Super Bowl LII is now history. We watched the game with some neighbors, and I freely admit that I enjoy watching the game as much – if not more – for the commercials as for the game itself. Unless, of course, my beloved Chicago Bears are playing, which has happened just twice in my lifetime.

We all agreed that we were disappointed with the commercials this year. “It seems like they’re trying too hard,” one of the neighbors said. We all agreed with that, too.

A number of the ads did make us laugh. I got a little choked up at others, even though the Budweiser Clydesdales were not featured prominently in any of them. And a few of the spots had all of us scratching our heads and going, “Huh?” We never saw the point.

There were a number of commercials with uplifting messages, although they usually had little or nothing to do with the actual product being advertised. Still, it was inspiring to see ads that celebrated diversity, that highlighted people helping those in need, or that showed what some companies are doing to aid in disaster relief.

Now that the Super Bowl is behind us, I’m looking ahead to the Winter Olympics. That’s something I do watch for the games, not the commercials, although I also enjoy the accompanying features about the athletes themselves. Their background stories give us a glimpse of the obstacles they had to overcome, the struggles and setbacks they had to endure, and the sacrifices they – as well as their families – had to make in order to fulfill their lifelong dreams of competing in the Olympics.

Both the Super Bowl and the Olympics feature the best of the best, performing at their highest level. The adrenaline and exhilaration they must feel is something I, personally, could not imagine in a million years. But the stories that come during the breaks – that’s different. These are what I can relate to. The slice-of-life snippets. The back stories. The tears, whether happy or sad, and the humor, whether intentional or not. This is real life as I know it. Not just on Super Bowl Sunday, or during the Summer or Winter Olympics, but every day.

And, now that I think about it, that’s pretty wonderful to watch, too.

February 9, 2018
©Betty Liedtke, 2018

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