I have no idea who will win the Super Bowl and no particular interest either way. But I will be watching. And so will you. The Super Bowl is the last unifying public event on the American calendar, rivaled only by Christmas and the return of Daylight Savings as something impossible to ignore.
The cultural calendar used to be crammed with important “must see” events. The State of the Union Address, Inauguration Day, and the Academy Awards were all once big draws. Not even New Year’s Eve packs the punch it once did, with more people bragging about not celebrating than posting pics of their wild, all-night bacchanals. SNL is pretty much DOA. Let’s face it, we’re not interested in seeing anything live anymore. Even church on Sunday has fallen out of fashion, more of a hobby than an obligation.
But not football! And especially not the Super Bowl, the High-Holy Day of secular spectacles.
With so many eyes glued to the tube all at once, advertisers shell out enormous sums to hawk their wares, while super star performers consider headlining the Halftime Show a career highlight. Is it any wonder politicians want a piece of the action?
The political traditions around the big game are mostly benign, with the mayors of the cities involved concocting civic pride wagers, usually involving a local delicacy. (This year it’s BBQ.) Richard Nixon started the tradition of calling the winning team’s locker room after the game way back in Super Bowl IV, and the TV networks started running softball interviews with sitting presidents during the Obama years, a gift during an election year. Yet, for the second year in a row, Joe Biden has punted, possibly a smart move considering how most Joe Biden speaking engagements go these days.
Or does Team Biden have a trick play up their sleeves?
According to recent GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, the NFL, a notoriously crooked organization that snubbed Donald Trump when he wanted to buy the Buffalo Bills, is in cahoots with Biden to fix the Super Bowl. This doozie was echoed by FOX News host, Jesse Watters, Laura Loomer(the too crazy even for Florida congressional candidate) as well as a cornucopia of conspiracy kooks online and possibly in your family.
The plot goes something like this: the refs will make sure Kansas City wins so Taylor’s boyfriend (and Pfizer huckster) Travis Kelce can pop the question to Swift on the field as confetti rains down upon them. Then, the newly engaged Swift, will turn to the cameras and endorse Joe Biden for reelection.
When Ms. Swift endorsed Biden in 2020 it didn’t make much of a ripple. But the historic success of Taylor’s “Eras Tour” means everything Swift does today is a big deal. The NFL has profited from cutaways to her celebrating with Kelcy’s family at Chief’s games throughout the season, and voter registration drives have benefited in everywhere Swift has performed. Apparently, the Republican Party fears they will lose the Swiftie vote.
The only thing that would tick off Trump voters more than a Biden endorsement would be a cutaway to Swift’s luxury suite catching her shot-gunning Bud Lights with Dylan Mulvaney, Colin Kaepernick and Hunter Biden.
The nexus between showbiz and politics is as old as showbiz itself. In the Old World, royalty had jesters and favored court composers and painters while the Vatican showered wealth and fame on Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Raphel among others. With the birth of recorded music and film stars like George M. Cohan, Charles Chaplin and others were put into service to sell war bonds. In the Second World War, Hollywood cranked out pro-government films including specific tributes to Franklin Roosevelt. Sinatra campaigned openly for FDR, and took the same heat Taylor Swift is getting for expressing her political views.
Celebrities have the same rights as the rest of us to express their opinions. And we have the right to boycott their work if we choose to do so.
But not many are boycotting the NFL.
Remember how many millions swore they would never watch an NFL game again after 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem? The NFL (with a boost from Taylor Swift) is currently enjoying the highest ratings in its long history of high ratings. Swearing off the NFL is the right-wing equivalent of left-wingers who promised to move to Canada if Donald Trump was reelected. Last time I checked Cher and Whoopi Goldberg are still here.
So, vote for whoever you like, vote against whoever you despise. Buy or don’t buy Taylor Swift’s music, but for three hours on Super Bowl Sunday, we can ignore all the noise and enjoy great athletes doing great things and watch some funny commercials while stuffing ourselves with pigs-in-a-blanket and hoping our team covers the spread. The day after, we’ll go over every big play, every dud commercial or great one we missed and talk to each other like friends, you know, like we used to.
Doug McIntyre column appears Sundays. Reach him at: Doug@DougMcIntyre.com.
