Sir, – Dave Hannigan’s recent article “Is the Super Bowl what passes for culture in modern America?” (Sport, February 5th) offers a familiar critique of American mass culture, one steeped in condescension.
The article leans on the well-worn argument of American culture as over-the-top consumerism, spectacle-driven entertainment, and shallow mass appeal, as if the US lacks literature, music, theatre, or meaningful artistic expression. American culture is as varied and complex as any other, with the Super Bowl being just one day and one element. Last year, in a country of 334 million, an estimated 123 million watched the Super Bowl, ie the vast majority of Americans were doing something else, hardly making it the quasi-religious universal observance the article attempts to portray.
Yes, the Super Bowl is an Americanism but no more so than the Eurovision Song Contest is a European mass media spectacle. Both reflect the values, tastes, and traditions of their respective audiences. Rather than snobbishly dismissing such events, we should appreciate and enjoy the variety.
It is easy to be cynical about a country’s most-watched television event, but it takes more effort to understand why it resonates so deeply with millions.
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Instead of the predictable eye-rolling at American mass entertainment, perhaps a more interesting discussion would be why the Super Bowl endures as a unifying force in an increasingly fragmented society and world. If only we in America could replicate that unity outside of a stadium in February. – Yours, etc,
NEIL F COSGROVE,
New City,
New York.
