The Super Bowl — famous for its high stakes, big plays, and large audiences; the game, though, is mostly known for its ads, which are the highlight of the afternoon for many.

Super Bowl ads don’t come cheap— to air a 30-second ad, CBS charges companies $5.25 million dollars, according to CNBC. That puts only one second of advertising at $175,000.

The ads usually have something memorable — something that stays with the audience long after the commercial has aired. Be it catchy tunes, fun jingles, or even powerful messages, advertisers employ any tactic they can to make their commercial stick.   

Even if a commercial may be inspiring and memorable and awe-inspiring, though, how much further can it go beyond that? A TV advertisement is just that: something made for TV. A video to be watched once or twice at face value, and then forgotten.

Is that really worth $5.25 million dollars, though? Imagine everything good that could be done with that much money. Instead of making a commercial saying girls are powerful, companies could donate to organizations that help empower young girls or provide resources for girls in tough situations.

Super Bowl ads can be all fun and games at face value, but looking deeper into the issue proves more complex. In my opinion, the $5.25 million dollar price tag doesn’t justify the impact that the funds could potentially have on society.