Super Bowl of the Union

Watching the Super Bowl is more American than watching the State of the Union.

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State of the Union

This past Tuesday I was glued to the television just like every other American… as the Tampa Bay Lightning took on the San Jose Sharks in an overtime thriller. Actually, that’s not quite true. The Lightning game was on the television, but I was passed out on the couch as I was fighting some sort of illness. And, to be honest, I was probably enjoying myself more than those who subjected themselves to the yearly spectacle that is the State of the Union address.

I don’t say that because it was President Biden giving the speech, although I wouldn’t say he’s the most captivating speaker, I hate the entire State of the Union address spectacle. I know that the Constitution requires the President to provide Congress with a State of the Union every year, but that was not done by a speech to Congress until Woodrow Wilson started the practice. Before Wilson, the State of the Union was a letter delivered to Congress.

The modern form of the State of the Union perfectly embodies what I despise so much about how the president is viewed. The president has become a sort of symbolic replacement for America’s lack of a monarch. The president is revered and treated in a way that is inappropriate for a republican system of government in which the executive branch was designed to be subservient to the legislative branch.

I don’t mean to degrade the office of the presidency. The office is an institution that brings with it certain expectations and standards those who occupy it ought to uphold. The president himself though is just another American citizen that has temporarily been put into a position of public trust.

This view of the president permeates so much of the way that we talk about the person in the office. For example, people speak about the economy, either good or bad, as if it is controlled single-handedly by the president. Why are eggs so expensive right now? Biden. Why is inflation running rampant right now? Biden. Why is unemployment so low? Biden. Why was the economy booming in 2017? Trump.

The “economy” is really a description of the billions and billions of transactions that take place between over 300 million Americans. I believe the president has too much power, but he does not have the power required to make an economy “good” or “bad.”

The same applies to the “State of the Union.” The president, whether Democrat or Republican, does not have the immense knowledge required to give an accurate portrayal of the “state” of the entire country. And yet, Congress invites the president year after year to hold this public spectacle. It’s a spectacular waste of everybody’s time.

The best part about this year’s State of the Union speech was that it had the lowest TV ratings for a State of the Union address in history. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that Americans en masse are ignoring this dog and pony show more and more as the years go on.

I’m not against presidential addresses when they are called for, like after a tragedy or disaster, but the State of the Union address simply doesn’t fit this bill. This is seen by the amount of Americans that simply don’t care to watch it.

Super Bowl Sunday

I want to contrast the State of the Union with another event that will take place within a week of it: the Super Bowl. The audience for the Super Bowl tomorrow will be over triple the size of the audience that watched the State of the Union on Tuesday. What does it say about Americans that we care more about a football game that probably doesn’t include our favorite team than the president of the United States speaking? I think it’s saying only great things.

It’s important to note that most Americans do not watch the Super Bowl by themselves. It is one of the only non-holiday times during the year that people plan to get together with friends and/or family. This is what actually makes the event feel so communal. It isn’t the teams playing or even watching the game itself; it is the experience of watching with people year after year. This communal aspect of Americans is way more virtuous than being “politically engaged” by watching the State of the Union by themselves.

The magnitude of the Super Bowl also came about organically, not through an edict from on high. There was no person or law that told Americans they must make a big deal out of a football game. It simply became a big deal as more and more people found enjoyment in it and wanted to continue watching it through the years. The State of the Union is only an event because the Constitution calls for the president to give an update on the country and then Woodrow Wilson decided he was going to give it as a speech. There was nothing organic about it.

The organic nature of the Super Bowl is actually significantly more American than the top-down nature of the State of the Union. America was settled at different times in different places by different people all influenced by the very bottom-up English common law system. Over time, the 13 loosely-connected colonies became more connected and then eventually formed a union of states with a constitution that emphasized local control. Bottom-up, organic development has defined the development of America so, of course, an event like the Super Bowl is more American than the State of the Union.

Finally, more people should care about spending time together with friends watching something for enjoyment than what is happening in Washington D.C. Politics are not meant to be our source of entertainment or enjoyment. The country is a healthier place when Americans let political differences work themselves out between politicians in Washington D.C. so that they can enjoy their lives apart from politics. Eating wings, watching football, laughing at commercials, and enjoying time with friends is a much more fulfilling life than attentively watching the president be treated like a king.

More Super Bowl; less State of the Union, please.

God Bless,

Hunter Burnett