The Roar
The Roar

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Cheers to the greatest spectacle in the world

Daniel Zayler new author
Roar Rookie
8th February, 2016
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The Super Bowl - there's nothing else on the planet quite like it. (Photo: Greg Prichard)
Daniel Zayler new author
Roar Rookie
8th February, 2016
2

No one does sport and spectacle like the great United States of America, and we should be thankful for it.

If only our own sports officials would watch the Super Bowl and learn how to make our own events just as exciting. Sure they try, sometimes, but it still can’t compare.

Is it the money? No, I don’t think so, I believe it’s the attitude. They want it to be the biggest event, they need it to be the biggest event, and spare not one shred of emotion or pomp about the weeks.

It’s not just one game on one day, it’s two whole weeks of events, excitement and analysis.

I have been to the Olympics, and while it is exciting, it feels no different to attending a tennis grand slam; big crowds of people who sort of like sport and just enjoy the event around them. We true sports tragics are few and far between, surrounded by people having fun. It’s awful.

The World Cup is a funny atmosphere. The Europeans love their sport and their country, but show it differently and without a crazed enthusiasm. The game is enjoyed and celebrated, but not long after the final whistle blows the discussions turn to politics and worries, as is so often the case in that part of the world.

The South Americans go crazy but quickly turn their attention whether their team is down, or a potential mate walks by. I’ve stood next to a savage Brazilian watch Ronaldo in the final only to see him turn his back and discuss fashion with an attractive young woman. It is amazing to watch.

The viewership of the World Cup final dwarfs anything else, including the Super Bowl, but the exposure, reporting and excitement of the Super Bowl smashes anything else on the planet, other than a war. Although 73,000 people attended the 2002 Super Bowl, as Tom Brady won his first ring, so maybe even war can’t distract us from the men in pads.

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There is no pub, bar or hotel in the world that doesn’t have some kind of promotion happening for the game. One year I was in Southern Poland and enjoyed hot wings and cheap beer while crazy Poles screamed for the Steelers like they were from the Steel City themselves. Riots erupted in Mexico City after the Raiders embarrassingly lost the 2001 Super Bowl to the Buccaneers in Sand Diego.

Whether they really care or not, people get drawn in by the build up and spectacle of the Americaness of it all. When it comes to sport, the Yanks do it better than anyone, and they always will.

*The Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50 in a turnover-heavy defensive contest 24-10. Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars put on a decent halftime show. The build up to Super Bowl 51 in Houston, Texas, has already begun.

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