Bowl-ing together

This Sunday I'm going to my first Super Bowl Party since I was an undergraduate. As an Ohioan, I don't have any particular affiliation with either team. (My corner of the state is now Steelers' territory, thanks to the success of local hero Ben Roethlisberger.) And while I like football, I don't follow it closely -- I don't even know the (I'm sure) dramatic back stories behind these two teams. Also, I much prefer college ball to the NFL. The half-time show is almost guaranteed to be awful, not to mention nipple-free. Yet here I am, excited about it nonetheless.\nTo state the painfully obvious, I'm clearly not the only one. Last year average viewership was 90.7 million people, with an estimated 141.4 million people seeing at least a portion. From the way that all networks except CBS (this year's host) are lining up thoroughly expendable programming against the game, you get the impression that not even they plan on watching their channels. \nThe National Retail Federation said "this year, 21.5 million consumers plan to throw a Super Bowl party while an additional 54.6 million people plan to attend one." The American Institute of Food Distribution has claimed that it's America's No. 2 day for food consumption, while the NFL says "there are more pizzas sold on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year." Consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas has estimated that the week before the Super Bowl costs employers $800 million in lost productivity as employees are distracted by pre-game chatter and party preparations.\nYou get the picture. An absolutely ridiculous number of folks are looking forward to gathering around the tube with their friends, and eat many of the same foods, at the same time. But just think of how unusual that is anymore. Following the communications revolution brought on by satellites, cable and the Internet, the prevailing trend in all media has been toward individual preferences, specialization and narrower audiences. Mainstream mass communication -- the film industry, the basic TV networks, the major record labels -- that depends on trying to appeal to as many people as possible, are all struggling to compete.\nYet, Super Bowl Sunday bucks all this. Why? Beyond the game, I suspect it might be the model for the 21st century mass holiday. You don't have to belong to a particular religious, ethnic or language group (not even the localities of the two teams). You don't have to restrict it to family. You don't have to travel far, or dress up, or buy gifts, or cook. You don't even have to move off the couch. It asks little more than that you hang out with friends, watch TV and eat.\nSure, it lacks other holidays' deeper meanings -- but, in this day and age, there's something to be said for simply pulling people together for a common experience once in awhile, no strings attached. \nAnd, uh … Go Colts! Or whatever.