I've been involved in TV Production, Advertising and Marketing for a long time now, and to me the Super Bowl is all about the commercials (unless of course my beloved Minnesota Vikings are playing/losing and then it's about anxiety meds and cardiac distress - but I digress). Yes, there are many who enjoy the scene of men running around in their colorful costumes, and now even women are finally being represented in the sport. But I'm that guy who gets up to quickly run to the fridge or bathroom when the game action is on - and by contrast sits riveted by the flat screen (living in 4k luxury, thank you Santa) when the commercials are running - not the players.
I'm pretty sure I caught them all, and I believe I didn't see one ad this year for any cancer medications. Football is a game (with extreme financial consequences), but a game nonetheless. Cancer is a disease; an insidious intruder that inaudibly and imperceptibly insinuates itself into the innards of the innocent to wreak its havoc. If I may borrow from the vernacular of the street, "it's some serious shit." So for a couple of hours, it was nice to be swept away in the folly and frivolity of football, and momentarily mis-recollect the madness of Multiple Myeloma. By no means does it make the cancer go away, as it waits patiently in its temporarily dormant state while we divert our attention with "healthy" snacks, meatball subs and the yearly AFC vs NFC match-up. But the game slips to the forefront and the concerns of cancer take a backseat (ie: ride the pine).
The Gatorade baths have been administered, the MVP has been announced (he no doubt will be "going to DisneyWORLD" to celebrate - for some strange yet predictable reason), the victorious fly home as if floating upon a state of euphoria, the vanquished hang their heads in proud defeat, and the trials and tribulations of cancer begin again. But maybe we don't need the power of an annual pigskin ritual to keep our mind off the reality of the Big C for a moment or two or more. Maybe it's not the Super Bowl, but rather a bowl of soup, or a bowl of ice cream or a bowl of cereal or a game of bowling; something or anything that can take our mind off of "it." May you find your distraction, and may your cancer-less thoughts grow longer and more frequent.
