The 2019 college football national championship game was a major letdown. Not only was it not remotely competitive, it was decided by the end of the first half. Unless you were hoping for the Alabama comeback that never materialized, or can’t get enough of watching Nick Saban’s nose rubbed raw, you likely checked out well before the final became official. Sure, Clemson fans were all-in, and why shouldn’t they be? They have cause for celebration. But the rest of us were just hoping for a good game, regardless of outcome.
When the game itself is more dud than dynamite, the hot reads and negative takes adjust accordingly. Last night was no different. The target dujour is the halftime show; more specifically the featured act: Imagine Dragons. The vitriol was as vicious and narrow-minded as it was predictable. One could argue there was even some truth to the critiques. Imagine Dragons is legitimately bubble gum, and currently being consumed by audiences much younger than I am, and at a pace envied by many, including yours truly.
I’m reminded of something Bob Costas once said about baseball’s aging fanbase. His argument was merely that hardcore and diehard fans shouldn’t be catered to. While our needs and concerns shouldn’t be ignored, they shouldn’t drive the decision making, because we are already all-in. We show up en massé even when the product is subpar, because quitting cold-turkey is an empty threat.
Attracting new fans from different demographics often requires catering to them, even if it’s only in a small way — which brings me to the halftime show. My children are currently eleven and nine and their football fandom is marginal at best, yet they always watch the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and by extension, the Super Bowl itself. This is because the NFL understands its longterm health depends on casual fans tuning in with regularity.
That’s how it was last night. Marginal as their football fandom may be, they watched the game with bated breath, eagerly anticipating the moment Imagine Dragons took to the stage and made magic. They sang along. They danced. They messaged their friends. The music of Imagine Dragons is not for me, but it was never meant for me, nor any number of you so quick to post your sensational takes and angry rants.
The halftime show is an afterthought to the hardcore football fan, and networks know it. This doesn’t (nor am I implying that it should) invalidate anyone’s dislike of Imagine Dragons or their halftime performance. Art is assessed subjectively, and there’s nothing disingenuous about how it makes you feel (your opinion on the matter may even be shared by many). But consider this: today there are discussions in grade schools and middle schools and high schools and beyond about the college football national championship game that have nothing to do with the one-sided nature of the contest. They’re taking place in new circles because Imagine Dragons performed at halftime, because the halftime show was meant for them.
