tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/superbowl-2232/articlesSuperbowl – The Conversation2024-02-09T00:36:19Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2228532024-02-09T00:36:19Z2024-02-09T00:36:19ZHigher, faster: what influences the aerodynamics of a football?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573580/original/file-20240203-27-i63qjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5472%2C3579&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In addition to a player's ability to throw it, a number of factors will influence a ball's flight, including its size, inflation pressure and texture.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-lvii-averages-audience-of-113-million-viewers-fox-sports">113 million viewers in the United States</a> and 40 million more around the world, the Super Bowl is the most popular sports event in North America. This year’s event on Sunday – with the added attraction of a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/sports/2024/02/06/super-bowl-players-vegas-taylor-swift-wire-nc-vpx.cnn">romance in the spotlight</a> – promises to attract as many fans.</p>
<p>In Canada, the most recent Grey Cup final, last November, reached a <a href="https://twitter.com/RDS_RP/status/1726722586816430330">record audience</a> of 3.7 million viewers who tuned in to watch the Montréal Alouettes’ victory.</p>
<p>The two leagues definitely don’t enjoy the same popularity – far from it. Nor do they have the same rules. But there is another difference: although similar in appearance, the famous oval balls used in football have specific characteristics on both sides of the border that can affect their aerodynamics, i.e. the forces exerted by the air on the ball during its flight. The design and characteristics of the ball have an impact on the magnitude of these forces.</p>
<p>It might be news to football players, but their talent for throwing balls long distances is not the only thing that matters. A number of factors affect the ball’s aerodynamics, including the way it is made and its inflation pressure.</p>
<p>As a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Québec’s École de technologie supérieure, I am interested in experimental fluid dynamics. I study the physics of fluid flows and certain applications (e.g. propulsion of aquatic vehicles, aerodynamic applications). Fluid dynamics is a vast field and affects many aspects of our lives, such as the flow of blood in the heart, the flight of aircraft, the beautiful swirling patterns in Jupiter’s atmosphere or the perfect football pass for a touchdown.</p>
<h2>Ball size affects flight stability</h2>
<p>The NFL and CFL have the same <a href="https://cfldb.ca/faq/equipment/#:%7E:text=The%20CFL%20football%20dimensions%20are,to%2028%201%2F2%20inches">rules</a> regarding the dimensions of their balls. They must be between 11" and 11.25" long. They must also be inflated to between 12.5 psi and 13.5 psi, giving them a maximum circumference of between 28" and 28.5" around the length and between 21" and 21.25" around the width.</p>
<p>These dimensions are important. The football acts like a gyroscope. The higher the speed of rotation, the more stable the ball will be during its flight. Different dimensions can therefore have specific effects on the stability of the ball’s flight.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An American football player catches a ball in mid-flight on a field" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573219/original/file-20240203-25-y5at9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573219/original/file-20240203-25-y5at9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573219/original/file-20240203-25-y5at9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573219/original/file-20240203-25-y5at9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573219/original/file-20240203-25-y5at9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573219/original/file-20240203-25-y5at9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573219/original/file-20240203-25-y5at9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The size of the football matters. The ball acts like a gyroscope. The higher the speed of rotation, the more stable the ball will be during its flight.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A larger circumference suggests that more of the ball’s mass is located away from its centre line. This means that it will have a higher moment of inertia (resistance to rotation) and, therefore, that the same force applied to make it rotate will result in a lower speed of rotation.</p>
<h2>Two stripes and laces make a difference</h2>
<p>While there are two white stripes on the Canadian ball, as well as laces, American rules don’t mention these.</p>
<p>The differences between the Canadian and American balls can have an effect on their drag. A drag force is the resistance to a moving object in a fluid. In this case, it is mainly the resistance caused by the air (a fluid), which is called form or pressure drag.</p>
<p>Let’s take the example of a golf ball. Its dimples encourage turbulence, which allows the airflow to stick to the ball and reduce its total drag. Less drag means the ball can fly further with the same force applied.</p>
<p>The laces on a football and any other significant modification to its surface (a logo, a valve), in combination with the rotation of the ball, will to some extent have the same effect. It would be interesting to study how <a href="https://www.engineering.com/story/the-aerodynamics-of-a-football">these differences</a> between NFL and CFL footballs affect their respective drag.</p>
<h2>NFL or CFL, which ball is better?</h2>
<p>To do this, we could use a wind tunnel (an experimental installation in the form of a tunnel with a controlled airflow) to simulate the movement of air (fluid flow) around the two balls that will be fixed in space, put into rotation and subject to an airflow speed that would imitate the balls’ speed of flight.</p>
<p>An aerodynamic force balance could be used to measure the differences in drag between the two balls subjected to the same conditions. Ideally, to eliminate other factors of variability, the two balls would have the same dimensions.</p>
<p>The passage of air around the ball could be visualized using smoke or particle image/tracking velocimetry. The latter is a method in which the air is seeded with particles (helium-filled soap bubbles or oil droplets). The movement of these particles could then be captured using a camera to quantify the airspeed at all points around the ball. This would allow regions of flow separation and recirculation to be seen, and provide an idea of the distribution of aerodynamic forces around the ball.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A gloved hand holds a football on a grassy surface" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573221/original/file-20240203-21-3s2qf1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573221/original/file-20240203-21-3s2qf1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573221/original/file-20240203-21-3s2qf1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573221/original/file-20240203-21-3s2qf1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573221/original/file-20240203-21-3s2qf1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573221/original/file-20240203-21-3s2qf1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573221/original/file-20240203-21-3s2qf1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A ball about to be kicked. A number of factors will influence the aerodynamics of the ball.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Different rotation speeds and flight speeds could be examined, as there is always the possibility of developing flow instabilities, which would lead to a change in its behaviour around the ball. </p>
<p>This would help determine whether the NFL or CFL ball is better.</p>
<h2>Ball texture influences drag</h2>
<p>There is another type of drag, this one attributable to the friction between the air and the surface of the ball. This is called friction drag.</p>
<p>It depends mainly on the texture of the ball and its speed. The rougher the texture of the ball, the greater the friction drag for the same speed. Similarly, a faster ball speed will have a higher friction drag.</p>
<p>By reducing the form drag, we further reduce the total drag of the ball, which can therefore go further and faster on the football field.</p>
<h2>And then there’s the weather!</h2>
<p>The weather also plays a role in the aerodynamics of the football.</p>
<p>Cold or hot temperatures can affect the size of the ball by reducing or increasing the air pressure inside it.</p>
<p>Similarly, temperature can have some effect on the material properties of the ball, with colder temperatures making it stiffer and warmer temperatures making it softer.</p>
<p>Temperature and humidity also play a role in the physical properties of air, altering its density and viscosity.</p>
<p>Rain will also directly affect drag as, in a sense, it affects the texture of the ball’s surface as felt by the air.</p>
<p>But that won’t be an issue in Las Vegas on Feb. 11 for the Super Bowl game, since Allegiant Stadium is covered.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222853/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Giuseppe Di Labbio ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>A football’s dimensions, pressure and texture affect its aerodynamics, i.e. the forces exerted by the air on the ball as it flies.Giuseppe Di Labbio, Professeur adjoint, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2222692024-01-31T16:50:24Z2024-01-31T16:50:24ZSuper Bowl ads: It’s getting harder for commercials to score with consumers<p>With the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers set to face off in the 2024 Super Bowl, another conversation now begins in earnest about the TV commercials that will run during one of the most-watched television events of the year. And while some of the usual suspects will once again advertise on-air to the <a href="https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/super-bowl-2023-viewership-numbers-1235253521/">more than 110 million viewers</a> watching the game in the U.S., other regulars will be noticeably absent.</p>
