By Ashley Estabrook, Contributing Writer
One hundred and two million people across the United States tuned in to watch the Super Bowl this past Sunday. The commercials, halftime show and the game itself are quintessential components of the widely viewed event.
During big events like the Super Bowl, we have come to expect political statements to be made by people in the spotlight. If someone has a political view and an opportunity to express it, chances are they will.
The two biggest political statements in this year’s Super Bowl were Jay-Z and Beyonce’s National Anthem protest and the confusing piece of the half time show where the stage was covered by children in cages and a Puerto Rican flag. As a viewer, I saw those attempts to be “woke” as unnecessary, futile, predictable and as I said before, tacky.
Public demonstrations can be so insanely powerful and effective; the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute and Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the National Anthem are two prime examples of this. These are examples of people using a platform in a way that is effective in promoting awareness and change. They will be remembered for these events and will go down in history for them.
For the past couple of years though, you can’t watch a big sports game or even an award show without seeing at least a couple of celebrities try to voice their political opinions. The sheer amount of these people trying to “make a statement” makes these events annoying to watch. Not only that, but those attempts are also very ineffective and boring.
In these celebrities’ efforts to try to recreate a certain impact and response, they just beat a dead horse. This is something that is not only irritating to viewers but could also actually be harmful to the causes that the celebrities are fighting for.
As viewers, we are watching these events for the promised content, not so we can have mind-numbing politics shoved down our throats the entire time. Most people seek out entertainment as a way to unwind and escape the stresses of everyday life, so the excessive political energy that is brought in defeats the purpose.
estabraj19@bonaventure.edu
