By CODY MUDGE
The Super Bowl is only six days away and will feature the dynastic New England Patriots versus the defending champion Seattle Seahawks in a clash for football supremacy. Granted this is Canada so the Super Bowl isn’t the biggest deal in our sports culture but it’s pretty high up there, likely only to be unseated by a Stanley Cup coming to Canada, Olympic hockey gold, or the Jays or Raptors winning a championship.
While the Super Bowl’s popularity can certainly be linked to our adoption of many features of American culture, it’s perhaps to be noted that just because it’s a major event, that doesn’t mean that it’s automatically fun. In fact, many football fans will acknowledge that, unless your team happens to be playing, the excitement one can find within the game is less than in many other games. All too often the game between the league’s two “best” teams is a little on the dry side. So, here are some tips to make Super Bowl Sunday a good time.
If you’re going to a party, or at least gathering at someone’s house to watch the game as a group, don’t make the crucial mistake so many do by getting all dolled up: wear comfortable clothes! As a cursory glance at the Food Network’s online recipe list will tell you, you can expect to consume a lot of meat, a lot of cheese and a lot of beer. If that doesn’t make your belt tighten just thinking about it then you might be doing it wrong.
It’s also important to keep some things in perspective. One of the things many non-football fans say about the Super Bowl is that they enjoy the commercials. This is simultaneously distressing and impressive. The average cost of an ad during the broadcast last year was $4.5 million (US)! Consider why businesses are willing to fork out that much money for a 30-second advertisement during the broadcast and what that says about our attention span as a society.
Bet. But don’t bet on the game. Well, bet on the game if you want to, but also bet on more amusing things. The first blown penalty call, how many times the audio feed doesn’t work, the number of times an announcer says the word “tough” or “All-American,” who will produce the funniest or most provocative commercial or what the worst part of the half-time show will be. This will make the game or parts of it more compelling.
Use a recording device! This can come in handy in any number of situations. Bathroom breaks, user controlled replays, skipping the half-time show; all of these things put the experience more into your hands than ever before and can improve your experience.
Stay away from the Internet. This final piece of advice is relevant in today’s world where people find amusement in taking to social media and inciting flame wars with incendiary comments. If you need another reason to avoid the Internet when you can enjoy the company of friends and family then you’re in the wrong place.
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