EDITORIAL: Super bowl super for Miami, University too

Football fans, rejoice! After two consecutive weeks of having nothing to watch on those lazy Sunday afternoons, Super Bowl XLI is coming out in full force this Sunday – and it’s in Miami this year. While some might see the event as nothing more than throwing a ball around-which it essentially is-the Super Bowl will bring so much more to our city than you’d initially think.

Let’s not forget that, in spite of it being a massive celebration of ball tossing, it’s still a massive industry, putting food on the tables of not just the coaches and athletes in the spotlight, but also the officials, technicians, reporters, executives, everyone involved in the sport and the media covering it.

As “The Miami Herald” recently reported, even the grass laid down on Dolphin Stadium for the game has a story behind it-the turf farmer who supplied the grass just made a killing growing it. Even the groundskeepers, we’re sure, feel a sense of honor tending to the grass before it debuts.

The game will also bring an influx of tourists to the city. While this will translate into more traffic and massive headaches for locals, one must consider the money pouring into the city because of this. In all likelihood, crooked politicians will squander it, but one can at least hope it’ll do the city good.

It’ll also have indirect effects for our school, as well. Although our recruiting’s already looking up for next season, the Super Bowl will no doubt give Miami a massive image boost that may sway the fence-sitters into studying and playing for us. Beyond athletics, any prospective students who may not have even considered Miami might give our school at least a second look.

It goes without saying that we need such an image boost. Our abysmal season, augmented by the infamous Orange Brawl, and coupled by the shocking murder of Bryan Pata, gave Miami a bad rap all throughout the fall. Hopefully now, in the spring semester, we can rebound from all the damage and rise like a phoenix from the ashes.

And at the very least, if all this is too much to expect, the game will make for a very exciting evening, even for those who cannot afford the ridiculously overpriced tickets. Super Bowl parties have always been a great excuse to eat and drink to excess, bond with your friends, and watch, for a change, commercials that aren’t incredibly obnoxious and/or disgustingly patronizing.

Regardless of who wins Super Bowl XLI come Sunday, one thing that Bears and Colts fans in South Florida can all agree on is that Miami’s hosting the game is a boon for everyone in greater Miami-Dade (and Broward, as well).