<p>As professors who <a href="https://harbert.auburn.edu/directory/linda-ferrell.html">study marketing</a> and <a href="https://harbert.auburn.edu/directory/oc-ferrell.html">business ethics</a>, we’re keenly interested in Super Bowl advertising. So we looked at the roster of advertisers in search of trends. </p>
<p>The most interesting thing we found may be who’s not advertising. <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/america-4-largest-car-makers-224356471.html">Gone are the Big Four automakers</a> – Ford, General Motors, Chrysler parent Stellantis and Toyota – which have chosen to dedicate their ad dollars to more tightly targeted marketing campaigns. Only Kia and BMW are stepping up to promote their new electric vehicles, while Volkswagen has advertising lined up to celebrate its 75th anniversary in the U.S.</p>
<p>Also missing this year will be GoDaddy, whose Super Bowl ads have generated buzz over the years. Its <a href="https://adage.com/article/ad-age-podcast/why-godaddy-still-sitting-out-super-bowl/2534516">management has indicated</a> that the company is exploring other marketing options that create more engagement for their target markets.</p>
<h2>Advertisers seeking a touchdown</h2>
<p>Super Bowl ads this year, which <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/super-bowl-commercials-sold-out-cbs-tv-advertising-1235777413">sold out by early November 2023</a>, are dominated by food and beverage brands. These products appeal to a broad target audience. First-time advertisers like Popeyes, Drumstick, Nerds, and Pepsi’s new lemon lime soda, Starry, will join perennial advertisers Reese’s, M&M’s, Pringles, Frito-Lay and Mountain Dew, among others.</p>
<p>The world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, plans to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/01/36779729/bud-light-to-make-a-comeback-at-super-bowl-2024-with-humorous-ad">run multiple ads</a> across its various brands, including <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/4155908-how-a-15k-bud-light-giveaway-needlessly-cost-ab-inbev-27-billion/">recently tarnished Bud Light</a>, hoping to add to its history of producing iconic Super Bowl commercials. </p>
<p>At a cost of <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/cbs-reportedly-selling-super-bowl-lviii-ads-at-staggering-price-nearly-sold-out-before-2024/ar-AA1jtQs2">up to US$7 million</a> for a 30-second spot – the same as last year – this brief stint on the big stage doesn’t come cheap. And that’s before taking into account the <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/most-expensive-super-bowl-commercials-130041725.html">cost to create the ads themselves</a>, often more than twice what they will spend to run them on game day. All together, one spot can cost companies more than $20 million.</p>
<p>What are these advertisers hoping to gain, and is it worth it? For some, it clearly can be.</p>
<p>To start, consider that the most effective ads – those that stand out above the crowd – are visible long before the game begins and for weeks and even years afterward. Teasers, trailers and sometimes the full ads themselves are typically released in the weeks prior to the Super Bowl and reviewed on TV, online and across social media.</p>
<p>That coverage also continues after the game, with polls and feature stories ranking which ads worked and which didn’t as Monday morning advertising quarterbacks weigh in. Some of the best Super Bowl ads even take on a life of their own that lasts long after they first ran. Who can forget the iconic 1980 <a href="https://davidjdeal.medium.com/hey-kid-catch-how-coca-cola-and-mean-joe-greene-launched-a-legend-ab7b9492c84d%23:%7E:text=The%252520Reinvention%252520of%252520a%252520Football%252520Legend&text=NBC%252520turned%252520the%252520commercial%252520into,of%252520the%252520ad%252520for%252520Downy.">Coca-Cola commercial</a> featuring Pittsburgh’s Mean Joe Greene tossing a young fan his jersey? While the ad originally aired in late 1979, it reached a much broader audience during the game a few months later.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qcWJJ70qsqc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The classic Super Bowl ad ‘Have a Coke and a Mean Joe Greene.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That ad has remained so popular that it was remade as a commercial for Coke Zero 30 years later featuring fellow Steelers player Troy Polamalu. Pre- and post-Super Bowl coverage in recent years often revives them both, as well as other iconic ads – decades later.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pKPb0TYqXGw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A 2009 Super Bowl ad inspired by ‘Have a Coke and a Mean Joe Greene.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The TV tide is turning — a little</h2>
<p>So why are the Big Four automakers, GoDaddy and other former Super Bowl advertisers forsaking the big game? Gen Z, in particular, is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2023/02/08/super-bowl-ads-may-need-to-evolve-to-target-gen-z--that-will-include-a-social-media-component/?sh=4e70a3162b3e">not impressed by Super Bowl ads</a>, and complicating the matter is their lack of interest in broadcast TV. </p>
<p>Marketers know TikTok and other social sites are <a href="https://www.shopify.com/blog/tiktok-marketing">better platforms</a> for delivering messages to targeted demographics. The return on investment for advertising is far easier to track in these venues, and the ad spend is easier to justify – especially considering how often these ads will be shared with family and friends in a matter of seconds with just a few keystrokes.</p>
<p>Still, in today’s fractured media landscape, the Super Bowl is a rare event with truly mass appeal: <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-lvii-total-viewing-audience-estimated-at-200-million">More than 60% of Americans</a> tuned into last year’s game, according to the NFL. That’s a lot of eyeballs.</p>
<p>In the end, today’s marketing executives recognize that Super Bowl TV commercials work best when they promote mass market products – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2011.581302">through humor, use of animals, nostalgia and celebrities</a> – as well as social causes that resonate with consumers. Linking a brand with memorable and creative storytelling is also an effective way to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/03/perspectives/super-bowl-ads-google-loretta/index.html">boost overall brand</a> visibility.</p>
<p>That’s the formula for success in this year’s Super Bowl.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222269/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Marketers are increasingly focused on reaching narrow audiences – but when it comes to mass appeal, the Super Bowl doesn’t miss.Linda Ferrell, Professor of Marketing, Auburn UniversityO.C. Ferrell, Professor of Ethics, Auburn UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2096632024-01-09T13:26:26Z2024-01-09T13:26:26ZTake laughter, add tears − the secret recipe for the most-liked Super Bowl ads<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545127/original/file-20230828-254480-xdlb1f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C15%2C5207%2C3445&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Emotions often run high during the Super Bowl -- and that includes during the commercial breaks.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/SuperBowlPhiladelphiaReaxFootball/592cb6e493034287be3e6e2a58eed36e/photo?Query=fans%20watch%20football%20on%20TV&mediaType=photo&sortBy=creationdatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=649&currentItemNo=14&vs=true">Nathan Howard/Associated Press</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Viewers gravitate toward Super Bowl commercials that incorporate both happiness and sadness, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2023.2218896">our 2023 study shows</a>. </p>
<p>On the other hand, advertisements that blend happiness and fear turn people off.</p>
<p>And people are indifferent to ads that pair happiness with either anger or disgust.</p>
<p>As researchers with <a href="https://www.boisestate.edu/cobe-marketing/niusha-jones-ph-d/">extensive experience</a> in <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LTR4szEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">consumer behavior</a>, we’ve had the opportunity to delve into the compelling emotional narratives television advertisers try to portray in less than 30 seconds. </p>
<p>Heartwarming ads that also have moments of fear or sadness are quite common, we’ve learned, especially during the Super Bowl. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Our research reveals part of the secret sauce behind what makes an advertisement loved or disliked. This finding could help advertisers craft ads that resonate more effectively with their audience. </p>
<p>Raising awareness of what works in advertising also helps viewers understand how they are being manipulated by what they see on the screen.</p>
<h2>How we did our work</h2>
