Super Bowl‘s always bring a lot of joy for sports fans all over. This year’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and The Weeknd’s halftime show, should be nothing short of joy-filled. Many would argue that the commercials that go hand-in-hand with the event are just as thrill seeking.

The Super Bowl, which averages 98.2 million viewers annually, charges steep fees for companies to advertise. According to Bloomberg, Fox charges as much as $5.6 million dollars for 30 seconds of airtime. And with 77 national spots, that’s over $400 million dollars into Fox’s pockets.

It’s extremely troubling that in a pandemic where people are losing their homes, going hungry, and dying — companies have time to drop millions on 30 second ads. The alternatives to this $400 million are vast. It could go to struggling families, unemployed workers, school teachers, hospitals, housing, and a host of other things. Why can’t these organizations be more like Budweiser who instead of purchasing ad time, will “reallocate that investment to support the Ad Council and public awareness and education throughout the year for the COVID-19 vaccination effort.” Or Coco-Cola and Pepsi who also pulled the plug on game ads this year, opting to adapt to the shifting needs of consumers in the pandemic.

Knowing how many brands have secured commercials makes us feel naïve to think that the racial recognition and pandemic could influence mega corporations to reevaluate their values and change course. With more and more customers demanding brands to align with their hierarchy of values, it’s alarming that so many organizations have stuck to this traditional route of advertising. And we get it: the entertainment that these highly-sought after commercials bring is necessary in these unprecedented times, but failing to read the room is tone deaf at best.

So to all the brands with ad placements: get it together and redistribute your dollars to help the struggling Americans!