So there’s this event happening on Sunday that a lot of people in the States seem to get hyped up about. It’s this thing called the Super Bowl. For those of you that may not be familiar with it, the National Football League puts on this championship game every year to decide which team can have bragging rights for a year that they’re “the best.”
Some may ask what’s the big deal? It’s just a bunch of grown men running around in tight pants, tackling each other and throwing an odd-shaped ball back and forth.
Football fans like myself will beg to differ. It’s a time to order deli sandwiches and wings, take bets on the score, and watch hilarious commercials and an awesome halftime show. But it’s not all fun and games. When it’s “your team” playing, you’re probably having anxiety attacks during every play until your team gets a big enough lead. I can tell you from experience that getting through a game is hard work (Disclaimer: I’m a Saints fan.)
But all of that hype, does it do any good? Does the NFL do anything other than entertain people? Well, turns out there are some really cool, impactful things that come from this great American pastime. Let’s see what NFL-inspired actions are making a difference.
1. Star Lord vs. Captain America charity challenge
If you’re a fan of comic books, or you just love a great action hero flick, this is one is for you. The two stars of The Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America, Chris Pratt and Chris Evans, have started a Chris vs. Chris battle off of the field. Pratt is from Seattle and Evans is from Boston so they’re rooting for opposite teams this Sunday. If the Seahawks win then Evans will visit his opposing city and go to Seattle Children’s Hospital in his Captain America garb. On the other side of things, if the Patriots come out on top then Pratt has promised to visit the children at Christopher’s Haven nonprofit in a Tom Brady. So the challenge is set, but victory depends on which team shows up on Sunday. Good luck, Chris! Oh, you too, Chris.
2. NFL Salute to Service
One of the major outreaches the NFL puts on is a “Salute to Service” to recognize those who serve in our armed forces. On Veteran’s Day every year, the NFL donates $100 for every point that is scored. $412,500 has been raised to date to go to the Pat Tillman Foundation, USO, and Wounded Warrior Project.
3. Players’ community outreach
Although New England and Seattle are the two areas going to war on Sunday, the battleground will take place in Phoenix, AZ. The NFL took this opportunity to give back to the host city. This year one of the bigger events brought in 275 kids to the Super Bowl XLIX One World Super Huddle at a children’s museum in Tempe. The hopes were that the kids were inspired by the visiting NFL players to be active and culturally aware.
4. Matt Williams to raise $1 million for charity at Super Bowl party
The Washington Nationals’ manager, Matt Williams, isn’t just a fan of baseball apparently. He’ll be throwing a Super Bowl party hoping to raise $1 million towards The Giving Back Fund.
5. Breast Cancer Awareness month
If you turn on a football game during the month of October you’ll see the fields, players, and uniforms decked out in pink. The NFL has made its priority every year in October to encourage breast cancer awareness and donate a percentage of merchandise royalties to fund cancer research.
6. NFL Play 60
The NFL has a campaign called NFL Play 60 to motivate kids to be active at least 60 minutes a day to help fight the trend of childhood obesity and encourage teachers and schools to implement exercise programs.
7. Super Bowl commercials
Yes, MOST of the Super Bowl commercials are created for the benefit of the company running them. Granted, for how much money they spend on the time slots, they deserve to get a little kickback from the advertising they put out. However, sometimes these coveted commercials are put out into the universe to make a meaningful impact. For instance, at last year’s Super Bowl, U2 previewed a new song that would be available for FREE download for the following 24 hours in collaboration with Bank of America. During that time the bank agreed to donate $1 to the (RED) foundation for every download that was made.
8. Colts for the win
Individual NFL teams make efforts to support their communities through a handful of initiatives. According to the Indianapolis Colts’ website, the Colts are particularly motivated in making an impact. They take special interest in giving back to charitable organizations, hunger relief, literacy, children’s success and more.
So there you have it. you’re celebrating the Super Bowl or not, these efforts make an impact that we can all get behind.
P.S. -- Go Seahawks. (I’m not a Seattle fan but DEFINITELY not a Patriots fan.)
----
Alex Vinci