The Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (联盟) in America every year. The champion of the National FootballConference (NFC) competes against the champion of the American Football Conference (AFC) to decide which is the best team in the country. Super Bowl is far more than a sporting event. The mix of America's biggest institutions (体系): sports, TV, food consumption, advertising and entertainment makes the Super Bowl an American cultural phenomenon.
The Super Bowl is usually held on the last Sunday of January or the first Sunday of February. That day is called Super Bowl Sunday. For years, it has been the most watched one-day sporting event in the US and it gradually has become an unofficial national holiday. The average viewing rate of Super Bowl reached to 44.9 percent in 2019.
Super Bowl Sunday sees more parties than any other day during the year. Young people are no exception to the party spirit. They gather to watch the game on TV. The Super Bowl is the third biggest eating day in America—behind Christmas and Thanksgiving. Fans host Super Bowl parties by filling their living rooms with junk food and drinks. Guests may arrive dressed in their team's T-shirt and carrying beer to share.
Knowing that the Super Bowl has the attention of millions of Americans, companies pay big money for game-time advertising. In 2019, the advertising cost set a record — $5.3 million for 30 seconds. The Super Bowl has developed to a T V selling season sandwiched between after-Christmas sales and Valentine's Day.
Another tradition of the Super Bowl is the Halftime Show, which presents at the halftime break between the second and third quarters. The Super Bowl Halftime Show is the most-watched musical event of the year. So it is also called the Americans' Spring Festival Gala. Non-football fans tune (调台) into the Super Bowl for the most famous musicians' performances during halftime. As the top performers, Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi gave impressive live show for the audience in the Super Bowl Halftime Show 2019. The show represents a link between American football and pop culture and helps broaden the television audience and nationwide interest.
Americans view the Super Bowl as a National Day of revelry (狂欢). Although people may watch it for different reasons, there is one thing for sure they can find their own pleasure in it.