<p>Using <a href="https://www.noldus.com/facereader">technology that reads viewers’ expressions</a>, our research team scrutinized the emotional layers of 296 ads aired during Super Bowls from 2018 to 2022. </p>
<p>This annual NFL championship game draws a <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/216526/super-bowl-us-tv-viewership/">huge audience on TV</a>. The costs to broadcast an ad – and the financial stakes for brands paying for air time – are high. For example, a <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/217134/total-advertisement-revenue-of-super-bowls/">30-second ad during the 2023 Super Bowl cost US$7 million</a>. </p>
<p>Our analysis wasn’t just a superficial look at the commericial’s storyline. Instead, we delved into the emotions displayed by the actors throughout the ad and measured their effects on how much the audience liked what they saw.</p>
<p>The blend of emotions you witness in commercials during the big game isn’t a coincidence. It’s part of advertisers’ calculated strategy. Combinations of emotions are meticulously orchestrated <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-017-0551-8">to capture viewers’ attention and get them shopping</a> – sometimes even before the ad has finished airing.</p>
<p>Happiness was the most common emotion portrayed, but we were surprised to learn that 80% of these ads featured at least one negative emotion in addition to happiness. For example, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBDKM_qfCMk">a clip reel of U.S. Olympian skier Lindsey Vonn</a> evoked both sadness and happiness and deeply resonated with viewers.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aBDKM_qfCMk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">This 2018 Super Bowl commercial featuring Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn skillfully combines happiness and sadness, a winning combination.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>There is still a big question mark on why certain emotional mixtures work while others don’t. It is also not clear whether the popularity of an advertisement is directly linked to its effectiveness as a sales tool.</p>
<p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209663/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Researchers examined the emotional content of nearly 300 Super Bowl ads that aired from 2018 to 2022.Niusha Jones, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Boise State UniversityAnne Hamby, Associate Professor of Marketing, Boise State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1541642021-02-03T13:11:59Z2021-02-03T13:11:59ZWhat The Weeknd’s changing face says about our sick celebrity culture<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381792/original/file-20210201-17-1r6aoeu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=103%2C1%2C1101%2C716&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Weeknd performs at the 2020 American Music Awards on Nov. 22 in Los Angeles.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/in-this-screengrab-released-on-november-22-the-weeknd-news-photo/1287129877?adppopup=true">AMA2020 via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You might have seen The Weeknd’s altered face on the internet lately – either bloodied and covered in bandages or transformed by faux plastic surgery. With the 30-year-old singer <a href="https://www.nfl.com/super-bowl/halftime-show">set to perform at the Super Bowl LV halftime show</a> on Feb. 7, it’ll be interesting to see whether he continues the act before hundreds of millions of viewers.</p>
<p>The changes to The Weeknd’s face didn’t simply appear overnight. </p>
<p>Rather, they surfaced as a slow crescendo, as notes in a larger arrangement.</p>
<p>Initially, there were facial bruises at the end of his “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NRXx6U8ABQ">Blinding Lights</a>” music video, in which an all-night bender ends in a car accident. He sported a bandaged nose for performances on “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJYpyC1SNPc">Jimmy Kimmel Live</a>” in January 2020 and “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17GxpgE-Fwo">Saturday Night Live</a>” in March 2020. Later that March, the bloodied nose and lips appeared <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/The_Weeknd_-_After_Hours.png">on the cover</a> of “After Hours,” his most recent album.</p>
<p>He took the performance a step further at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-g_SHNv5NI">2020 American Music Awards</a>, showing up with his whole head covered in bandages, which <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/1843099/the-weeknd-face-mask-bandages-amas-2020/">worried some fans</a> who assumed the they were real. When those bandages came off for the “Save Your Tears” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYlFuWEuKI">music video</a>, a face disfigured by excessive plastic surgery was revealed – a carefully constructed visage created using makeup and prostheses that made him nearly unrecognizable.</p>
<p>As an anthropologist who has been analyzing <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520293885/the-biopolitics-of-beauty">the societal implications of plastic surgery</a> for over 15 years, I was struck by The Weeknd’s use of this medical practice.</p>
<p>What, I wondered, was he trying to say?</p>
<p>Initially, I’d assumed the bruises and bandages were a metaphor for The Weeknd’s struggle with drug addiction, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6663161/weeknd-lana-del-rey-songs-about-drugs-pop-radio-analysis">a topic he has long explored in his music</a>. He’s noted that, when scripting his music videos for “After Hours,” <a href="https://www.crfashionbook.com/mens/a34877992/the-weeknd-change-outfit/">he was inspired</a> by the film “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” in which writer Hunter S. Thompson, played by Johnny Depp, often hallucinates or spirals out of control. </p>
<p>However, another key emerges in the videos from the “After Hours” album. In all the videos, people are constantly watching him, whether it’s the crowd of stiff, masked fans in the “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYlFuWEuKI">Save Your Tears</a>” music video or the frantic crowd reaching out to grab him as he tries to escape at the end of “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i58MNnk6BhY">Until I Bleed Out</a>.” </p>
<p>In both cases, he seems to be comparing fandom to an unsettling loss of privacy, one where his very safety is at stake. It’s not that he fears his fans will hurt him. It’s more a commentary on how his celebrity status makes him vulnerable to a prying gaze at all times.</p>
<p>In his most violent music video to date – for the song “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh8DT09QCHI">Too Late</a>” – the themes of plastic surgery and fandom collide. Two wealthy white women with bandaged heads find his severed head and swoon over it, before deciding to murder a Black male stripper so they can attach The Weeknd’s head onto that muscular body. </p>
<p>The racial dynamics of the video are hard to miss: The women seem to exoticize Blackness and reduce the body parts of two Black men to objects that give them pleasure.</p>
<p>People love musical performances – or art, more generally – because it’s pleasurable to soak in the talented work of other people. </p>
<p>In the celebrity culture of <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/05/late-capitalism/524943/">late capitalism</a>, however, artists are finding it more and more difficult to separate themselves from their art: The show continues after the work has been published or the performance has concluded. Fans feel entitled to access all aspects of their personal lives – even their bodies.</p>
<p>Communication scholar P. David Marshall <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/celebrity-and-power">has written about</a> the ways in which the public assumes celebrities are automatically open to – or deserving of – scrutiny thanks to their fame. When their privacy is invaded, it’s simply shrugged off as coming with the territory.</p>
<p>Some celebrities, like the Kardashians, <a href="https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/kim-kardashian-makes-more-money-on-instagram-than-kuwtk">lean into it</a>. They’re willing to expose themselves in increasingly invasive ways – whether it’s through social media or reality television – because they want to exploit the symbiotic relationship between media exposure, wealth and power. </p>
<p>But other celebrities, like <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/09/lady-gaga-hated-being-famous">Lady Gaga</a>, have been forthright about the ways in which fame has harmed their mental health. Musicians like <a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/07/08/329500971/a-reluctant-star-sia-deals-with-fame-on-her-own-terms">Sia</a> and <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/why-daft-punk-wear-helmets-182716/">Daft Punk</a> have gone to great lengths to hide their faces and protect their privacy, making it part of their act. </p>
<p>By using bandages and prostheses to hide his face, perhaps The Weeknd is also telling us that parts of his life are off limits – and should stay that way.</p>
<p>The Weeknd also seems to be acknowledging the immense pressures that celebrities feel to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. Celebrity journalism can be particularly cruel when famous people fail to measure up, with the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/04/shooting-britney/306735/">paparazzi making a fortune off pictures that demonstrate celebrities as vulnerable or imperfect</a>.</p>
