Well it is coming. On February 1, 2015 at 4:30 pm, Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots. A day of insanity will ensue. Even though there will be a damper on this year’s activities because of the “Deflategate” many people will still watch the game. People will choose sides and have parties; even the churches we attend will host Super Bowl celebrations. Here are a few facts about the Super Bowl–totally unrelated to the actual game itself.
It is a time when advertisers pay insane amounts for 30 second commercials (which we all vote on to see which one is the best). The average cost for a Super Bowl commercial during 2014 was $4 million for a 30-second commercial (Forbes and bleacherreport.com).
Next to Thanksgiving, Americans eat more food on Super Bowl Sunday than any other time of the year. According to the Huffington Post, during 2013 a total of 80 million avocados, 1.23 billion chicken wings (think of all the chickens who give their lives for this occasion), at least 11 million of slices of pizza, and at least 1 million chips (and the dips to go with them) were all consumed. That doesn’t include beverages: a whopping 315 million gallons of beer and $2.37 million spent on sodas. The average number of calories consumed during the game is 1,200. Antacid sales go up 20% within the next day.
And while 85% of most churchgoers generally would not skip church for football games (according to the Lifeway research), I am sure if the Super Bowl game occurred on Sunday morning, that statistic would change.
These are pretty sobering statistics and really are indicative of a society that puts their priorities on things that truly are temporal. What if we looked at Super Bowl Sunday as a way of making a difference in other ways. What if instead of having a huge meal for ourselves, we feed the hungry? What if instead of spending money on drinks (whether your choice is beer or soda) we spend money on digging a well so someone can have clean water? What if instead of spending money on a $4 million dollar, 30-second commercial, a company gives their workers a bonus or starts a scholarship?
The fact of the matter is, sports are great and I enjoy watching a good game as much as the next person. But when did we lose balance and forget it is just a game? So this year, instead of buying $25 worth of snacks and drinks, I have decided to donate to an organization that does wonderful things with $25. Click here if you want to join me in making a difference with your money instead of just using it to buy snacks. http://the25group.org/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2014/01/29/yes-a-super-bowl-ad-really-is-worth-4-million
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/02/super-bowl-chicken-wings_n_2591243.html
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