Physical power of athletes on the field, strategic power of coaches, corporate power in the stadium suites and celebrated advertisements, iconic power for performers at halftime, and fan empowerment for individuals whose identities merge with their team's and have awe-inspiring experiences watching them play; taken together, the Super Bowl exudes sacred powers that cannot be reduced to purely material forms tied to physical strength, financial might, or alcoholic inebriation; nor can this power be allied only with God, a familiar force called upon by athletes in the will to overpower opponents and by fans in search of saving grace before the final seconds tick off the clock.
Instead, the big game has empowering, memorable ritual vitality in the lives of participants and spectators whether God accompanies them to the game or not; it possesses value-laden drama in the game itself but also in the pre- and post-game activities, all of which teach moral lessons that transcend the game; and it assumes mythological status in the popular imagination where players (and occasionally whole teams) can enter the pantheon of immortal heroes remembered and idolized as not quite God but more than man, as super human exemplars engaged in consequential defining moments that will live on in memory -- and NFL Films. Pass the beer!
This article was first published at ReligionDispatches, one of our Partner sites, and is reprinted with permission.
Gary Laderman is co-editor and co-director of ReligionDispatches and Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Religion at Emory University.
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