Time Out!

It's Super Bowl Time!!

This annual tradition is about so much more than football even though some say football is the best and biggest sport in the world.

I have always been a football fan, and of course I understand that winning a Super Bowl ring is the pinnacle of football success. Just getting there is a lifetime achievement for players, coaches, owners, and everyone on their teams. The Super Bowl is a multi-faceted entertainment event with a unique ability to attract and appease many different audiences through live entertainment, streaming, social media and other related communications services and devices. ?

It is a spectacle. It is America.?

However, I contend the Super Bowl is about the Three Cs of Communication: Camaraderie, Community, and Connection.

Camaraderie

What motivates any audience to watch the Super Bowl? Is it the game, the commercials, the half-time show, the potential unveiling of new brands searching to find a home in your sphere of influence? There are lots of different dynamics at play with each focused on different audiences, from the die-hard fans to the brand watchers.

Other than the players, coaches and groups of people personally invested, who really cares which team wins? I submit that we all win simply by enjoying those few hours in the way we choose in our own corner of the universe. And oh, by the way, big brands are winners as well, with their high-quality captivating commercials targeted at potential new customers.

Do you watch for the unveiling of premier ad campaigns that will be lauded or panned as if reviewing a film festival masterpiece? Maybe it’s the always dazzling star-studded half-time show, even when (or maybe especially when) plagued by wardrobe malfunctions?

Perhaps it’s the chicken wings or the snacks? Is it about a super-sized bowl of chili, or guacamole or onion dip?

Community

How about a sense of unity with millions of viewers around the world, and social media banter about one of the few events many people still watch live? That sense of togetherness when so many friends, family, and strangers are watching the same thing at the same time?

This year, the Super Bowl is in New Orleans on the 61st anniversary of The Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, a seminal moment in the early years of television.?

Connection

Do you watch to gamble, lead a life of fantasy football, follow a particular player, or team? Are you watching to see which celebrities are in the audience? Are you at a party or a sports bar just to have fun and maybe stumble into a lucky betting pool?

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