The TV ratings for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union earlier this week are a mere fraction of what Super Bowl XLIX is expected to draw.
Overseas wars or on-the-field battles? Health care for all or concussions for some? Immigration status on millions of Americans or injury status on Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman?
When looking at the TV ratings for the upcoming Super Bowl 2015 alongside the President Barack Obama’s State of the Union, which aired live earlier this week, there’s really no comparison.
Only 31.7 million people watched the president’s sixth State of the Union speech on broadcast and cable networks – representing the event’s second lowest ratings in 15 years (it’s worth pointing out that this figure doesn’t include those who streamed the speech online). By contrast, bets are that estimated 113 million viewers will tune in to for Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, Feb. 1. Last year, the Super Bowl drew a record 111.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched TV show in U.S. history.
Are America’s priorities misplaced? Perhaps.
But we’d rather gush over hard hits on the gridiron than listen to our country’s often-grim reality. The Super Bowl is, after all, the king of sporting events. In less than two weeks, the reigning champs Seattle Seahawks will square off against the New England Patriots. The media is already aflutter.
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It’s a no-brainer that watching grown men in pads tackle each other is more entertaining than watching a grown man in a suit discuss the direction of our country. Besides, there’s also plenty of water-cooler talk to be missed in the days following the big game. In the days after the president’s national address? Not so much.
Another reason: Sports are a social lubricant. Politics, on the other hand, are naturally divisive and should be avoided at the dinner table.
Is the game more important? Certainly not. But it captures and holds our attention for longer than three minutes – which in our era is pretty unprecedented.
While many people are placing bets wondering which team will win the 49th Super Bowl, one thing is certain: We’d rather be socially entertained than politically engaged. And most of us are fine with that.
H/T ABC News
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