major supermarket chain in the southeast has all sorts of Super Bowl themed items in their weekly insert. Under the heading “Big Game, Big Flavor,” there is reminder that Pepsi is an “Official Sponsor of Super Bowl LIX.” (59 for you non-Romans)</div>
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Another section of the insert offers a guide to “Big Game Essentials.” These are “crowd pleasing platters” perfect for any football fan. Included are vegie, cookie, and shrimp platters, and more. Indeed “more” is a key word in the American language and for
the Super Bowl, “more” is never enough.</div>
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If you would like to offer New Orleans style food for your Super Bowl Party, and who wouldn’t, you can order food from “Goldbelly” an online company that will ship New Orleans specialties from many New Orleans restaurants in what are called “Super Bowl Tailgate
Kits.” A Muffaletta Kit, serving six to eight, is available for $279.</div>
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It should surprise no one that Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest eating day of the year.</div>
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It is also a huge gambling day, both legal and illegal. It is estimated that Americans will bet $1.39B legally this year. A decade ago, illegal betting on the game was estimated at $150B. You can bet on anything related, even remotely, to the game. You can
place your money on the number of passes caught by Travis Kelce or if Kelce and Taylor Swift will again have an on-field kiss. You can bet the over/under on the length of the National Anthem and the over/under on the number of times Taylor Swift is shown on
television during the game. There are an infinite number of these Prop Bets available.</div>
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Close attention at the Super Bowl is paid to the television commercials and the halftime show. The commercials have been compared to mini-film festivals for their creativity and humor, and they are available well before and after Super Sunday on multiple platforms
where they are critiqued and ranked. The average cost to run a 30-second commercial on the Super Bowl is $7M. FOX sold out all its commercial time several months ago.</div>
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Halftime shows have in the past few decades moved away from the family entertainment of marching bands and Up With People, to single superstar entertainers. The shift began with Michael Jackson at Super Bowl XXVII, whose halftime show had a larger television
audience than the game itself. Other big names life Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Rhianna, have been some of the other big names. Each one of these performances seemed to get bigger and more elaborate in presentation. Gone are
days of the Disney halftime.</div>
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Spinoffs of the Super Bowl, such as the Puppy Bowl, have been around for over two decades. This year is Puppy Bowl XXI. The Kitten Bowl has been with us since 2014. A favorite for many was the Bud Bowl, a fictious game between the beer bottles of Bud v. Bud
Light. Yes, you could bet on that game, and there was a line.</div>
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Everything and everyone seems to somehow have a Super Bowl connection. It may be surprising then that a sitting President has never attended the Super Bowl. Presidents have invited winners to the White House, the first being Jimmy Carter who invited the Pittsburgh
Steelers and Pirates in 1980. Richard Nixon was the first president to call the locker room after the game to congratulate the Kansas City Chiefs after they won Super Bowl IV.</div>
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In Kansas City, “Pringles,” the processed potato chip in a tube, is putting up 74 billboards in honor of the Chief’s head coach Andy Reid. There is one thing missing: Reid’s mustache. However, the Pringle’s Mustache remains on the tube.</div>
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In another odd connection, if the Chiefs should win the Super Bowl and achieve a “Three Peat,” the NFL and the Chiefs will be able to use the phrase in any celebrations and on merchandise. Pat Riley, GM of the Miami Heat, has owned the phrase as a trademark
since his Laker teams had achieved a three peat. Negotiations between the League and Riley have achieved an agreement. One report estimates the Chiefs and NFL will pay $1M for rights use.</div>
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On the political front, the NFL announced it will continue its DEI hiring policies despite President Trump’s attacks on such policies. The NFL has also announced that it will remove the “End Racism” message in the End Zone, which has been used in many end zones,
including all Super Bowls, for the past five years. “Choose Love” will replace “End Racism.” No word if this was done to make the game more comfortable for any racists attending or watching on television,</div>
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It now appears that despite his hatred for Taylor Swift and his previous attacks on the NFL and its players, Donald Trump may be the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. The NFL denies that the decision to remove “End Racism” has anything to do
with the president’s potential attendance at the Super Bowl.</div>
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This decision by the NFL demonstrates just how strongly the league is committed to racial justice and equality, as opposed to the desire to avoid offending those in power.</div>
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On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don’t have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.</div>
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Copyright 2025 by Richard C. Crepeau</div>
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