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The impact of the Super bowl has been a phenomenon. In fact, since January 1967 “it has become part of the American culture, which illustrates that it has become the single-most important event in the sporting world currently” (Johnson, Savidge, pp. 83). The Super bowl had quite humble origins, which is why it is shocking to understand as to why this game became vastly popular and remains that way. In fact, one would notice that it is a county fair, a weeklong convention along with an unofficial national holiday with the right game for the television. Therefore, the name of the game is no exaggeration. One can also notice the economic trends and success of the Super Bowl. The economic footprints of this particular game are actually more than the GNP of almost a dozen countries. Numerous viewers sit in front of the television, almost one third of Americans; a number which is definitely greater than the number of the people who actually vote for the presidential elections. It is a family tradition and a cultural event, which ties numerous individuals together in the United States (Wertheim, n.p). What makes this particular event a cultural phenomenon? The entire combination of food, parties, suspense, alcohol and sports is what makes this game such an enthralling piece to understand to revisit with a historical conception. At the end of the season, on a Sunday; this game has had the potential to tie numerous viewers at the same time from the three different zones in the United States.
In very simplistic terms, the Super Bowl is a game that is played annually so that the champion of American football can be determined. One would also wonder about the latest communication and technologies utilized along with the showcasing of the lat...
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Long , Howie , and John Czarnecki . "America's Greatest Game." Football For Dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing Ltd, 2007. 12-13.
Lupro, Michael. "The Super in the Super Bowl." American History through American Sports: From Colonial Lacrosse to Extreme. California: Library of Congress, 2013.
Oriad, Michael. "The Creation of the Modern NFL in the 1960s." Brand NFL: Making and Selling America's Favorite Sport: Making and Selling. -: University of North Carolina Press, 1948. 1971-1972.
Price, Joseph . Religion and Popular Culture in America. Los Angeles: University of California Press Ltd, 2005.
Schwarb, John. Indianapolis Monthly. Indiana, 2006
Wertheim , Jon. "From humble beginnings, Super Bowl has exploded in stature." Super Bowl has exploded in stature from humble beginnings. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writ
Charles Kenny starts the article with an easily acceptable example. The example that is given is about the Super Bowl and how they “donate the losing team’s shirts to a charity” (Kenny 58). By using football, Charles Kenny is able to pull in a large and preferred audience. He aims towards Americans to read his article and the Super Bowl is a common subject talked between Americans. The placement of the example is also very important.
America’s newfound favorite pastime, football, came from a bizarre chain of events. Football started when a soccer player got fed up with just kicking the ball, so he picked up the ball and ran to the goal. His actions of picking up the ball and running with it fathered a new European sport, rugby, which was soon brought over to American shores, and was altered slightly, the shape of the ball and a few other small rules. The sport became organized into a league and produced the NFL(National Football League). The NFL had a slow beginning, but has picked up popularity, currently having a 9 billion dollar yearly revenue. Playing football comes with great costs, including physical and mental health deterioration, plus the amount of time spent prepping before game day. Which can pose several questions, “Why suffer for a game, Is it worth the money? Is it worth the fame? How great is the cost?” I believe that football, should have stricter regulations for the treatment of injuries, along with informing players of just how devastating a concussion can be, along with the other major injuries that commonly occur while playing football.
Sack, Allen L. 1991. "The Underground Economy of College Football." Sociology Of Sport Journal 8, no. 1:
In 1913 legendary football coach, Robert Zuppke, coached football for the University of Illinois (“Illinois” para. 1). Robert Zuppke led their 1914 football season to be undefeated! This created many more fans for the college football team (“Illinois” para.1). For 29 years Robert zuppke coached and he and his team won four national titles in the years of 1914, 1919, 1923, 1927 (“College” para. 8). Illinois third football coach, Edward Hall, had wrote the football code for proper conduct of players (“College” para. 14). From the years of 1971 through 1976 Bob Blackman was a football coach in Illinois (“College” para. 4). NFL stars Larry McCarren, Scott Studwell, and Revie Sorey were some of the players that Bob Blackman coached (“College” para. 4). Some coaches like George Woodruff only coached 1 season at the University of Illinois (“College” para. 11). Other coaches led the team to many victories though like Pete Elliott did in 1963 (“College” para. 3).
