Schieffer: More Than Just a Game

Several people asked me this week, "With all that's going on, how can you leave Washington and politics behind and broadcast from a football game?"

The answer is easy enough. We went to the airport and got a direct flight!

And I don't even follow pro football that closely. My interest in the game starts and stops with my college team, the TCU Horned Frogs, who in case you missed it had a pretty fair team last year.

But here is the deal: on Super Bowl Sunday it's hard to get a conversation going about anything BUT the Super Bowl.

Want to talk politics? Inside the Beltway maneuvering? Good luck, but on this one day, I don't think so.

The truth is the Super Bowl long ago became more than just a football game. It's part of our culture, like turkey at Thanksgiving and lights at Christmas, and like those holidays - beyond their meaning - a factor in our economy..

Even people who don't like football tune in to watch the commercials. You can't say that about many things.

So you could argue we're here because the Super Bowl is big news. I won't. I believe it's more important than that.

I think it's one of those breaks when we can put aside the things that really matter and for a few hours just gather with friends or family and enjoy something that makes absolutely no difference in the course of human events.

We need that every once in a while - maybe lately, more than ever. I feel lucky to be a part of it.