<p>[<em>Insight, in your inbox each day.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=insight">Get The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>Feminist and literary scholar Virginia Blum <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520244733/flesh-wounds">has written about</a> how celebrities are admired for their ability to transform and beautify themselves, and yet they also become canvases for harsh critique when it seems they’ve gone too far with plastic surgery or have aged ungracefully. </p>
<p>For celebrities, it can sometimes seem that there’s no pleasing anyone. By making those concerns with superficial beauty part of his art, The Weeknd seems to throw that mirror back at his listeners, asking them to reflect on the irrelevance of his appearance to his craft.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154164/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alvaro Jarrin's research on plastic surgery was funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies.</span></em></p>Over the past year, the singer has carefully constructed a visage that has made him nearly unrecognizable.Carmen Alvaro Jarrin, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, College of the Holy CrossLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1539742021-02-02T18:49:44Z2021-02-02T18:49:44ZThe Weeknd at the Super Bowl and shanties on TikTok reflect how masculinity is performed in 2021<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381735/original/file-20210201-15-hp0co6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=27%2C0%2C4596%2C3078&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Recording artist The Weeknd performs at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Oct. 26, 2017.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Invision — Scott Roth</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Current trends in male singing offer strikingly different visions of what it means to be a man. Consider, for instance, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/01/12/the-weeknd-michael-jackson/78711268/">spectacular falsettists like the Weeknd</a>, who will <a href="https://www.etonline.com/the-weeknds-super-bowl-halftime-performance-everything-we-know-159392">headline the 55th Super Bowl halftime show</a> on Feb. 7, and the reassuring choruses of sea shanties currently trending on TikTok. What can these singing styles tell us about being a man in 2021?</p>
<p>During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, our longing for an embodied connection has grown intensely, and ShantyTok offers collectivity through group singing in a time when we are all isolated. The ShantyTok trend started with a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nathanevanss/video/6910995345421962498">Scottish postman creating harmonies with his own tenor voice</a> in
“The Wellerman,” a 19th-century song created by merchant seamen longing for the arrival of the Weller company man who would bring supplies. </p>
<p>Taking advantage of TikTok’s collaborative possibilities, an American teen joined in, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WBbcI8ZVYQ">doubling the melody two octaves lower</a>. Between them, <a href="https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/nathan-evans-reacts-to-wellerman-chart-success-and-talks-hopes-for-debut-album__32338/">Nathan Evans</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@_luke.the.voice_/video/6916959389823814917">Luke the Voice</a> carved out the upper and lower ends of the conventional male range, making space for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgsurPg9Ckw">innumerable others to join in</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1348867807367344129"}"></div></p>
<p>The sea shanty tradition is embraced as wholesome, and nostalgic for simpler times, like a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-37-mainstreet-ns/clip/15819351-sea-shanties-find-audiences-tiktok">sonic equivalent of “dad bod.”</a> However, many of these songs originated in <a href="https://twitter.com/DrMaDMo/status/1349490440106602497">slaving ships</a>, and the Wellerman’s “sugar, tea and rum” were <a href="https://theconversation.com/shantytok-is-the-sugar-and-rum-line-in-wellerman-a-reference-to-slavery-153573">commodities gained through plantation labour and part of the triangular slave traffic</a>. In professional sports likewise, Black athletes’ labour can be exploited, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/16/sports/basketball/slavery-anniversary-basketball-owners.html">and athletes are “owned”</a> by their teams. </p>
<h2>Participating or watching</h2>
<p>Sea shanties are musically appealing, with simple melodies, triadic harmonies and lots of repetition that invites participation, even upon first hearing. <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2021/01/sea-shanty-tiktok-wellerman-trend-explained.html">The pleasures of group singing</a> involve dissolving into a collective. </p>
<p>Falsetto singing, on the other hand, signals rupture, and the transcendence of restrictive boundaries. The technical demands of <a href="https://www.frieze.com/article/evolution-male-falsetto">falsetto singing</a> represent the heights of individualism, placing the listener squarely in the position of passive spectator. </p>
<p>Historically, men who sing high have portrayed heroic, noble and powerful characters on the opera stage. The appetite for high voices paired with men’s bodies drove the <a href="https://ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu/content/through-lens-baroque-opera-gendersexuality-then-and-now">castrati phenomenon</a>. These opera stars were male singers who had been surgically prevented from going through puberty, resulting in a high vocal range combined with an adult’s build and lung capacity. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Farinelli">Remarkable singers like Farinelli</a> played roles such as <a href="https://www.wqxr.org/story/beware-ides-march-heres-aria-handels-giulio-cesare/">Julius Caesar</a>, to acclaim that seems strange at this later point in history.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/falsetto-the-enduring-love-affair-with-the-soaring-male-voice-153290">Falsetto: The enduring love affair with the soaring male voice</a>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Falsetto in contemporary pop music.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Popstars at the Superbowl</h2>
<p>The Super Bowl is <a href="https://qz.com/1794113/how-the-nfl-super-bowl-became-a-cultural-phenomenon/">the modern world’s largest spectacle</a>, and the halftime show is the most viewed musical performance in any given year. While English football is notorious for fan singing, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XToD6PKIOg">including shanties like “Sloop John B,”</a> American football presents music as a spectacle to be watched instead. The halftime show has been central to enhancing the appeal of the National Football League beyond its American, male fan base. </p>
<p>Up through the 1990s, the show featured <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4zzu4Jrl4o">local music and ensembles like marching bands</a>. All shows before 1991 involved a team of performers, often presenting a medley of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxK3qTsj_eE">regionally themed material</a>. </p>
<p>The first pop superstar act was New Kids on the Block, a pop ensemble whose sound and image offset the manhood offered by burly team players engaging in a violent contact sport on the field. Aiming to appeal to international audiences of all ages and genders, the group’s performance was framed by a children’s choir singing “We Are the World” and “It’s a Small World.” </p>
<p>Strikingly, NKOTB performed “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nITMhO3ZPZM">Step by Step</a>,” rather than their more familiar hit “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By86PcLufOU">Hangin’ Tough</a>,” even though this song’s theme, complete with unison chanting in a low range, would seem more in line with football manhood. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">In 1991, New Kids on the Block were the first pop superstars to perform during the Super Bowl halftime show.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Still, their success paved the way for more superstar performers, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBkNQZ-6QHg&ab_channel=MusicStar">Michael Jackson</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiE8v29h6zI&ab_channel=ecraviotto2003">U2 and</a> the “Nipplegate” incident with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzipWoXgVm0&ab_channel=MichaelDantas">Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake</a> in 2004. This infamous event was followed by safe, legacy acts like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFcLXodyK0E&ab_channel=DaMORG">Paul McCartney</a>, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X43UBPe1-t4&ab_channel=ElizabethBosch">Rolling Stones</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScA2FqJn9ic&ab_channel=wgfa">The Who</a>. </p>
<h2>The vocal prowess of falsetto</h2>
<p>American football revolves around strength, power and dominance in the context of a team of men, yet this year’s halftime entertainer will present a singer famed for his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFLhGq0060w">soft, floating voice</a>. The Weeknd’s virtuosic display follows a long line of Black male falsettists: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKAhwrm3nAw">Maxwell</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=H9tEvfIsDyo&list=RDD5lKQUMMJi0&index=20">Prince</a> (who ditched his falsetto to perform at the 2007 Super Bowl) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp7Q1OAzITM">Marvin Gaye</a>. </p>
