5 greatest Super Bowls of all time
NFL's big game packed with drama over years
Brian Snyder / Reuters
An increasing number of people watch the Super Bowl for the diversions surrounding the actual game, such as the pregame show, the halftime show and, of course, those ridiculously overpriced commercials.
The Retail Advertising and Marketing Association gives us this done-as-a-society stat from 2010's Super Bowl XLIV: More than 24 percent of viewers said that the most important aspect of the Super Bowl is the commercials. In 2006, that number was only 15.3 percent.
It ain't rocket surgery to recognize this as a significant trend that's likely to grow, while the on-the-field play continues to fade further into the background.
This article is for those of you at the Super Bowl party who are actually watching the game, holding in bodily fluids until play is suspended for the latest nauseatingly cute talking baby commercial. It's all about the play on the field, because without that, none of the other stuff would exist.
