If you ask me about the biggest, most pivotal televised event in the past year, I'll tell you about the night I sat in class constantly refreshing my phone to see an updated "score" of electoral votes. I got home and sat in front of the television, taking quick breaks to eat and shower, afraid that if I was gone too long I'd miss something. Exhausted, I eventually retired to bed with a "wake me if She wins." I slept through the night.
On November 8, 2016, approximately 7l million Americans had similar experiences to myself, watching the televised election with excitement and suspense. It's exhilarating, knowing that you are personally invested in the outcome and knowing that you played a part in making a potentially great change in the nation.
However, many Americans, especially those privileged enough to not be affected, will not tell you that the election was the biggest thing to happen on television in the past year.
On February 5, 2017, 111 million Americans tuned in to watch the Super Bowl. They sat on the edges of their seats, screaming at the television, cheering on their team, and watching a comeback that no one anticipated. The following day we watched people brag, complain, boast, insist that it was rigged, and tell one another to get over it and move on from the loss. Sound familiar?
A lot of parallels can be drawn between the recent election and Super Bowl, but two factors are excluded from these similarities: significance and interest. Significance wise, the election sort of trumps the Super Bowl. But as far as interest, the game won by about 40 million viewers. Now before you get your brand new NFL boxers in a twist, I'm not saying football isn't great or important. It's an American past time that draws people together and that's wonderful. But when it's valued over the Democratic process, we have a problem. But that problem is not with football, it's with us. The Super Bowl is fun to watch, Lady Gaga is a queen, and the commercials are great. But do you play any role in the outcome? Does the outcome affect your life? Your rights? No.
It is estimated that more Americans tuned into the game at some point than voted in the 2016 election. No matter your political affiliation or which team you cheered for, why are more Americans paying attention to a football game than the future of our country? Why did this Georgia professor need to cancel class to take a day to recover from the Falcons' loss? (Someone get this snowflake some play-doh and a coloring book amirite?) Why is it socially acceptable to be distraught when your team loses but not when your candidate loses? Stop and think about which of these outcomes has more gravity. Feel free to mourn the loss of the Falcons. Celebrate the success of the Patriots. But consider the parallels between the game and the election. Did you shame people for not moving on accepting the outcome of the election? If you think that's rough to hear from a Pats fan, think of what it may feel like coming from the supporter of a candidate whose presidency could threaten your rights.
This is not an attack on football or its fans. This is a wakeup call. We, as Americans, love excitement and flashing lights, and we like to shove unpleasantness under the rug. It makes sense why we want to shut down at the thought of politics but fully invest ourselves in a football game a thousand miles away. I invite you to embrace the sense of helplessness and discomfort that can accompany an awareness of politics and invest as much interest in our nation as we do in sports and music awards. I promise you have the brain space for both.
