All the hype we hear about the Super Bowl might lead some to
think everyone in the U.S. is obsessed with going to the game in Atlanta,
Georgia this year or viewing the TV coverage.
The reality is that statistics indicate more people watch the game than
any other program – but that’s only approximately one-third plus of our
population. Of that number viewers may
only watch part of the game as VOX reported in their analysis a few years ago of
rating company Nielsen’s methods:
“A ratings point — calculated to the 10th decimal place — is a
percentage of the number of American households that own at least one
television and were tuned to a particular program at a particular time.
It represents 1 percent of the ... American homes that own a
television set.... From there, Nielsen estimates viewership based
on its demographic samples, which account for age, race, family size, and other
things.
One of Nielsen's "homes" could be a family of five,
all watching the big game, or it could be a single person, or it could be a big
Super Bowl party. The company can't ever know with 100 percent certainty how
many people are watching the game in any of these homes (that single person
might invite a friend over!), but it has a pretty good guess.”
Predictions
by many sports analysts are that this year’s game will attract an increased
number of viewers. I don’t usually
watch the game but did see some of the earlier NFL conference championship game
that has become controversial, intriguing me.
I guess this isn’t the first time a team ended up being “the
winner!” when possibly their opponent might have been had it not been for a
game official’s call or failure to call an offense. That is what happened in the NFL conference game
between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints national football teams.
The New England Patriot’s aren’t without some controversies
of their own. One of the most recent has
involved some manipulation of the football in the 2015 AFL conference game. Interestingly, this year a ten-year-old boy won
a science fair contest with a project designed to “prove” the team’s
quarterback to be a “cheater”, possibly having been given an advantage. You can view his project at Global News.
Feelings run strong with many avid fans of the teams who were
defeated in those Conference playoff games by each of these two teams competing in this
year’s Super Bowl. I’ve thought the
Patriot’s quarterback at age 41 defying typical age limitations to continue playing, is to be lauded, though the infamous “deflategate” scandal has colored the
views of many football fans.
If I view the Super Bowl to be played this coming Sunday, February 3rd,
the Los Angeles Rams will be my favored team – coincidentally the same name and
team colors as my high school’s team. The
offending violation that officials didn’t call was finally acknowledged, a fine
imposed, but no game replay granted as some wanted.
I have had and continue to have reservations about this sport
(also boxing, soccer, other sports) with athletes willing to risk damaging
their brains in order to play and fans continuing to view.
Brain-Injury-Research continues to determine any
relationship, cause and effect between CTE and sports-related effects.
“Chronic
traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain condition associated with
repeated blows to the head. It is also associated with the development of
dementia. Potential signs of CTE are problems with thinking
and memory, personality changes, and behavioral changes including aggression
and depression.”
We can reflect on some of the centuries earlier colosseum sports
we’ve learned about as being violent, or even considered barbaric that have declined from sport. Physical damage to the human body was the most obvious aspect in sport then. Life span was generally shorter than now.
Now that we’re acquiring more knowledge about the much less visible brain and neurological functions, plus having extended life expectancy, perhaps we’ll reconsider our favored sporting events for participation and/or viewing. We might want to exercise some caution to retain our mental faculties as best we can. Our brains sometimes outlive our braun.
Now that we’re acquiring more knowledge about the much less visible brain and neurological functions, plus having extended life expectancy, perhaps we’ll reconsider our favored sporting events for participation and/or viewing. We might want to exercise some caution to retain our mental faculties as best we can. Our brains sometimes outlive our braun.
I wonder if how the current popular sports
are played will, or should change in the future? Will they diminish in popularity? What sports might ascend to capture attention? Will new sports gain prominence?
