Super Bowl Excess?

I should start by saying I love football. My grandfather on my dad's side was a Hall of Fame high school coach in Wisconsin who won several state championships, so I guess you could say it's in my blood. (He's also a Notre Dame graduate, so maybe that explains my obsession with the Fighting Irish.) Anyway, I grew up playing the game, I probably spend too much time watching it in fall and winter, and I still enjoy a good recreational game. So I'm not out to hate on a sport that I love.

Also, there are degrees to which hosting the Super Bowl is terrific for Indianapolis, the city in which I currently live. Surely, there will be a short-term economic boost, and more than that, the city is benefiting from some excellent exposure, and so far is getting tremendous reviews for its hosting abilities. So I'm not out to hate on Indianapolis either.

Disclaimers aside, there is something that troubles me about this whole thing. The other night, I biked downtown with a couple of roommates, and we enjoying the outdoor concerts, checked out the Indy cars (painted as one NFL team each), and even drank an $8 beer. Which is the starting point of my uneasiness. Would it be possible, for example, for a legitimately poor person to participate without being irresponsible with all the hefty prices of food, drinks, and games?

The Super Bowl is basically a week-long party. I like a celebration as much as anybody: good food, good drink, good people, maybe even a dance floor at the end of the night. But what exactly are we celebrating? The city? The end of a football season? My theory is that it's just an excuse to be drink too much, to blow off school and work, and probably most of all, to exploit. Houses are renting for thousands of dollars a night. Some people pay more than $100 to park for a day. That's a lot of wealth changing hands. There are people out there who are making bank off this thing, and I doubt it's the Indianapolis schools, hospitals, and charitable organizations.

It kind of reminds me of an amusement park experience, which has never settled well with me either. Spend a bunch of money in a place you don't know, eat a bunch of bad food, wait in long lines for one-minute rides, then go home. Or what I imagine a cruise to be like, since I've never been on one. But some friends of mine that have come back bragging how much they ate and drink and how much weight they gained. Excess. The ultimate gluttony. I'm not so sure the big Super Bowl party is not essentially the same thing.

There is also reason to believe that the prostitution industry bolsters its presence and activity during this week, which is even more troubling. And even more exploitative. I was glad to see that Indiana's governor Mitch Daniels and his legislature has tried to act in a preventative manner, but it also be great if some of the players or coaches came out and spoke against this.

All this said, there's almost no doubt in my mind that I'll watch the big game on Sunday (and cheer hard against the Patriots!). I may even join the party downtown one more time on Friday night. But I do so with mixed feelings at best. I just think there are better ways to celebrate than this.