America and the Super Bowl go together like cookies and milk, and not because it is the most important game in the country’s favorite sport, nor is it because the mascots for this year’s participants, the Patriots and the Eagles, are symbols of America’s freedom. Super Bowl Sunday fits perfectly because of all the fanfare and hoopla that comes along with it.

In 52 years, the big game has grown from a championship football game, crowning the best team on the planet and serving football fans, to a week-long spectacle of entertainment and consumerism, attracting even non-football fans to enjoy the show. Sure, football is still at the heart of the Super Bowl, but the 22 guys on the field crashing into each other is not the only thing making it appointment TV year in and year out for a third of the country. The NFL can thank the halftime show and commercials for that.

While the game on the field has more or less remained the same the last 50 years, everything around it has changed exponentially, just like America. For the first Halftime Show at Super Bowl I, fans enjoyed a nice performance by a couple of college marching bands parading around the field. Throughout the years, however, the NFL ditched the safe, lowkey performances for wild and elaborate concerts put on by the biggest pop music stars of the day. Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake come to mind. This has led to some notable controversies such as Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s famous “wardrobe malfunction” at Super Bowl XXXVIII. This is exactly the kind of thing Americans want to see. We love to be entertained, and the Super Bowl Halftime Show getting better ratings than the game each year proves that. Not to mention the Super Bowl commercials that take over our lives for two weeks after the game.

Every year, someone at the Super Bowl party will make sure everyone knows they are only watching the game for the commercials. The Super Bowl has given us classics such as Puppy-Monkey-Baby, the Betty White Snickers commercial and countless Budweiser spots on the unbreakable bond between horses and dogs. Brands throughout the country work tirelessly to create the perfect commercial that will stay etched in your brain and sell their product. It is no wonder these advertisements are so memorable, given the price to air them. The only thing rising faster than the cost of education in this country is the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl commercial. What was once $42,000 during the first Super Bowl will now cost around $7 million this year.

The only numbers bigger than those this Sunday will be measuring what most makes the Super Bowl uniquely American: the food. The only day this year where Americans will eat more than they do on Super Bowl Sunday is Thanksgiving. It is estimated that over 1 billion chicken wings, 4 million pizzas and 50 million cases of beer will be consumed during the game.

This weekend, when sitting down to watch the game, remember Super Bowl Sunday is more than just about football. It is about entertainment, money, and overconsumption too. As such, it truly is an American celebration.

Photo provided by US Department of Agriculture via flickr