<p>This style comes from African American gospel singing, exemplified by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjtcOh4hmyE">Sam Cooke’s</a> soaring voice trying to break free of earthly constraints and everyday indignities. </p>
<p>Yet the Weeknd’s vocal agility has a parallel in the prowess of football’s skilled position players. The gravity-defying receptions of wide receivers, along with the acrobatic manoeuvres of running backs, get the most play on post-game highlight shows. These spectacular feats are enabled by the grunt work of linemen, who are paid less and regarded less than the stars they support. Just as seamen’s singing helped them work together in rhythm, the timing, execution and teamwork of largely anonymous linemen is essential, if unglamorous.</p>
<p>These versions of manhood need not be in competition: they show us clearly that there are many ways to be a man. The inclusion of a falsettist within the macho world of American football may indicate that we are ready for a fuller range. We need the fragile and the strong, the chorus and the star, the lineman and the touchdown maker, to embrace all kinds of men.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153974/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The falsetto virtuosity of the Weeknd, headliner of this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, contrasts with popular ShantyTok singalongs. How do these both reflect masculinity in 2021?Jacqueline Warwick, Professor of Musicology, Dalhousie UniversitySteven Baur, Associate professor of musicology, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/913122018-02-06T06:43:39Z2018-02-06T06:43:39ZThe smart strategy behind Tourism Australia’s ‘Croc Dundee’ Super Bowl pitch to the Americans<p>Tourism Australia has resurrected Crocodile Dundee in a new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XltvwqBZIPc">superbowl commercial</a> that has <a href="http://www.adnews.com.au/news/fake-crocodile-dundee-ad-sees-tourism-australia-lead-super-bowl-charge">already reached hundreds of millions</a> on the day and through social media. Some may have <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-05/crocodile-dundee-ad-was-value-for-money-ciobo-says/9397614">cringed</a> at ad reinforcing stereotypes about Australians as hospitable bush-dwellers, but this is actually a good strategy. </p>
<p>Previous Tourism Australia campaigns have attempted to change Australia’s image, with results ranging <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14443058.2011.646284?src=recsys&journalCode=rjau20">from the lack-lustre to the disastrous</a>. </p>
<p>Unlike recent campaigns, the Super Bowl ad <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14443058.2011.646284?src=recsys&journalCode=rjau20">reflects international perceptions</a> of Australia. Icons like Paul Hogan and Steve Irwin enjoy good recognition in countries like the United States, so leaning into this image of Australia is a smart move. </p>
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<p>Australia has built up strong brand recognition in the US, albeit within the bounds of expectations largely cultivated by the advertising of the past, centred on beaches, bush and other all-too-familiar popular signifiers of Australia. Straying outside of these concepts hasn’t proven successful. </p>
<p>“<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/18/1084783517363.html">See Australia in a different light</a>” was a Tourism Australia campaign in 2004 that tried to emphasise other aspects of Australia than beaches and sunshine. This failed to convince tourists due to its unfamiliar, abstract image of Australia.</p>
<p>The 2009 “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQGMuxJ0vCc">Walkabout</a>” collaboration between Tourism Australia and Baz Luhrmann’s film, Australia, also disappointed. While “<a href="http://www.tourism.australia.com/en/about/our-campaigns/theres-nothing-like-australia.html">There’s nothing like Australia</a>” crowdsourced text and photos from Australians, but ended up being shaped into a well-worn mould by Tourism Australia. </p>
<p>On the other end of the spectrum, “Where the bloody hell are you?”, in 2006, with its note of desperation and rather too vernacular language, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-02-07/tourism-australia-looks-beyond-controversial/1036344">was a laughing stock</a>. </p>
<p>In the end, a national reputation is not something that can be demanded, only given by others.</p>
<p>Nation-branding expert Simon Anholt, on a visit to Australia in 2010, <a href="http://www.farmweekly.com.au/news/agriculture/agribusiness/general-news/australia-is-the-worlds-dumb-blonde/1968526.aspx">notoriously described</a> us as not to be taken seriously. He blamed tourism advertising for this view. </p>
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<p>The Super Bowl commercial is the highest-profile element in an <a href="http://www.adnews.com.au/news/how-tourism-australia-made-one-of-the-biggest-super-bowl-ads-of-2018">ongoing A$36 million campaign</a> focused on the United States. </p>
<p>According to Lisa Ronson, Chief Marketing Officer of Tourism Australia, the agency decided on the Super Bowl commercial as it would <a href="http://www.adnews.com.au/news/how-tourism-australia-made-one-of-the-biggest-super-bowl-ads-of-2018">reach more than 50% of the target market</a> - a “new generation” of American tourists. </p>
<p>Currently, inbound tourism from the US brings in around 780,000 visitors and A$3.7 billion to the Australian economy each year. Tourism Australia says it <a href="http://www.tourism.australia.com/content/dam/assets/document/1/6/x/g/m/2002918.pdf">wants to increase that</a> to more like A$5.5 billion per year by 2020. </p>
<h2>The start of brand building</h2>
<p>The current Tourism Australia campaign is just one part of an overarching federal government attempt at brand building in the United States.</p>
<p>For 15 years, Australian government entities (including Tourism Australia, DFAT and Austrade) have conducted an event in Los Angeles called “<a href="http://www.gdayusa.org/">G’Day USA</a>”. Like the Super Bowl commercial, this uses well-known Australian actors to engage in “<a href="http://www.gdayusa.org/about/">public diplomacy</a>”. </p>
<p>Another government initiative is Austrade’s “<a href="https://www.australiaunlimited.com/">Australia Unlimited</a>”. Launched in 2010, this seeks to tell stories about Australian businesses, technology, food and society.</p>
<p>But for Tourism Australia it is wise to avoid this conflict between the image of barbies, beaches, bush and marsupials; and the hard-nosed world of global trade. Leaning on the cultural cliche of Croc Dundee is a wise choice.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91312/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Sinclair has received past funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>Tourism Australia’s Super Bowl commercial is good strategy, reflecting familiar popular signifiers of Australia. Straying outside of these concepts hasn’t proven successful.John Sinclair, Professor of media and communications, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/911332018-02-05T13:39:30Z2018-02-05T13:39:30ZSuper Bowl: how bots, brands and the alt-right highjacked the event on social media<p>The Philadelphia Eagles’ <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/42940719">stunning defeat</a> of the New England Patriots in this year’s Super Bowl will have fans talking about the game for years to come. As one of the biggest events in the annual sporting calendar – with <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/super-bowl-2018-ratings-how-many-people-will-watch-new-england-patriots-798749">around 100m people</a> tuning in to watch it – the social media buzz around SB52 was huge. The event normally generates <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/06/super-bowl-posts-on-social-media-are-up-from-last-year-but-didnt-top-2015s-record-numbers/">around 27m tweets</a> – but it’s only sometimes about American football. </p>
<p>Mostly the chatter is about other things, including popstars and politics. In collaboration with Mentionmapp Analytics, a Twitter analysis tool, we examined what the social media conversations were about, plus who was leading and influencing them. Over the last week we have tracked and analysed relevant #Superbowl52 or #SB52 hashtags, Twitter accounts and message content. Bots, brand jackers, big shots, as well as traditional businesses all bossed the social media space. </p>
<p>Bots – web robots – are essentially software applications that run automated scripts, enabling simple tasks to be repetitively undertaken. The Super Bowl is fertile territory for them, as they can easily use event hashtags to draw peoples’ attention to brands and products. In particular, we saw a preponderance of betting bots churning out promotional offers and Super Bowl odds linked to gambling businesses.</p>
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<p>Bots were also used to generate political propaganda posts. A number of automated messages promoting often extreme views were shared through the SB52 hastags with a wide audience. Although not exclusively an extremist phenomenon, America’s alt-right seems to have dominated in this regard, with many of its advocates trolling the event. </p>
<p>Several times during the week before the Super Bowl, the right-wing internet celebrity Laura Loomer loomed large in our analysis. In particular, her concerns about the Muslim community in Minnesota (where the event was staged) and the threat of terrorism garnered widespread attention among large numbers of Twitter users. As the game approached, the alt-right in general became even more vocal, gatecrashing the Super Bowl social media party by discussing it in an overtly political way.</p>
