The Super Bowl landed in Los Angeles with celebrities on stage and culture-war crossfire off it. Politicians used halftime shows to rally outrage. Memes flew faster than passes.
Football has always been politics in disguise — military flyovers, anthem rituals, owners cutting checks to campaigns. The difference now is explicitness. Every event is conscripted into partisan signal. A song, a knee, a commercial slot — all mined for allegiance.
The country cannot agree on elections or vaccines. It can still argue about sports. That’s why sports get used. Distraction, proxy, and stage all at once. Even joy is pulled into the grind.