One F in Foley: Super Bowl fever amid political turmoil in the USA

During a recent flick-around the TV channels, I couldn’t help but notice a peculiar irony of sorts.

On Sky Sports, the American football season is in full-swing and it’s all eyes on reaching the Super Bowl in February, but a few buttons later, it’s a news broadcast decrying the US invasion of Venezuela.

READ NEXT: One F in Foley: Musical instruments for Christmas … absolutely!

It got me thinking; one channel is encouraging its audience to get behind America’s most followed sport, but on another, that same country’s political activities are being berated. ‘But aren’t sports and politics separate?’ you may ask. My answer is that, in the case of the NFL and the US Congress, they’re not!

The Military Influence
Whether or not you’ve ever sat down and watched an American football game is irrelevant. Everyone knows that it’s a big deal every year over which celebrity gets the honour of singing the National Anthem during the pre-match build up and just how militaristic it all is.

High-ranking members of the United States military are often brought onto the field so that they might be recognised and celebrated by the cheering fans of both teams. On some occasions, fighter jets might fly over the stadium just as the singer hits the high-note of the lyrics that go ‘and the home of the … Brave.’

Long before it ever gets to that stage, however, you cannot help but notice how militaristic the game is. Essentially, it’s one team working out in-depth tactics, with a noticeable sprinkling of hand-signals, secret code calls and physical bravery that is used to take down the opposition.

Terminology such as ‘blitz’, ‘overload’ and ‘invasion’ are not uncommon amongst the lexicon of the players. At the helm is the coach / general and his staff, who will often meet in what is casually known as ‘the war room’ to discuss gameplans. And all this in the hope of gaining territory by working as a unit.

Capitalist Ownership
Since their inception as a nation on July 4th in the year 1776, the Declaration of Independence makes numerous references to the ideals of land ownership and personal wealth and how everyone has the right to ‘the pursuit of happiness.’ And this ideology still bears a linkage with the USA exactly 250 years on.

Generally speaking, America is still a young country. Compared to the likes of Ancient Rome or Early Christian Ireland, there’s little known about the States prior to the 16th-century. It’s never celebrated a royal family or hailed a religious leader in its heart. It’s always been successful celebrities and businesspeople.

What I always find interesting about the end of a Super Bowl is that it’s not the coach, the quarter-back or the most valuable player who gets handed the trophy during the presentation. It is, in fact, the owner of the franchise who is cheered for spearheading such a successful business operation that season.

Let’s not forget too that the owners can literally uproot that same team and move them to another part of the country if they see it as a better business opportunity. Ir’s happened with the Los Angeles Raiders becoming the Oakland Raiders and then later, the Las Vegas Raiders. Just like a major company will do if needs be.

End-Zone
American football has always been a relatively easy way to gain a better understanding of the country’s political zeitgeist at any given period in their history.

In the 1960s, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, photographs from the more southern college teams, in the likes of Alabama and Georgia, provided clear evidence of, let’s just say, ‘White Folks Only’ teams. This, of course, would slowly change overtime.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, more and more army veterans were invited to wave to the crowds at big games. Perhaps it was just a subtle reminder to those watching how lucky they were to be American; especially during the era of the Cold War, where constant fears of Soviet attacks were the norm.

In the early years of the 21st century, as the United States was still suffering the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the resulting War on Terror with Iraq ensued, a bit of research will show that the celebrity singing the Star-Spangled Banner’ with more gusto than most. The crowd often more than approves.

The Superbowl is still a month away and, I won’t lie, it is a spectacle of fun and razzmatazz. When it does come around, though, be sure to keep an eye out for how the broadcasters will make sure you see the military troops watching in from overseas, the celebrities in the crowd, and maybe some political leaders handing a trophy to a successful franchise owner.