The most important, unofficial American holiday is here, The Super Bowl. Football fans gather around the television to watch warriors play for the ultimate prize. Non-football fans participate in this holiday to watch the funny and interesting commercials. For everyone else, the chips and salsa are in the kitchen. The Super Bowl is a mega event in today’s world, and most people enjoy it. No more than fifty years ago the Super Bowl was an infant. This is in stark contrast to today’s overblown, maximum intensity Super Bowl. I want to understand past Super Bowls, and how the event became what it is today.

The Super Bowl matchup I want to see from the past would be Super Bowl XIII, the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys. These two storied franchises fighting to become the first team to win three Super Bowls. The Steelers had Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, and a “Steel Curtain” as a defense. Roger Staubach and the “Doomsday Defense” anchored the Cowboys. While both teams sported tough defenses, they did not affect the high octane offenses of either team. The game was exciting because the Cowboys scored two touchdowns with seven minutes left in the game to bring it up to its final score of 35-31.

Seeing this failed comeback added drama, but I love this final score. The best football games are the high scoring ones. The matchup of these two teams in their primes would have been amazing. The pressure for each team be the best in the NFL in the 1970’s was immense. These storied franchises represent the most historic franchises in 2016, but they were finding their beginnings in the ’70s. History started in this decade for each team to try to grab the mantle of the NFL’s most historic, best franchise. Oh, and the average Super Bowl commercial cost was $185,000.

While not a part of the actual gameplay, Super Bowl commercials show how the event has changed throughout the years. Each year the advertising cost increases so the pressure intensifies to make the best commercial. In my short life, I remember the Budweiser frogs from my childhood. One commercial that still resonates in today’s culture is the “Hey Kid, Catch” advertisement. In this commercial, “Mean” Joe Greene tosses his jersey to kid who gave him a Coke. This commercial was made in 1979 so hidden gems of the high quality commercials exist in the past. It would be interesting to watch older Super Bowl commercials and see if the humor and logic still work in today’s context.

This is similar to watching the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game aka Super Bowl I, and witnessing if the magnitude of this game held up to today’s standards. The Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs did not want to let their leagues down. The event of this game was very different. The game was shown on two television networks, CBS and NBC. The atmosphere leading up to this game would be like no other Super Bowl atmosphere. This was new, and two rival football leagues playing each other never existed before. This event was not a manufactured product, and thus provided an atmosphere of originality. The game ended up being 35-10, but watching Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, and Len Dawson would have been amazing. Oh, and the average cost of a thirty second commercial was $42,000.

Both games and commercials show the early roots of the beginnings of what became a goliath sized event that is now the Super Bowl. Exciting games and storied franchises like the Steelers and Cowboys led to aura of the Super Bowl being built. As the aura and attention around the Super Bowl grew, the quality of the commercials improved. Whether it was from a humor or thought provoking stand point, these commercials allowed non-football fans to partake in Super Bowl festivities. The most unofficial holiday is upon us so go eat too many snacks, drink enough alcohol, and maybe watch the game in between both of these activities. It will be a fun time.

Email Sean with your thoughts and ideas for future columns at: sean.h.dengler@gmail.com