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They're probably innumerable things to which the post's title applies, but I am focusing on the following headline: Super Bowl 2024 was most watched US TV broadcast since 1969 Moon landing .
This year's Super Bowl was watched by an average of 123.4 million people in the US, making it the most watched broadcast since the 1969 Moon landing. Preliminary US TV ratings put Sunday's game just behind Apollo 11's historic landing, which was seen by an estimated 125 to 150 million people.
Gee, I wonder what has happened in the last 54+ years in television viewing? First, of course there has been a massive increase in population. Officially the US currently has ~330 million inhabitants. Unofficially it is probably 10 million or so more than that. The US population in 1969 was about 203 million. So just scaling by population the moon landing viewers would be closer to 200 million just in the US. It has been estimated that 600 million viewers worldwide watched in 1969. That would easily be a couple of billion today.
Second, there has been a massive explosion in the ways in which a "television" event can be viewed. In 1960 the number of sets was about 60 million in the US. Even assuming dramatic growth throughout the decade it is likely that the number was still under 100 million in July, 1969. And television sets were the only way to view anything broadcast. Today, your TV set is many sizes and anywhere in a home; you have computer screens, tablets and smart phones. So the number of devices in the US capable of showing the Super Bowl was many multiples of the TV sets on 1969.
All this is to say that the 2024 Super Bowl --entertaining as it was--was nowhere near the viewing phenomena of the moon landing. Not even close.
When the first Mars landing carrying humans occurs, that event will eclipse every sporting event ever broadcast.
Discussion (24)
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Better than false and stupid. The Post is improving.
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Wikipedia (here) has two lists, one including the moon landing, and one not including the moon landing. The moon landing estimate does place it at #1.
As an aside, I watched it. Supposedly, according to my parents, who told me that they kept me propped in front of the TV for that purpose. I was less than 2 years old.
Not counting the moon landing, 29 of the top 30 broadcasts were Super Bowls (again, according to Wikipedia). The exception was the final MASH episode at #10. That was in 1983, and adjusted for population, I think that it beats all of the Super Bowls too.
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I remember past Super Bowls when it was hyped, but not to the extent it is now. It's like idol worship - it's just a game - the ads were lousy this year and I'm not an Usher fan (sorry to sound like a curmudgeon) but the choreographing was very good.
I watched 60 Minutes last week and they had a segment on betting addictions that are affecting a lot of young men because it's very quick and easy to do on your phone and all kinds of ways to bet. They are betting away college money, and savings and accruing all sorts of debt. When I was in the grocery store last week, I heard a lot of young guys talking about betting on the game.......
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Why do you say "stupid". Why not "True and interesting"?
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When I read the headline my initial reaction was: "The headline makes it sound like the 2024 Super Bowl was nearly as important a viewing event as the moon landing. Is that true?" So I tried to find the numbers, which are comparing events over half a century apart. Yes, it is interesting that someone wanted to make the Super Bowl sound nearly as significant as the moon landing. But, to me, it's a stupid comparison because it really isn't close enough to talk about being #2.
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