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<p>Brand jacking involves someone or something appropriating the online identity of another social media entity, with the intention of using its brand assets for their own purposes. Big events like the Super Bowl have <a href="https://www.mnsuperbowl.com/official-partners">official partners</a>, which pay a premium for the right to be associated with the show, including things like using official logos in their communications. Brands such as Michelob used Twitter to both create and sustain conversations around the event.</p>
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<p>But a number of brands do not pay for this privilege. In traditional media, marketers might refer to this as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-ambush-marketing-campaigns-2012-6?IR=T">ambushing</a>. Plenty of businesses used the Super Bowl to promote their products – simply through using the hashtag or even going so far as to use official logos in their communications. We saw a number of bars and restaurants doing this to advertise their products during the game, even though they have no legal right of association. Others, which had nothing to do with the Super Bowl also jumped on the bandwagon, from web developers to <a href="https://twitter.com/IGN/status/960336002295328769">video games companies</a>.</p>
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<p>Another person influencing the social media buzz, pretty much every day before the Bowl took place, was Kris Wu. Wu is a big shot Chinese-Canadian singer and former K-pop sensation. He recently signed a deal with the NFL to be an ambassador for the sport in China, which the NFL sees as a lucrative new market for American football. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"960064265708232705"}"></div></p>
<p>As well as his half-time performance, Wu is also performing at a ten-day music festival in Minneapolis to mark the Super Bowl. It will be streamed by one of China’s biggest social media platforms, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-tencent-became-the-worlds-most-valuable-social-network-firm-with-barely-any-advertising-90334">Tencent</a>, and will showcase both the NFL and telecoms giant Verizon to the China market. </p>
<p>Television adverts shown during the Super Bowl have historically been the marketing <a href="https://theconversation.com/forget-seahawks-vs-broncos-ads-are-the-super-bowl-stars-22553">showpiece</a> of the event – to the extent that they have become part of its heritage and are eagerly awaited by viewers. But, as the world has shifted online and social media has enabled interactivity, so people are now talking about them on platforms like Twitter. </p>
<p>Whether it was armchair alt-right antagonists or China-focused cheerleaders championing corporate America, our analysis of social media conversations shows that the Super Bowl is a massive talking point. Who does the talking and what they talk about might not have anything to do with sport and can even be somewhat sinister. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that the conversation is often driven by vested interests.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91133/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Bots, brand jackers, big shots, as well as traditional businesses all bossed the Super Bowl social media space.Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sports Enterprise, University of SalfordAlex Fenton, Lecturer in Digital Business, University of SalfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/811632017-07-19T06:03:45Z2017-07-19T06:03:45ZShame! The ‘technical glitches’ that hit Game of Thrones could limit other popular live-streamed events<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178552/original/file-20170718-21742-pc1t8e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Not everyone got to see Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey ) and Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) in the opening season seven episode of Game of Thrones.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5654088/mediaviewer/rm1517238016">HBO</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Winter was coming with the first episode of the new Game of Thrones series this week, but the real freeze was a technical one.</p>
<p>Many fans across the world were unable to watch the much anticipated season opener using legal streaming services, such as <a href="https://www.foxtel.com.au/now/index.html">Foxtel Now</a> in Australia. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"886897326958051330"}"></div></p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"886888979185901568"}"></div></p>
<p>Foxtel <a href="http://community.foxtel.com.au/t5/Foxtel-Press-Releases/Game-of-Thrones-phenomenon-crash-sites-across-the-globe/m-p/206549">issued a statement on Monday</a> saying the problem was due to “technical glitches around the world”.</p>
<p>This technical glitch is extremely concerning, not just for fans of Game of Thrones but for the future of streaming video of major events and programming.</p>
<h2>The focus on streaming</h2>
<p>It was only last month that Foxtel launched its new logo and rebranded its Foxtel Play streaming service as Foxtel Now.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178761/original/file-20170719-31776-nwwqw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178761/original/file-20170719-31776-nwwqw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178761/original/file-20170719-31776-nwwqw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178761/original/file-20170719-31776-nwwqw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178761/original/file-20170719-31776-nwwqw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178761/original/file-20170719-31776-nwwqw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178761/original/file-20170719-31776-nwwqw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178761/original/file-20170719-31776-nwwqw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">New logo for Foxtel Now.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.foxtel.com.au/about/media-centre/press-releases/2017/introducing-foxtel-now.html">Foxtel</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The company’s <a href="https://www.foxtel.com.au/about/media-centre/press-releases/2017/introducing-foxtel-now.html">announcement</a> of the new service promised Game of Thrones fans – and those of other programs – that they could now enjoy their favourite shows in high definition for as little as A$15 per month.</p>
<p>Previously, the only way to access Game of Thrones legally in Australia was via Foxtel’s “<a href="https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/06/is-foxtel-now-worth-the-money/#Ro4vibhY3UVQSKJc.99">prohibitively expensive Pay TV offerings</a>”. </p>
<p>This restricted access had seen Australians become some of the world’s leaders in <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-convicts-to-pirates-australias-dubious-legacy-of-illegal-downloading-39912">illegally downloading</a> previous seasons of Game of Thrones. </p>
<p>Even with the cheaper access via Foxtel Now, a <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/game-of-thrones-one-third-of-australian-fans-planning-to-pirate-season-7-20170629-gx107h.html">Finder.com.au survey</a> showed that more than 30% of people said they would be illegally downloading the new season.</p>
<p>The glitch this week will create headaches for Foxtel, and raises questions over the viability of its cheaper streaming alternative to its premium pay TV service.</p>
<p>Many Australians vented their frustration on social media via the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/foxtelfail">#FoxtelFail</a> and on <a href="http://community.foxtel.com.au/t5/Foxtel-Press-Releases/Game-of-Thrones-phenomenon-crash-sites-across-the-globe/m-p/206549">Foxel’s community board</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"886905190095372288"}"></div></p>
<p>But while Australians targeted their anger at Foxtel, the glitch was global.</p>
<h2>A global problem</h2>
<p>In addition to Australia, fans in the <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/game-thrones-season-7-premiere-shatters-viewership-records-article-1.3334919">United States</a>, <a href="http://community.foxtel.com.au/t5/Foxtel-Press-Releases/Game-of-Thrones-on-Foxtel/td-p/206805">Latin America</a> and <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/hotstar-failed-to-stream-game-of-thrones-season-7-premiere-episode-and-faced-flak-4754913/">India</a> also faced the same frustrating technical issues.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.hotstar.com/">Hotstar</a>, an Indian online streaming service, had been <a href="http://gadgets.ndtv.com/entertainment/news/game-of-thrones-season-7-episode-1-torrents-download-got-s07e01-hotstar-1725707">promoting</a> an “Hours Before Torrents” promise. Its advertising used the phrases “Torrent Morghulis” and that “torrents must die”, both based on popular Game of Thrones phrases.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178762/original/file-20170719-4932-1em6igt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178762/original/file-20170719-4932-1em6igt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178762/original/file-20170719-4932-1em6igt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178762/original/file-20170719-4932-1em6igt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178762/original/file-20170719-4932-1em6igt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178762/original/file-20170719-4932-1em6igt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178762/original/file-20170719-4932-1em6igt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178762/original/file-20170719-4932-1em6igt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Advertising ahead of Game of Thrones premiere on Hotstar.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.facebook.com/hotstar/photos/a.1559468234297503.1073741827.1506095676301426/1960676820843307/?type=3&theater">Hotstar</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Unfortunately the creative marketing campaign will now be laughed at as torrents of the premiere program were reportedly <a href="http://gadgets.ndtv.com/entertainment/news/game-of-thrones-season-7-episode-1-torrents-download-got-s07e01-hotstar-1725707">available illegally</a> 45 minutes before the episode was available on Hotstar.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"886829151470080000"}"></div></p>
