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A Super Bowl Koan: Does The NFL Wish It Were A Tech Company? (siliconvalley.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the media-meditations dept.

Are tech companies cashing in on the popularity of Super Bowl -- or is the Super Bowl trying to get into the world of tech? An anonymous reader writes: The NFL hosted a startup pitch competition before the game. And they also ran tech-themed "future of football" ads during the game which showcased the robot tackling dummies that provide moving targets for training players. Lady Gaga's halftime show is even expected to feature hundreds of drones.

But Microsoft was also hovering around outside the stadium, pushing the concept of "social autographs" (digital signatures drawn onto images) with their Surface tablets. Intel ran ads during the game touting their 360-degree replay technology. Besides the usual game-day ads for beer, there were also several for videogames -- Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed Mobile Strike, and a reality TV show parody suddenly turned into an ad for World of Tanks. So is technology subtly changing the culture of the Super Bowl -- or is the Super Bowl turning into a massive pageant of technology?
Are any Slashdot readers even watching the Super Bowl? All I know is the Bay Area Newsgroup reported that a Silicon Valley engineer ultimately earns more over their lifetime than the average NFL football player.

6 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. smoke and mirrors by TWX · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The teams and the league are there to make money. As such they'll apply whatever trappings they think will bring more fans and thus more money to the sport.

    Right now tech is hot, tech is popular. It doesn't matter why it's hot or popular, if they can find a way to cobble it in for greater profit then they will do so. The game itself has not changed significantly for a very long time, the only tech required has been safety equipment to attempt to reduce injuries.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:smoke and mirrors by rtb61 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The game has changed quite significantly. They have lost their main stream media lock in, the creation of the illusion of heroes and heroines. The reality of boring egoistic dumb douche bags, willing to do the same boring crap endlessly, is starting to leak through and the whole hero/heroine bullshit is dying. The era of 'I am not lying, I am acting' when it comes to unsportmens and unsportwomen marketing products is coming to an end. They are desperately trying to stay relevant, in a market, where they can no longer control the message and establish a gestalt that turns dumb idiots playing like children into heroes who sell product, whether consumables (alchohol, cigarettes), or politics or what ever they are trying to sell. They are in desperate to stay relevant mode and the market it shifting to, 'crap it was all marketing bullshit mode, all of it, heroes heroines, great achievement, managed public appearances, just all bullshit'.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    2. Re:smoke and mirrors by apoc.famine · · Score: 3, Funny

      You know you can, right? I mean, this is something totally within your control to make happen.

      --
      Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
  2. Lifetime Earnings comparison by Guppy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    All I know is the Bay Area Newsgroup reported that a Silicon Valley engineer ultimately earns more over their lifetime than the average NFL football player.

    Reminds me of an article comparing a doctor's lifetime earnings vs a UPS driver. In the analysis, the doctor doesn't pull ahead until about 18 years after high school, due to the long period of schooling and residency, plus debt load.

    http://www.er-doctor.com/docto...

  3. Get in the sea by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3

    Area Newsgroup reported that a Silicon Valley engineer ultimately earns more over their lifetime than the average NFL football player.

    This is the stupidest thing I've seen on the Internet since 4pm.

    The average career length of an NFL player is 3.3 years. The average career length of a Silicon Valley engineer will probably be closer to 40 years. Longer if they "reform" Social Security and add years to the retirement age.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  4. Re: Hobby Lobby by Cmdln+Daco · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Trump is President.

    President Trump. Say it out loud. What do we have to complain about?

    Are there really any nazis in the US? There are a few thousand KKK idiots, but in 2017 that's like wanting to be an Astronaut when you grow up.

    The worst thing anybody can do is take idiots who say they are nazis or kkk members seriously. That gives them credibility.