Letter to the Editor: Super Bowl commercials bring people together

Home Opinion Letter to the Editor: Super Bowl commercials bring people together
Letter to the Editor: Super Bowl commercials bring people together
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In last week’s edition of the Collegian, Aidan Cyrus made the case that Super Bowl commercials are overrated and a bane to society. Throughout the article Cyrus attempted to rip the ads apart, even going so far as to call the Super Bowl “the ultimate feast day of the commercialization of professional sports.” In reality, this view of the Super Bowl and its commercials entirely misses a bigger point.

Cyrus’ piece contains opinions which, put frankly, he probably wouldn’t say to people’s faces. Painting the average Super Bowl viewer as the “armchair quarterback” who is a fat, beer-drinking, bad father is insulting at best. 

Let’s not overlook the implication that Super Bowl ads are merely for short-term comedy, either. I applaud Haley Strack’s perspective on the economic benefits the Big Game’s ads carry with them, but there’s another level to their benefit: Super Bowl commercials are one of the few things that can truly bring people together in today’s crazy times. Watch parties are a time for everyone to gather with loved ones and friends, enjoy that “insipid American beer,” and simply have a good time. Growing up, I would always go to school the morning after the Super Bowl and laugh with my friends for hours, comparing our favorite commercials. Especially in a year that is already looking like 2020 Part II, we need simple moments of friendship like this more than ever.

Apple’s “1984” commercial during that year’s Super Bowl could have won an Oscar. Coca-Cola’s 1980 ad featuring Mean Joe Greene giving a kid his jersey warms the hearts of millions. And who doesn’t like seeing a little kid dressed as Darth Vader think he has The Force when his dad remote-starts the Passat without him knowing? Commercials like these inspire their own kind of “wonder, joy, [and] awe,” to quote Cyrus.

Annoying? Maybe to some. Enjoyable? To millions. Overrated? Absolutely not. Super Bowl commercials are a national staple which should be kept as such.

 

Anthony LaMacchia is a junior studying economics.