by Heather McClure
Featured Columnist
February 4, 2008

Last year, more than 93 million Americans tuned in to CBS on Super Bowl Sunday to watch the Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears. During the game, advertisers spent $2.6 million to run 30-second commercials.

The costs of this highly viewed annual event are absurd, especially considering the dramatic rise in cost over the years. During the first Super Bowl’s broadcast in 1966, a 30-second commercial cost a mere $40,000 to air; by 1987, the price had skyrocketed to $600,000 and has since increased by more than $2 million. While the game is a nostalgic event in our nation, the current cost is unnecessary, especially considering the current state of the economy and all the areas that could use a few extra dollars.

Yesterday, 90 million Americans watched the New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots 17-14 on television. A 30-second commercial during the FOX coverage of the game cost advertisers about $2.7 million and, for some, up to $3 million - $90,000 per second of airtime. 

While tickets started at $700, sellers on eBay listed them for prices up to almost $55,000. Just 48 hours before the event, a single ticket was selling for $3,449 and a group of six was going for $54,999.
I’m all about camaraderie and having a good time, but it’s become a little extreme how much money we have invested into this whole shindig. I can’t even imagine how much change we could do in our country with $3 million—the cost of one Super Bowl commercial.

Perhaps there’s little hope that we, individually, will ever be able to change the way the media throws money around when it comes to “the big game,” but we can at least make an effort to be more conscious of our actions and our spending. We need to think a bit more about the money we invest in events like these because if we don’t, it’s obvious that nobody else will.

Next year, skip the pizza. You’ll only be contributing to the more than one million sold by each major chain on the day of the game. Resist the urge to splurge on a new television like many Americans do. Yours would be one of 3.9 million sold during the week of the game. In keeping our costs down, we are making the conscious effort to remove ourselves from the estimated $9.5 billion spent on Super Bowl-related costs.

The big issue is not Super Bowl spending alone, but it does reflect the wasteful habits of Americans. Evaluating this spending is a good first step for us to reevaluate our indulgences and think more globally about our spending.