Last night, New England’s comeback stunned the Atlanta Falcons, humbled NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and left the #NeverPats community in tears. Dramatic, controversial, and infuriating, the game was everything sportscasters had predicted — everything except political.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Americans enjoyed a much needed political pause. While partisan controversy will continue to boil in coastal bubbles, across the nation the country’s presidential fever started breaking.
After more than a year and a half, 112 million viewers tuned out the news cycle to focus on football. Instead of the White House in Washington, the nation revolved around NRG Stadium in Houston. And for an evening, the country cared more about Tom Brady than Donald Trump.
Sure, there were some preachy commercials. Airbnb, Audi, and Coca-Cola tried to score free advertising off of national controversy. But that 30-second posturing and proselytizing won’t be long remembered. Politics might be inescapable, but that doesn’t automatically make it memorable. And if a certain nineteenth century French tourist is correct, the pause will be permanent until at least until 2020.
Observing democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville noted the cyclical nature of politics. “As the election draws near, intrigues intensify, and agitation increases and spreads,” he reported, noting that “a fever grips the entire nation.”
But then, it snaps. “Immediately after fortune renders its verdict, of course, this ardor dissipates, calm is restored,” he wrote, “and the river, having briefly overflowed its banks, returns to its bed.” What Tocqueville first observed in 1835 still holds true even in 2017. Bored with politics, Americans have shifted their focus toward more important things.
Even Lady Gaga knows that.
The pop star and part-time political protestor doesn’t shy away from sharing her opinion. In fact, the day after the election, Gaga climbed on top a sanitation truck outside Trump tower to voice her displeasure with the president-elect. Those politics coupled with a 21-3 halftime deficit for New England could’ve persuaded the country to turn off their televisions.
But her show wasn’t political. It was all synth, synchronized dancing, and breakneck stunts instead. She realized the football and politics make a bad romance. And America rewarded Gaga. Viewership peaked during her set.
Does an amazing game and a killer performance spell bipartisan harmony for the next four years? Of course not. But it does demonstrate that America is not a nation of political junkies and that at least for now our political fever has started breaking.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