<h2>An unexpected surge</h2>
<p>Foxtel has redirected the blame for the technical glitch towards both its own customers – thanks to a <a href="https://mumbrella.com.au/foxtel-elaborates-on-game-of-thrones-glitch-458755">40% surge in new subscriptions</a> in the 48 hours before episode one’s screening time – and to Game of Thrones’ <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-18/foxtel-blames-hbo-for-bungling-game-of-thrones-season-7-premiere/8718624">US production company HBO</a>.</p>
<p>Level 3 Communications is HBO’s partner in delivering its HBO Go streaming service. Diane Tryneski, chief digital officer at HBO, <a href="http://investors.level3.com/investor-relations/press-releases/press-release-details/2017/HBO-Streams-Game-of-Thrones-Season-7-Using-Level-3s-CDN/default.aspx">had said ahead of the season premiere</a> that Level 3 was pivotal in its “ability to stream Game of Thrones and other HBO programming to our customers”.</p>
<p>Laurinda Pang, Level 3’s regional president for North America and Asia Pacific, added that with more viewers and devices accessing HBO GO content, “the importance of relying on a network optimised for media delivery cannot be overstated”.</p>
<p>But it appears that the anticipated numbers of people simultaneously accessing the Game of Thrones opening episode were underestimated. This is a situation to which Australians can relate – a similar congestion-based crash contributed to last year’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/did-the-census-really-suffer-a-denial-of-service-attack-63755">census debacle</a>.</p>
<p>It is hard to acknowledge that viewer estimates for this popular series could be so wrong, given its <a href="http://variety.com/2016/tv/ratings/game-of-thrones-ratings-season-6-finale-record-1201805035/">ratings success at the end of series six</a> in 2016.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"886736114614022148"}"></div></p>
<h2>Global streaming future</h2>
<p>But this latest technical glitch raises some bigger questions.</p>
<p>There is continual evidence in <a href="http://www.nielsen.com/be/en/insights/reports/2017/the-nielsen-total-audience-report-q1-2017.html">the US</a> and <a href="http://www.oztam.com.au/documents/Other/Australian%20Video%20Viewing%20Report%20Q1%202017%20Final.pdf">Australia</a> that audiences are changing their viewing behaviours.</p>
<p>There is a global shift from traditional television broadcast to online services, streaming and video-on-demand services. So can these services handle the future loads that are anticipated? </p>
<p>This is not just in reference to prerecorded content such as Game of Thrones, but also to live content in which technical issues, buffering and low quality video will impact the viewing experience. There was <a href="http://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/sports-life/sevens-olympic-app-plagued-by-technical-problems-blamed-on-unprecedented-demand/news-story/5dc9aa183bb8fd3a0688affc7309c40c">evidence of these types of issues</a> last year with the Rio Olympic Games streaming content.</p>
<p>Streaming video will only continue to grow with predictions it will be 82% of all <a href="http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/complete-white-paper-c11-481360.pdf">consumer internet traffic</a> by 2021. </p>
<p>The growth of video will not just be via IP data, but also mobile. It’s estimated that almost 80% of <a href="http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/mobile-white-paper-c11-520862.html">global mobile data</a> will be video by 2021. </p>
<h2>What’s bigger than Game of Thrones?</h2>
<p>With this in mind, could the internet handle major events such as a Superbowl television audience? </p>
<p>Last year its <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/02/06/super-bowl-111-million-viewers/">TV audience</a> was more than 111 million in the US alone – far more than the 16 million <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/game-of-thrones-crowned-as-record-audience-wage-war-with-streaming-glitches-20170717-gxd6ze.html">reported</a> to have watched the latest episode of Game of Thrones.</p>
<p>Even adding the <a href="http://community.foxtel.com.au/t5/Foxtel-Press-Releases/Game-of-Thrones-on-Foxtel/td-p/206805">Australian</a> and <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/game-of-thrones-crowned-as-record-audience-wage-war-with-streaming-glitches-20170717-gxd6ze.html">UK</a> figures of 1.5 million and 2.8 million respectively, it was far from a Superbowl TV audience.</p>
<p>The Superbowl online audience question was presented to a panel of experts in the US in May this year, with some interesting responses. The <a href="http://www.nscreenmedia.com/live-streaming-super-bowl-size-2022/">experts’ consensus</a> was that a live stream of the event over the internet to match the regular TV audience figure would be possible, but not until about 2023.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81163/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marc C-Scott is a board member of C31 Melbourne (Community Television Station).</span></em></p>The problems some people had trying to watch Game of Thrones via the internet shows we still have a long way to go before we can live-stream major events to a mass online audience.Marc C-Scott, Lecturer in Screen Media, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/53552012-02-26T19:38:47Z2012-02-26T19:38:47ZField of screens: it’s sport and social media for the win<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/7724/original/3z7k44qp-1329279010.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tweet success and sweet success increasingly go hand in hand.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scolirk</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the brave new world of contemporary sport-watching, the goalposts have moved. Watching the big game (once a simple matter of grabbing a beer and some chips and settling down in front of the television) has become increasingly active for those who wish it so. </p>
<p>The television – now a flat screen, high-definition behemoth – is still pre-eminent, but a relatively new phenomenon has emerged to complement traditional viewership.</p>
<p>This is known as the “second screen” and, as you might have guessed, it involves using a second device – such as a computer, tablet or smartphone – to allow interaction and engagement in addition to regular viewing. </p>
<p>The phenomenon is set to gather pace this year, given <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/social-revolution-coming-to-australian-tv-20120223-1tp94.html">the ABC has partnered</a> with <a href="http://www.csiro.au/Organisation-Structure/Divisions/ICT-Centre/ACBI.aspx">CSIRO researchers</a> to integrate Twitter and Facebook with TV shows.</p>
<p>In practice this will mean tweets about a show appearing over the TV image. The technology will also be able to recommend shows based on your past viewing behaviour and the viewing patterns of your Facebook friends.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/second_screen_apps_top_trends_of_2011.php">Various studies</a> have found between 68% and 86% of owners of second-screen devices use them while watching television. While not all of these are necessarily browsing content related to the program they are watching, the phenomenon is nevertheless very real.</p>
<p>Facilitating this already is a burgeoning range of apps such as:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://getglue.com/">GetGlue</a>, a check-in based, entertainment social network</li>
<li><a href="http://au.fango.yahoo.com/">Fango</a>, a similar platform, used by Channel Seven during the recent Australian Open</li>
<li><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/WiO_connects_TV_to_mobile_makes_TV_ads_interactive.php">WiO</a>, which allows users to access information about products and services they see on the primary screen.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/7646/original/5vn4ktss-1329190399.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/7646/original/5vn4ktss-1329190399.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7646/original/5vn4ktss-1329190399.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7646/original/5vn4ktss-1329190399.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7646/original/5vn4ktss-1329190399.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7646/original/5vn4ktss-1329190399.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7646/original/5vn4ktss-1329190399.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">sujal</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Broadcasters are also starting to supply content in multiple ways as seen in services such as <a href="http://go.sky.com/vod/page/default/home.do">Sky Go</a> or <a href="http://www.evs.tv/apac/about">C-Cast</a>. Such services allow viewers to access exclusive content or content complementary to the main broadcast program.</p>
