Editorial: Let Super Bowl Sunday be your break from the political arena

TNS

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks at Super Bowl 51 press conference in Houston.

The EPA and other government agencies have been banned from public communications, immigrants from primarily Muslim countries have been barred from entry to the U.S. and the co-founder of a fake news-peddling conservative media outlet was promoted to the National Security Council in the 13 days since Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States.

Those stories generated the biggest firestorms online, but countless other moments, ranging from incompetent to evil, have packed each day to the brim with disappointment. Some students seem resigned to our dreary future, while others have fought unceasingly against the injustice.

Regardless of one’s approach to these important issues, we think that it’s time for everyone to take a break.  The American people have endured hit after hit over the past year, and few weekends offer an ideal opportunity for relaxation quite like Super Bowl Sunday.

Of course, there are millions of Americans who watch the Super Bowl from start to finish, meticulously analyzing every first down and fumbled snap. If you’re part of this group, then you need no encouragement from us to unwind with some hard-hitting football.

But you don’t have to watch football to have fun on America’s most embarrassing pseudo holiday. Sure, you can try your best to fake knowledge about America’s sport. You can laugh at the funny commercials and weep as Sarah McLachlan’s quivering voice radiates from your speakers.

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But maybe you can’t stomach even a second of Tom Brady’s smug grin. We can hardly blame you. If that’s the case, then just do anything that makes you happy this Sunday.

For better or worse, the Western hemisphere essentially grinds to a complete halt during the Super Bowl. Trump is unlikely to sign any executive orders, and most of Congress will probably be watching the game and snacking on small human bones, or whatever those monsters eat.

This night may be the only chance for months that politically active students have to just kick back and enjoy the positives in their lives.

We won’t tell you who to root for in the Super Bowl (Go Falcons!), or how you should spend this valuable time. Whether that night includes football is entirely up to you — just make sure whatever you do improves your mental health.

You’ll need that reinvigorated resilience and valor for the future. The political grind begins anew this Monday, and your fellow Americans need you for the fight.