Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
The NFL’s grip on America’s psyche leaves little room for competing interests. Football games routinely dominate TV ratings — 82 of the top 100 shows in 2022 — and the Super Bowl is tops each year. The league enjoys flexing its registered trademark: Companies can’t even use the term without paying up, which explains abundant commercials with references to “the Big Game.”
A Tennessee lawmaker has proposed legislation that would create a holiday each Monday after the Super Bowl, an acknowledgement that the economy already suffers from a hangover. Cincinnati Public Schools canceled classes last year ahead of the Bengals’ loss; Philadelphia-area districts instituted a preemptive two-hour delay this year.
Kansas City’s 38-35 victory might prompt Eagles fans to take the entire day.
I suspect many feel sick over the loss, particularly the late penalty that set up the Chiefs’ winning score with eight seconds left. We’ve definitely seen players get away with far worse than James Bradberry’s hindrance of JuJu Smith-Schuster, though the Philly defender admitted his guilt: “It was holding,” Bradberry told reporters afterward. “I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.”
The call left a bad taste in many viewers’ mouths after a thrilling and riveting contest, but Philly coach Nick Sirianni didn’t use it as an excuse. “I know it always appear to be that it’s one call that makes that game. That’s not what it is,” he said. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was of the same mind. “I don’t think this game is…
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