Sunday's was one of the most exciting Super Bowls in recent years, with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in a nailbiter. But the Super Bowl is more than a game; it is a metaphor for American life.
American society is one of increasing economic precarity and desperation. It is estimated that 16 billion dollars will be legally gambled on the Super Bowl, lots of that by people desperate to improve their life circumstances. Consumerism and late-stage capitalism are insatiable cannibals. Many people watch the Super Bowl, not for the competition on the field but instead primarily for the commercials. The NFL has created a multimedia machine worth tens of billions of dollars and has succeeded in making Sunday football and the Super Bowl a type of civic religion and unofficial national holiday, respectively.
