The first day of semester two is often right after Superbowl.

Many of our students tune in to the game, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, it's to watch the game. Sometimes to see the halftime performance. There's hype about the commericials as well.

The Superbowl becomes a great kickoff (couldn't resist) to the semester and there's numerous subject areas that can use this event a real-life teachable moment.

Here's some potential ideas:

*Look at the history of advertisting during the Superbowl: When (and how) did Superbowl Sunday commercials become one of the most expensive nights to buy advertising time? Which moments in history may have helped increase or reduce viewship?

*How does the halftime performance (and its marketing) drawn in audiences?

*Which commercials led to tangible profits for companies? Which ones were financial flops?

*What does it mean to be a "fan"? How does buying into a local team help shape people's identity and sense of community? How do team rivalries change over time?

*How has social media changed the ways that people view and participate in Superbowl Sunday?

*Which moments in Superbowl Sunday history have be controversial? What were the responses from the controversy: from NFL, audience, the FCC, broadcasters, people involved in the controversy? Perhaps one of the most discussed was the Justin Timberlake & Janet Jackson halftime performance; there was also the misstep of the Nationwide Insurance commercial from 2015, among other ads. There seemed to be an uptick in political messages in advertisements in 2017, some of which were direct responses to US politics and discussions about social change.

* What are some of the physical fitness and dietary regimes players use to help them prepare for the Superbowl?

* Using statistics from previous games, notice trends in score differentials between winning and losing teams, frequency of participation in the Superbowl related to season's scoring, wins and losses over the season, and coaching history.