(ThyBlackMan.com) It has been over a week since Super Bowl LVIII and over a week since the mass shooting in Kansas City during the championship parade. More details regarding the shooting are sad as well with the suspects being juveniles and the loss of life of a mother of two being among the victims. While football is a very violent collision sport, the violence from the shooting at the parade overshadows the usual violence of the National Football League as San Francisco and Kansas City played for the Vince Lombardi trophy in the Super Bowl. Due to the championship parade shooting and several other factors surrounding Super Bowl LVIII, it is accurate to say that Super Bowl LVIII will be known for the devaluation of human life more than being known for quarterback Patrick Mahomes winning a third Super Bowl MVP, more than being known for the game winning touchdown caught by wide receiver Mecole Hardman, and even more than being known for singer Taylor Swift’s association with tight end Travis Kelce.
There was quite a bit of star power going into Super Bowl LVIII regarding the on-field competitors including Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Christian McCaffrey all being faces seen on various TV ads throughout the 2023 NFL season. Kelce’s dating life with music star Taylor Swift only added to the attention he received during 2023. Those factors led to Super Bowl LVIII going down as the most-watched program in television history averaging 123.7 million viewers across television and streaming platforms, according to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics. While millions watched that game, Zionist Israel committed a bombardment of Rafah, currently the most densely populated area on Earth, as thousands of Palestinians were under aerial bombardment and suffocating siege in Gaza’s southernmost city. Along with that violence from aerial bombing, Palestinians in Rafah face famine has that reached an acute stage and hundreds of thousands are threatened with starvation.
Of course, every year the Super Bowl is known for the numerous and expensive commercials. There were a lot of different Super Bowl commercials in 2024. There were some ads that raised some eyebrows from the obviously religious ‘He Gets Us’ ads to a Zionist Israel Super Bowl ad that Pro-Palestinian activists responded to with an ad of their own that did not air during Super Bowl LVIII. It is a clear sign of attempting to sway public opinion towards valuing marginalized lives. There were also different signs outside the stadium of the Super Bowl held by Native American protesters who remind NFL fans that there is racist imagery and stereotypes involving Kansas City’s team.
The devaluation of human life of various people of different backgrounds will always be a major part of the storyline of Super Bowl LVIII. The understanding of the oppressed, those doing the oppressing, and the humanity in people is one of the best characteristics of former co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Huey P. Newton, whose birthday was earlier this month. Newton once said, “Even if in the future there will be some small differences in behavior patterns, different environments would all be a secondary thing. And we struggle for a future in which we will realize that we are all Homo sapiens and have more in common than not. We will be closer together than we are now.” We all have more in common than not and people understanding that is key to ending the devaluation of human beings.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines