9781422283097

on our part to bring the element of patriotism into the Super Bowl.” The first sign of this was before Super Bowl II on Jan. 14, 1968, when the pregame featured a flyover by Air Force jets following the national anthem. This dramatic—and loud—aerial display has become a staple of the pregame festivities. By 1977, Time magazine ran a cover story about the Super Bowl proclaiming it “The Great American Spectacle.” The story described the game as “the nation’s single largest shared experience [except for electing a president or watching an American astro‑ naut walk on the moon].” Rozelle’s successor, Paul Tagliabue, described the Super Bowl as “the winter version of the Fourth of July celebration.” Of course, as patriotic as the game may be, it has certainly become a global—if not intergalactic— event. As the late minister and author Dr. Norman Vincent Peale once said, “If Jesus were alive today, he’d probably be at the Super Bowl.” Right there with the aliens.

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