There are few better markers than the Super Bowl of how much bigger, louder, connected and exhibitionist the world has become during my lifetime.
Celebrities of all sorts have converged on Las Vegas for today’s 58th playing at Allegiant Stadium, an extravaganza of wealth and fame occurring for the first time in Glitz City.
Those unable to experience Super Bowl LVIII in person will be glued to their large-screen TVs for activities of fascination across virtually all demographic lines.
The past week featured parties hosted by luminaries from Guy Fieri to Shaquille O’Neal, along with A-list concerts by the likes of Lil Wayne, Zach Bryan, Maluma, Killer Mike, Green Day, Kelly Clarkson and Ice Spice.
There were comedy shows featuring Kevin Hart, a major gospel music festival and fun houses.
Rock star Billy Idol is scheduled to perform today’s pre-game concert outside the stadium, while R&B icon Usher handles the halftime show and is expected to once again test the limits of theatrical wizardry. The world waits to see whether Taylor Swift shows up to support her tight end boyfriend.
After the talking heads spend thousands of hours analyzing the event to its numbing minutia, sponsors will fit in a football game — the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the San Francisco 49ers — to decide the 2024 NFL champion. It’ll be played between high-priced TV commercials that many fans find more riveting than the game.
It’s mind-bending to contrast this spectacle with the first Super Bowl in 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and a much different Kansas City Chiefs squad, which I experienced as a teen in a far different time.
Super Bowl I was the crown jewel of a merger between the old-guard National Football League and the upstart American Football League. The name and the game were brilliant marketing moves that ignited the NFL’s boom. “Super Bowl” had a ring to it that “NFL Championship Game” lacked.
There was pre-game hype, but most focused squarely on the kickoff.
Anticipating Super Bowl I in Hilo, we lamented that live satellite TV broadcasts to Hawaii weren’t common yet; we got our news a day late, and prime-time network shows ran a week after mainland showings.
We couldn’t watch Super Bowl I until they flew in a tape from the West Coast hours after the game was over. We had to make it through a long day without hearing the score from the radio or our social media — the coconut wireless.
When kickoff finally came, we gathered around a 25-inch black-and-white TV to watch Vince Lombardi’s Packers dismantle the Chiefs, 35-10.
I’m usually put off by hype, but with the Super Bowl it seems almost like an organic phenomenon that’s grown naturally over the years. From the start, the contest established itself as a uniquely American day of gathering that still inspires mostly good vibes even in contentious times.
I suffered the pain of defeat when I rooted for the Chiefs in 1967, but feel confident sticking with them this year. What a difference a Pat Mahomes makes.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.
