Sociology of supwerbowl

Raul Gutierrez
SOCI 3310.90L
Uzzer Raajpoot
September 19, 2011
Sociology of Super bowl
Football is one of the most violent sports of modern times, and also one that test the strength of playerslike no other. Compared to basketball, baseball and soccer where a simple body contact is prohibited and its consequence, like a free kick in soccer, might result in an advantage to the other team;in football players are forced to show what they are made off by either running, tackling, defending, or pushing through the enemy lines, in other words, players are encourage to be aggressive if theywish to win. Players are forced to show all this in just one game, not like in basketball or baseball where teams are given many chances to switch the score and make it to the next phase, but just onegame.
Since football is one important part of our culture as Americans we are expected to watch it, it is almost a social norm. A social norm is a “rule that a group uses for appropriate andinappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit.” Just imagine the most important game of the year, one that comes once every three hundred and sixty fourdays, if you do not watch the super bowl you will be like a rare specimen, like an animal outside of its natural environment, or even considered a deviant. Missing the super bowl is like missing ouridentity as Americans.
In addition the football might also be considered a religion. Religion, from a sociological point of view, means: “... a system of beliefs and practice by means of which a groupof people struggle with the ultimate problems of human life”. If we apply it to the super bowl, we can say that the super bowl is a game of endurance and strength in which two opposing teams competeto obtain the victory and glory, fame, and respect along with it. For example, if we consider the ultimate problem of human life being “why are we here?”, but in football the team already knows why...