Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Lighting Up Bourbon Street



Whether you're into football or not, I think we can all agree that the Super Bowl was a welcome diversion.

For America, January was filled with political doubts and speculation that did little to ease the minds of a population still struggling with a defeated economy, and a 10% unemployment rate. The Super Bowl was the best thing that`s happened this year.

When Tracy Porter intercepted a Peyton Manning pass in the 4th quarter and ran the ball in for a touchdown, he vanished -- if only for 10 seconds -- every nagging issue on the mind of the American viewer.

Iran flexing, Earthquake in Haiti, Rahm Emanuel tirade, Obama's uncertain future, America's uncertain future. Fuck all that, this is Super Bowl Sunday.

Bourbon street. American symbolism. A cool and colourful city until Girls Gone Wild uncovers a lens and the streets are filled with bare tits and beads, and then the tits and beads are washed out with dirty Atlantic saltwater. Katrina stripped New Orleans.

Who knows which nudity got more exposure, but for many they were just two more reasons to avoid a place they had never really planned on visiting anyway.

But nothing lights up a city like a Super Bowl win. Do you think anyone would know about Pittsburgh if it weren't for the Steelers? Pittsburgh is Pennsylvania's Hamilton.

For the first time in recent memory, CNN's tone --if only for 10 seconds-- has radically shifted. This bliss isn't ignorant, it's a mental vacation.

For non-Americans, natural global order was restored. For better or worse, west is best. Almost 2% of the world's population was tuned in to this game. Who says sports are meaningless?

The Super Bowl means infinitely more than any of us would understand. While many see it as a meaningless demonstration for all-American consumerism, I'd argue its preservation of sanity for some North Americans. Who doesn't need to disconnect from reality once a year?

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