The bright lights, the halftime performance, and of course, the commercials. Super Bowl expenditures exceeded $15.5 billion in 2017, according to the National Retail Federation. Approximately $350 million directly benefited the economy of host city, Houston, Texas. When most people think of the Super Bowl, they picture all of the positive impacts it has on our society. It’s seldom considered that innocent individuals are traumatized as a result of this seemingly harmless event. People assume that the Super Bowl is beneficial to everything and everyone: That’s a misconception.

When discussing the Super Bowl, very few people ever say, “I hope it never comes here, it’s a very dangerous situation for the people of this city.” For example, the city of Houston averages 98 violent crimes on a normal day. In the two days leading up to the Super Bowl; the same city of Houston averaged 284 violent crimes per day, roughly a 290% increase. Correlation or causation?           

The 2014 Super Bowl was held in East Rutherford, NJ. During a two-week operation before the game, 16 juveniles were rescued by the FBI after being forced into prostitution. Ruben Rosario, a special correspondent and city editor for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, ventured down to Cannon Falls High School to inform students and community members about the lifestyle of an investigative journalist. When asked about how teenagers can avoid falling victim to these repugnant actions, Rosario remarked “By having awareness and understanding that oftentimes it’s not a choice for them, they’re forced into it. They need to be resilient enough, to have that confidence in yourself that you don’t want anyone to take advantage of you.” The interview concluded with Rosario stating, ”Being aware at all times is crucial to avoiding these dangerous situations.” Amidst all of that chaos of Super Bowl weekend, more than 50 women forced to work as prostitutes were also also rescued; more than 45 pimps were arrested. Correlation or causation?

Even the NFL understands that such an event requires a significant increase in law enforcement. For the 2014 Super Bowl, 3,000 private security officers were hired to help secure the game; funded by NFL at a cost of more than $6 million. With that being said, security was significantly increased and yet the illicit acts persisted. A combination of an influx of people coming to a given area and additional money floating around ultimately lead to innocent bystanders getting traumatized.

Where there’s light, there’s always darkness. When there’s good times, there’s always bad times. “The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness” -Lao Tzu. Super Bowls will never disappear, but the awareness of the dangers is what will determine the fate of many innocent individuals across the country. As an American society, we can’t afford to overlook these repugnant actions just because of money.