As many get going with possibly a Super Bowl sized hangover this morning, a new study shows that the Super Bowl is now more about everything around the game and less about the game itself. According to a OnePoll study, only 49% of Americans who engage in Super Bowl festivities say the game is the main attraction with just over half of all revelers interested in something other than the game. The top non-game interests include food, being social at a party, family time and commercials.
We probably shouldn’t be surprised that the Super Bowl has become more about everything around the game than the game itself, just take a look at Super Bowl week in Miami for example with the NFL Experience, performances at Bayfront Park and parties hosted by cities ranging from West Palm Beach to South Beach. An estimated 150,000 people came to South Florida for the Super Bowl but only 75,000 tickets to the game existed. Even about half the people coming to South Florida for the Super Bowl didn’t come for the game. What is most interesting is what didn’t rank in the top four of the non-Super Bowl attractions. The half-time show.
For as much attention as it receives in advance and as big of a production as it is, it's still not close to being as relevant as the game itself or other aspects as the experience. Perhaps this is an instance where the NFL could consider revising the halftime show to reflect the rest of the NFL season.
The average NFL halftime is 12 minutes for all games excluding the Super Bowl but averages 30 minutes for the Super Bowl. For the half of people who do still care about the game, how about not messing with it and the players, in the most important game of the year, for an event which isn’t a priority for more than two-thirds of those tuning in? Just a thought. If you want to make it about a concert, why not hold the concert after the game?
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic