The Nine Billion Dollar Business

In the hours leading up to the biggest sports event of the year in the United States, I had watched too much analysis of the two teams. Tom Jackson and Cris Carter were being more thorough than Truman Capote describing the characters of In Cold Blood. The analysts on ESPN had talked for hours and even broke down the game film from a meeting between the Steelers and Packers from two years ago. This is why when I switched the channel to FOX, I was thrilled to see a short video segment about the Declaration of Independence. Not only was this a nice rest from the breakdown of the two opposing organizations, but also, as a patriot, I was obviously very anxious. As the self-proclaimed conservative media outlet in America, FOX prides itself on being labeled as devout patriots. For this reason, I was not shocked to see FOX attempt to portray themselves as a station that simply loves America. Although it was a bit ironic since this video piece followed Bill O’Reilly’s rude and obnoxious treatment of President Obama. However, for those of you who were not glued to the television for over seven hours on Sunday, the video clip starts out with General Colin Powell and Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League, praising the brave men who drafted the Declaration of Independence. The two men commended the fifty-six revolutionaries who fought for the inherent rights of man at a time when doing so could get them killed by the red coats. They described the Declaration as the document that defied the monarchy and pledged that the pursuit of happiness is endowed to every man. Just based from the background of my blog, you can imagine how I was feeling while watching this video. As the video continues, it shows different NFL players, coaches, and legends reading the exact words of the Declaration. Soldiers, impoverished young children, or some other type of patriotic backdrop surrounds the different celebrities while they read. As the video continued, I forced everyone around me to quiet down and stop talking so that I could fully enjoy this piece. It ends up that the NFL and FOX dedicate the video to the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this great nation. This video rallied the patriotic fervor inside of me as I readied myself to watch the big game. However, I find it a little funny that FOX and the NFL ran this video in the half hour before kick-off because it seems to be an attempt to just give themselves some positive publicity before the public gets upset at the inordinate amounts of money spent on the super bowl and especially the commercials. Whatever the reasoning may be, I was happy that the television station wanted to remind people why they should feel proud to be an American. Maybe you thought it was cheesy? But personally, I like the attempt to remind viewers why America is so great.

Roger Goodell

Colin Powell

One commercial in particular from the super bowl really made a lasting impression on me. The Chrysler commercial that features Detroit and Eminem was just as inspiring as the video about the Declaration of Independence. The two-minute commercial begins with different camera shots around the city of Detroit. To highlight the fact that Chrysler is produced within our own borders, the masculine narrator states, “Now we’re from America” at the same time Eminem is riding in the drivers seat of this sleek new Chrysler coupe and his motivational beat of “Lose Yourself” is playing in the background while he has a look of poise and determination with one hand nonchalantly hanging over the top of the steering wheel. The commercial ends dramatically with a black screen and the words, “Imported From Detroit.” I loved this commercial because it again inspires a feeling of patriotism and a sense of pride about America. I thought it was worth every Benjamin to put in on the air. Super bowl commercials cost three million dollars for thirty seconds so if you do the math, that means Chrylser paid twelve million dollars to air this commercial. Do you think that this is absolutely ridiculous? I think it is simply capitalism at its finest but let me know what you think about the cost of the super bowl or the Declaration of Independence video, or Eminem’s commercial.

Eminem