American Football is a huge spectator sport where offensive and defensive players will use teamwork and perseverance to try and score more points than their opponent. Football is highly respected in America, where boys will try and pursue the dream of playing in the NFL (National Football Association) someday; but if you look at an average neighborhood, you will find that kids and adults of all ages love to go out and throw around the pigskin. (Lerner and Lerner 275). One thing Americans will take pride in is the college and NFL football teams they root for. People sit down with a beer and talk hours upon hours of football and two individuals can get in a heated discussion in the local sports store of whose sports team is better.
When the discussion about how the United States is different from other countries comes up people are quick to say football, the American way, but more specifically the NFL. The NFL, which stands for National Football League, was birthed in 1922 after changing its name from the American Professional Football Association (NFL 2013). Since the birth of American football, fans and players raised the NFL to become the most popular sport worldwide. According to Isidore (2013), the NFL had a profit of $9.5 billion, the highest of all American professional sports. The profit, however, barely comes from sales produced by women merchandise.
SOLOTAROFF, PAUL. "This Is Your Brain On Football." Rolling Stone 1175 (2013): 56. TOPICsearch. Web. 6 Mar. 2014.
Football, specifically NFL football, has become a staple of the annual holiday, something the NFL is keenly aware of.
Orvetti, P. (2011). Do the Redskins Need a New Name? Retrieved Mar. 17, 2012, from
Star Spangled Sport: Nation, Culture & American Exceptionalism. Presented at a KNES 293 lecture at the University of Maryland.
How football began, the first American football game was played on November 6, 1869. The Rutgers vs. Princeton played the first game (Bennett). Walter Camp introduced the line of scrimmage and down and distance (Bennett). The first professional “league” was the Ohio League (Bennett). The American Football League (AFL) started in 1960 (Bennett). The first Super Bowl was in 1967 and the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chief (Brooks and King). The Houston Oilers defeated the Los Angles Charges in the first AFL championship (Brooks and King). Considered one of the greatest coaches, Vince Lombardi, died from cancer on September 3, 1970 at the age of 57 (Brooks and King). Seven days after Lombardi’s death, the National Football League honored him with the name of the Super Bowl trophy (Brooks and King). Franco Harris made the “Immaculate Reception” which lead to the first Pittsburgh Steelers victory for them (Brooks and King). In the 1970’s the Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls (Brooks and King). In 1978 the National Football League moved from 14 games a season to 16 games (Brooks and King). O.J. Simpson is the first player to rush over 2,000 yards (Brooks and King). In 1981 Ronald Regan said “Football is the last thing left in civilization where men can lite...
The Web. The Web. 28 Nov 2013. Andrew. Super Bowl 2013 Facts and Figures.
In the modern day United States the sport American football has become not only entertainment but also a tradition whether it’s watching the BCS college championship or watching the super bowl with the family. The sport of American football is unique to the United States and has grown and became iconic over the years and has become a part of many Americans lives. American Football was made in 1869 and was modeled after the sport of rugby. They took the basics of rugby and changed it to make it fit better for them. The game has changed over the years but it also affected many Americans as the tradition of Monday Night football has begun. The game has had problems with the United States government as it was said to be too dangerous to play, this lead to an upgrade in the equipment and they tried very hard to make the equipment well ensuring player safety throughout the sport.
Football is a culture and within that culture is the desire to make money. In the 2014-2015 season, the NFL made $7.24 billion. Many dedicated fans travel to the stadium on a Sunday afternoon to experience the culture of football: the tailgate in the parking lot, the hundreds of dollars they pay to publicly display their favorite team’s gear, the front row seats to the game for them and their best buddy, the hotdogs and beer from the concussion stands. Many fans will participate in the NFL’s lifestyle every week. But the question is, do they really care about the actual sport or is it just the comradery and entertainment that it
12. No Christian End! The Beginnings of Football in America. Professional Football Researchers Association, 2012.