<p>Of course the advent of second-screen sport-watching has also created further traffic for the dominant social media networking services – Facebook and Twitter.</p>
<p>The defining moment in this space came a few weeks ago with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XLVI">Super Bowl XLVI</a> in Indianapolis. The broadcast of the New York Giants vs. New England Patriots game attracted 111.3m American viewers, making it the <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/super-bowl-ratings-giants-patriots-287279">most watched show in the history of US television</a>. </p>
<p>Such was the second-screen interaction that it was also declared <a href="http://mashable.com/2012/02/06/super-bowl-xlvi-social-tv-stats/">the biggest social television event in history</a>. </p>
<p>While the broadcast attracted a relatively small increase in viewers from the previous year (111m to 111.3m) the number of social commenters increased from 793,000 in 2011 to 5.4m in 2012. Similarly, there was a near-600% growth in the number of actual comments on social media, with 12.2m comments for the 2012 event as opposed to 1.8m for 2011.</p>
<p>Twitter, with approximately 100m active users and counting, dominated the social conversations during the game with 12,233 tweets per second recorded for the last three minutes of the match.</p>
<p>Last month’s Australian Open tennis tournament also served to illustrate the rise of social media in sport, albeit at a lower level than the Super Bowl. As an early social media adopter (it was the first grand slam tournament to have its own Twitter account, in November 2008) the event now boasts <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen">more than 82,000 Twitter followers</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AustralianOpen">more than 628,000 Facebook fans</a>.</p>
<p>For the 2012 event a total of 222,813 tweets were sent using the #ausopen hashtag. The tournament’s media team even created a <a href="http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/fanzone/index.html">Fan Centre leaderboard</a> to rank the top ten male and female players according to their social media mentions. Both losing finalists in the tennis – Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova – took out social leaderboard titles with 69,511 and 30,222 mentions respectively.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/7638/original/z9274tzf-1329182602.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/7638/original/z9274tzf-1329182602.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7638/original/z9274tzf-1329182602.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7638/original/z9274tzf-1329182602.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7638/original/z9274tzf-1329182602.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7638/original/z9274tzf-1329182602.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7638/original/z9274tzf-1329182602.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lee Bennett</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But the rise of social sport-viewing is not limited to those watching in the comfort of their living rooms. Modern stadia are increasingly being fitted out with technology that aims to transform the fan experience.</p>
<p>Consider the dual 2,100-inch HDTVs hanging <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guOKVl210Ls">less than 30 metres above</a> the playing surface of Cowboy’s Stadium in Arlington Texas. Or there’s the pre-Rugby World Cup upgrade to <a href="http://edenpark.co.nz/">Auckland’s Eden Park</a> that boosted mobile capacity and coverage in the stadium but also allowed event staff to direct fans to their seats and control digital menus at concession outlets via 300 well-placed monitors.</p>
<p>Better WiFi in stadia also enables fan engagement through Twitter and Facebook and through innovative applications such as GetGlue’s geographical location counterpart, <a href="https://foursquare.com/">foursquare</a>.</p>
<p>While we are yet to see uptake of second-screen viewing on the same scale as that experienced overseas, there’s little doubt the Australian passion for sport and social media will continue to be linked in the future.</p>
<p>That won’t be as competitors, of course, but as teammates. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/5355/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dave Arthur does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In the brave new world of contemporary sport-watching, the goalposts have moved. Watching the big game (once a simple matter of grabbing a beer and some chips and settling down in front of the television…Dave Arthur, Sport Business, SC Business School, Southern Cross UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/50652012-02-05T19:36:04Z2012-02-05T19:36:04ZTailgating, the Superbowl and the ineffable mysteries of why people do the things they do<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/7383/original/m2dnxkq8-1328412694.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many sports fans appear to have more fun outside the stadium than in.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/John G Mablango</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The math involved is quite simple. Be it an Australian Open final, Melbourne’s race that stops a nation or the Superbowl, more people want to attend than can fit in the venue. <em>Less</em> simple, however, are the “what now” decisions of ticketless fans.</p>
<p>I was near Federation Square a couple of weeks ago on the night of the men’s Australian Open final. The love interest poked me in the ribs and sarcastically suggested I might want to join the throng of fans. A hideously balmy night, enormous crowds, deck chairs as far as the eye could see and sport on the big screen: a clash of <em>far</em> too many irritants for my liking. </p>
<p>Looking on at the festivities however, and my disdain was quite clearly <em>my</em> problem. These people, ostensibly just watching television outdoors, strangely seemed to be having a <em>thoroughly</em> good time.</p>
<p>Even better than the Federation Square “Live Site”, the American Superbowl showcases just how big the chasm is between the fans that can fit into the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and those who have to watch it elsewhere: the stadium seats 70,000; 111 million will watch the telecast.</p>
<p>With the slimmest of slim possibilities of scoring a ticket, the vast majority of football fans have to resign themselves to the broadcast. While for me, I’d think that the comfort of one’s couch, and the cleanliness of one’s <em>own</em> toilet would sway stay-at-home spectatorship, for many fans it’s nowhere enough to just <em>watch</em> the telecast: the experience isn’t complete without also being <em>near</em> the venue.</p>
<p>Vuvuzelas, flares and hooliganism top my list of sports-related behaviour that I’ve never understood. Tailgating needs to be added to the list. Tailgating, car boot parties and fan zones: gathering <em>close</em> to the venue when you can’t quite get <em>in</em> it. </p>
<p>In the US, before games, after games, and oftentimes as a complete substitute for games are tailgate parties: festivities held around the boot of a car where meat is grilled, alcohol imbibed and the carpark ambience greedily lapped up. Ticketless fans reputedly even travel interstate to games just to participate in the carpark splendour.</p>
<p>The same phenomena has taken off in Australia in carparks of race tracks.</p>
<p>At the Federation Square Live Site, those fans were sitting out in the sun for hours long before the match started. In the US, some tailgaters arrive the night prior and sleep in their car. Just what explains subjecting oneself to such inconveniences?</p>
<p>Perhaps like birthdays and anniversaries and elections and awards ceremony telecasts, for many people these are just excuses to have a party. Sure, the results might be interesting, but it’s largely just background noise.</p>
<p>Is it about being part of a community? That rather than sitting on your comfy couch eating nachos in front of your own TV, there’s joy to be had in being with likeminded sports fans? That cheering, chest-beating and placard-pumping just seems a little weird when done home alone?</p>
<p>Perhaps there’s something desirable about weather extremes. The sun was roasting those tennis fans at Fed Square: surely an indoor venue would have been cooler. For the American tailgaters, much of the NFL season plays out in winter, this year’s Superbowl and it’s predicted to be a nippy 6 degrees with a good chance of rain. <em>Any</em> indoor venue would be warmer. But maybe this is part of the appeal: fans battling the elements like suburban survivalists – even if thoroughly self-inflicted.</p>
<p>Myself and I’d prefer climate control, breathing space and not having a perfectly pleasant afternoon marred by sport, but then I’m quite possibly missing the point.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/5065/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lauren Rosewarne does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The math involved is quite simple. Be it an Australian Open final, Melbourne’s race that stops a nation or the Superbowl, more people want to attend than can fit in the venue. Less simple, however, are…Lauren Rosewarne, Senior Lecturer, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.