Football is Power
Growing up in small town Sherwood, Oregon, every Friday night, the town would rally together and cheer on the football team- our favorite Bowmen boys.
Was it their incredible football playing skills that brought us all together, or was it the social experience that seemed unbearable to miss? Regardless, these boys had power- power over the community of Sherwood.
By all means, these boys were incredible. In my time at SHS, these boys made a playoff appearance all four years, one semi-final appearance and one state championship appearance. The student section was so committed, we would show up two hours before the game started just to get a good seat. The gates to the stadium would open and kids would furiously run in order to get the front row.
Looking back, it all seems kind of silly. Why was a boys high school football game the most important thing happening on a Friday evening in our Sherwood community?
We have been socialized with these hegemonic ideas that football is the “common sense” thing to do every Friday night and this gives those boys power.
Our small town isn’t the only one who idolizes the sport of football- it’s a national epidemic. The National Football League (NFL) makes billions in revenue each year. In this years Super Bowl, Fox earned $500 million in just ad revenue according to a Business insider article written by Nathan McAlone.
There is such a high demand to get air time during the Super Bowl that companies are willing to spend $5 million for a 30 second ad.
Why, you ask? 111.3 million viewers is why. The 2017 Super Bowl was the fifth most-watched TV broadcast in history.
The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons were an excellent match-up with dedicated fans making it an ideal consumer product. The game finished 34–28, keeping it’s fans on the edge of their seats. Yes, an exciting game indeed, but that is not the reason for it’s views.
Our American society has turned the Superbowl into a holiday and given the sport of football more power than it may deserve. Millions of families and friends gather around there television sets each February, almost mindlessly to watch “the biggest game of the year”.
Football, and the super bowl specifically, has become and ideology that American people grow up learning and end up teaching again to their kids. Although people may not truly enjoy the sport of football, they are drawn to the social events that go along with it. “If everyone else is watching, I should too, right?”
Football is power.
