As the Super Bowl is nearing its dawn in 2012, football fans and sport fans of all kinds are gearing up to place their bets, cheer for their stars, and surround themselves with friends, food, and drink. The talk is always centered around the statistics, the favorites versus the underdogs, the plays that will make the difference, and a multitude of other facts and hunches about how the game will play out. A sport fan and “has been” athlete of the sort myself, I too am among the interested and intrigued many who will be watching with anticipation on February 5th when the game airs. I can’t help but wonder however about the millions of dollars spent on new advertising gimmicks and what companies will come out on top after the game. It is a known reality that companies spend a large chunk of change to showcase their products during the Super Bowl. This year it is estimated that a mere 30 seconds of air time will cost an average of 3.5 million dollars (Time Magazine, 2012). The concepts, graphics, and jingles are always an entertaining aspect of the Super Bowl, displaying a flawless balance of artistic creativity, innovation, and appeal. I personally admire the creative minds behind these famous advertisements and don’t mind watching the overwhelming minutes of commercials on Super Bowl Sunday, but my question is “what about all the other days of the year?”

Marketing through sport is a common concept and strategy used by companies to promote a product by using sports venues, teams, or individual players as ambassadors of a brand. We are all aware of the obvious use of commercials for this purpose and they are indeed effective at zoning in on their target audience, but has it reached an insurmountable peak where fans like me wonder whether I’m even watching a game or just a barrage of advertisements and propaganda? The combination of constant disruptions and extended pauses in the game, commercials on the big screens, and rotating board advertisements, are not only a distraction but a disservice to the athletes and true fans of the games. There are instances when players are ready to go, but the puck has yet to be dropped at a hockey game due to the infamous red light indicating there is still an ongoing commercial break. Certain venues give the impression of “selling out” in a sense, with growing emphasis on corporate boxes, low quality expensive merchandise and services, and a diminishing number of families or average people who cannot afford to attend as often.

The involvement of corporations and investors in sport is indeed important and inevitable for the continuation of growth and development of athletics. As a fair trade for sponsorship it is only reasonable to allow them the rights to advertisement through use of venues and players, but let us at least consider a slight shift in emphases. The European Football leagues are a valid example in their use of advertising of sponsorships and other supporters through graphic displays on the uniforms themselves. At times I’m actually fond of the unique designs donned by the players and think they are marketing through a sport gem that has not been embraced enough. Although the overall opinion in North America seems to forbid the use of uniforms for marketing, I think it could be a compromise for companies to have more exposure and fans to have a little less interruption. It’s interesting that I can watch a live English Premier League soccer game with no commercial interference during play- only at halftime, of course. In my view this results in a much more engaged audience; in terms of both the event being watched and the products they are advertising. Perhaps it’s time for a change not just in how often we see these advertising campaigns, but where we see them that matters most.

Here the NFL’s own Superbowl ad from 2011: