Performance Anxiety
Can the Super Bowl deliver some relief in a down economy?
2009-01-30
Melody K. Hoffman
The Super Bowl is this Sunday. Just wanted to offer a reminder to those who may not have noticed because they’re busy trying to survive in our down economy. Perhaps that have been hit by our country’s hemorrhaging job losses and well, busy looking for another job (Already in 2009, 207,120 jobs have been lost. Again, it’s only January).
Also, it’s a reminder to those who have been overwhelmed with joy by the recent historic inauguration installing the country’s first Black president, Barack Obama, and watching his every move with hope and pride. And a reminder to those disappointed by his appointment and anxiously awaiting the president’s fall from grace.
Many share the same distractions as the hoopla leading up to the Super Bowl may have taken a backseat to the echoing concerns of Americans in this sagging economy. Media outlets have cut back the number of staff they’ve sent to cover the league’s pinnacle event, which pits the first-time Super Bowl contenders Arizona Cardinals against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL issued nearly 200 fewer credentials than last year.
According to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, spending in the Tampa Bay area for Super Bowl XLIII is likely to be thrown for a loss by the economy, with receipts expected to be off by 20 percent. PwC predicts that personal and business spending cutbacks will result in fewer visitors and media, a shorter average length-of-stay per visitor, and less spending in the hospitality and related industries throughout the Tampa Bay area, generating approximately $150 million in direct spending. Under normal market conditions, estimates were upwards of $180 million.
The game is expected to sell out as always, but StubHub, the nationwide ticket broker, had more than 3,000 seats for sale as of midweek, which were steadily lowering in price. The NFL offered 1,000 seats at $500, down from last year's low of $700–the first cut in Super Bowl history.
Corporate sponsors’ budget cuts became apparent with the fewer scheduled parties in Tampa. Playboy (Playboy!) just dropped out of their planned Tampa blowout in favor of selling tickets to watch the game at the Playboy Mansion, presumably with Hef, his new girlfriends and some stray eye candy. Super Bowl regular advertisers such as FedEx Corp. and General Motors pulled their TV ads from the NBC broadcast. However, this week NBC said it had sold all but two Super Bowl ads even as a large number of them cost an all-time high price of about $3 million, up from last year’s $2.7 million.
The No. 1 sporting event in America may have lost a little luster, but with annual revenues of $6.5 billion, the glutton extravaganza is far from struggling. The Super Bowl is still head honcho and will be seen by about 100 million U.S. viewers, the most-watched TV broadcast in the country.
But that’s them, what about you and me? Will the game be enough entertainment to help us forget about our financial troubles even for a few hours? Or grandiose enough to change the mindset of those who feel sports and their million-dollar athletes are just not that important right now? We’ll know in a few hours.
There isn’t a big-market draw like last year’s New York Giants, and few marquee names will step onto the field Sunday. Pittsburgh, who plays their second Super Bowl in three years, is favored against the Super Bowl rookie Cardinals, who despite their 9-7 regular-season record, managed to stay hot in the playoffs.
However, the Super Bowl has always been so much more than a game. It’s served as a winter tradition–a reason for celebration, food, drinks and parties. It brings together all different walks of life and even those who despise the game throughout the season, but wear bells to Super Bowl festivities.
Even though everyday fans are losing jobs every day, the allure of celebrity glitz and two teams duking it out for a hard-earned championship victory may be the salve that people need, if only for a day. And then on Monday, back to the grind and life as we know it.
