So All They Do Is Knock Each Other Down?

I was watching the Super Bowl yesterday for two reasons: 1) We were invited to a party & other than watching my kids, there was nothing else to do (plus I'm on Weight Watchers so I was avoiding the snacks). 2) Since I used to be in Marketing, I have a mild interest in the ads.

I've never been a fan of football. I mean, people get really hurt and a lot of money is spent on stuff that is purely for the amusement of others. I suppose it is a diversion, but not one I see any sense in.

Anyway, after all these years of tolerating football in my house (husband is a huge fan of Penn State and the Raiders with my son following in his dad's footsteps), I actually watched the game. I get the fact that the goal is to get the ball over the line or between the goal posts (whatever). But I also realized that for some of the players, their goal was to run until someone knocked them down. So they'd take off at full speed until someone hit them and they went BOOM on their tushies. How is this different from what some toddlers do?

From a commercial standpoint, some were amusing. I liked the fetching horse. I liked the Doritos commercial. But I was surprised, considering how early the game was on and the fact that a lot of kids watch it, how salacious and violent some of the ads were. But then again, football itself is violent.