Decoding a United States tradition.
The Super Bowl is a bit like the FA Cup final. Except people actually care about it.
That said, unlike the FA Cup — in which almost every team in the country from amateurs to Manchester United can theoretically make the final — the Super Bowl is unashamedly about money and slick production values. Three hours of adverts interrupted by the occasional spot of sport, if you will.
I have never watched American football and have no idea what's going on.
Matthew Emmons/Usa Today Sports
Seattle Seahawks run out to The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony," in tribute to the drug-addled Wigan band (and northwest England's commitment to hitting people for fun).
Noah K. Murray / Reuters
Meanwhile, the other team gets led out by a WOMAN ON A HORSE. Britain has rubbish animal mascots in comparison, such as the Blackburn Rovers chicken.
Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images
Still, U.S. television presentation can make even the most mundane moments seem like an epic moment in human history.
