The National Forgetfulness League
It is no coincidence that the NFL enumerates its Super Bowls by reference to Roman numerals, as the event most closely resembles the clashes contested in the ancient Colosseum: gladiators v. gladiators; gladiators vs. lions, with the contestants’ ultimate fates hanging on the impulsive decision of the Emperor to thrust his thumb up or down. It will be not much different on Sunday, February 13, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, when, after several weekends of scintillating and unpredictable playoff games, the hometown Los Angeles Rams will face off against the upstart Cincinnati Bengals, led by their precocious second-year quarterback, Joe Burrow, in Super Bowl LVI.
Although Americans are growing increasingly disenchanted with organized religion, they still celebrate the major religious holidays, although in many cases, with a decidedly secular tint. But Super Bowl Sunday is beyond religion and, other than Thanksgiving, it is the holiday that is most universally celebrated, usually in a bacchanalian fashion that imitates those passionate Roman spectators.
There is no doubt that football maintains an unrelenting grip on the American public despite a pandemic-related dip in viewership in 2020, rebounding to post some of the largest audiences ever in this past season (91 out of the top 100 viewed TV events), and this year’s playoffs surely will swell the numbers. While the matchup between the Rams and the Bengals is not a network dream, fascination with an underdog such as the Bengals should keep interest high.
Led by Commissioner Roger Goodell, the NFL is a public relations juggernaut that has shamelessly used that great American shibboleth, Patriotism, to rally the country around a sport that is our closest substitute for actual war, and to sidestep the now well-established fact that almost all players eventually experience chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a cruel disease that, at best, leads to dementia and premature death, and, at worst, to violent behavior and suicide.
Sadly, while most fans acknowledge this truth, they really don’t care. And forget about any players exercising their right to protest societal injustice, no matter how peaceably, as fans bitterly turned on Colin Kaepernik and others who dared to kneel during the pre-game playing of the National Anthem, a ritual that is regarded as an almost sacred rite, despite seeming to have little to do with a sporting event.
But the NFL marches on, and has now found a new form of addiction to perpetuate its hold on the American public: gambling. Legendary NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle once said, in 1976: “Legalized gambling on sporting events are destructive to the sports themselves and in the long run injurious to the public.” And Goodell himself stated, in 2015: “We oppose gambling. I don’t anticipate us changing that going forward.”
But, in the aftermath of a 2018 Supreme Court decision that overturned a federal ban on states permitting sports betting, Goodell and the rest of the league owners changed their tune with the prospect of greater interest and profits, and ads for legal betting services are now ubiquitous during the broadcasts, making me wonder what happened to Chevrolet being the ultimate symbol of the American way. And no wonder the owners began to eagerly support legal betting. Several, including the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones and the Patriots’ Robert Kraft, were early investors in DraftKings.
I admit that I am a lonely voice crying out in the wilderness and some of you will accuse me of being downright un-American as hundreds of millions will tune in next week, many not even caring about the game itself, but to catch the halftime show featuring Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem. And I admit the pro game is as compelling a spectacle as it has ever been. But as yet another player lies senselessly on the field after a particularly vicious hit, and the announcers solemnly comment: “nobody wants to see this happen,” too many will turn to their online betting site and ponder, “what do I think the Rams will do on 3rd and 3? My financial future may depend on it.”
