Super Bowl? Eh....Whatever.
 

So, When did Super Bowl Sunday become a national holiday on the par with Thanksgiving and Christmas?

I decided to go grocery shopping today. Big mistake. I forgot tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday. I forgot this for the simple fact that I could care less. I find football only slightly more interesting than watching mold grow. (This, in fact, goes for just about all professional sports. Baseball is just about the only one you can get me to watch without putting a gun to my head.)

Anyway... I'm at the store, and it's a frickin zoo; the kind of craziness one usually sees on December 24th or the day before thanksgiving. People madly buying vast quantities of alcohol and snack food.

I overheard two women "of a certain age" - Blonde upper middle class Belmont types. One was telling the other that they always had the whole family over, but this year they are all going to her son's house; he just got a new 52" TV. Then asking, "What are your Super Bowl Plans?"

I got the groceries I needed as quickly as I could, and checked out. Then, as I was walking away, the bagger called out to me "Have a happy Super Bowl!"

WTF?????

People getting together, breaking bread (or chips) and sharing in a common bond. Yeah. What's this world coming to.

Susan and enjoy the commercial bowl every year. We are also going to TiVo the Puppy Bowl.

Personal experience is at least 20 years ago. That's the first time I recall my mom refusing to go to the grocery store Super Bowl weekend because it would be a zoo.

Super Bowl? Eh....Whatever.
 

I'm working tomorrow during the Superbowl. I could care less. Not much of a sports person anyways. Know Matt will be watching the game and my dad since he's from East Coast he's rooting for the Patriots...yuck...me Giants fan here...

Went grocery shopping too big mistake. It was fun though watching people buying all kinds of sodas, alcohol and snack foods.

Grocery stores here are nice and uncrowded.

I'll be watching the commercial bowl and doing homework.

I am not a Patriots fan, just wanted to clear that up.

Super Bowl? Eh....Whatever.
 

CM if you're not a Patriots fan then what team are you rooting for? lmao sorry just to tick my dad off Giants i wish they'd win but hey whatever...and not just cuz Jon likes the Giants (his fav team).

Well, I'm glad you did as I was worried that our relationship might be over.

I'm breaking up with you :p

Super Bowl? Eh....Whatever.
 

Go Giants Go Giants. Sorry but New England hope the Giants kick some major butt tomorrow ha... Rooting for the underdogs...

I really don't care who wins. I think it would be neat to see a team go completely undefeated. But I really don't care.

GO DUCKS!

We'll be watching the Toilet Bowl. Yes. On the DIY channel.

Puppy Bowl?

And as usual, i have no idea what two teams are playing, or anything else about the game other than it's that thing called 'football,' and that - - yeah, it's amazing how much of a giant frikking deal it's become in society ... when i already thought it was a giant deal a decade ago.

Pfft - that was nothing back then. JWBear is right in his sarcastic sense that it's becoming a huge national holiday of sorts. Ugh.

To me that kind of insults all the other holidays ... except maybe Cinqo de Mayo, which is a made-up American holiday for drinking debauchery only vaguley to do with a Mexican happening. I guess if that set the precedent, then Super Bowl Sunday can indeed become an American holiday of consumerism and congregation.

And Saint Patricks day. Don't forget that one...

I see little difference between our Super Bowl and the fervor--and money--that is associated with the World Cup and other internationally played sports where people paint the national flag on their faces and go nuts. The most famous person in the Phillipines is probably Manny Pacquiao who hits people in the head very well. Sports matter. They always have and always will.

They certainly matter at least as much as the Oscars.

Go Patriots! But, first and foremost, an exciting game, please.

If it's going to be a national holiday, I think the Super Bowl needs to be moved to a Monday so I can have an extended weekend.

It's all about the Puppy Bowl at Casa 3894.

Am I invited?

Puppy Bowl on 1 TV here and Super Bowl on another.

I'm just here to (cook) eat and watch the commercials.

What he said. I don't like football all that much, but I've been going to my sister-in-law's party every year for about 10 years now and it's a lovely annual social occasion. We get to catch up with all of their cool circle, have a drink and some catered food, and generally have a good time. It's nice.

Like SL said, when all you nancy boys are drooling over the Oscars, just remember that it's now someone else's turn to be close-minded and roll their eyes at your personal moment to gather around the TV.

Speaking of which - who's hosting the Oscar party?

Indeed. Much better than the halftime show anywhere else.

You guys are missing my point. It's not about the getting together and breaking bread; I didn't say there was anything wrong with that. It's about the fact that the Super bowl has become an obsession in American society somewhere on the par with Christmas and the second coming. It's about the strange looks you get when you tell people you don't watch it; the kind of looks you would get if you stated that you didn't "do" Thanksgiving or the 4th of July.

And I'm sorry, but the Oscars do not compare. While there is the same (or greater) level of obsession on the part of some people, it is really a very small percentage of society. None of my friends, gay or straight, are as obsessed by the Oscars as most of the people in my life are over Super Bowl Sunday. Are the grocery stores as packed the day before the Oscars? No. Do complete strangers ask you if you're ready for Oscar night, and wish you "Happy Oscars!"? No.

(And just for the record, the cashier at the grocery store really did ask me if I was ready for Super Bowl Sunday, and the bagger really did wish me a Happy Super Bowl. You can't make this sh*t up!)

I've never had anybody inquire about my Super Bowl watching status or view it as odd that (most years) I'm not doing anything in particular. I was probably 25 years old the first time I actually watched one. But if there is any segment of the population that would come to see the Super Bowl and a truly universal event I imagine it would be grocery store employees; Lani and I specifically called of a trip to Costco today once we remembered tomorrow was the game.

But one thing I suspect has changed in recent years is the prevalence of very large TVs that are much more suitable for making the centerpiece of a big party than the old giant Sony 32". Yes, there was always the stray bird that had a 48" rear-projection TV setup.

I've been saying for a while now that whereas porn was the killer app for VCRs, sports is the killer app for widescreen HD. When I go to a Super Bowl party it is only 40% about the game and 60% about the party but even if we're only paying attention with one eye, it is a nice improvement that the one eye is seeing something so dramatically better than SD TV presentations were.

As long a people want to eat Krispy cheese in front of their teevees, I'll "Happy Super Bowl" them all day long!

/not watching

Tom Brady is hot.
:)

Personally I think it's partly such a big deal because it's a de facto holiday created by the public themselves and not some archaic "recognized" holiday whose meanings and reason for importance are so vague, murky or false that nobody really even knows why it's celebrated anyway. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fourth of July, etc are all great but really, who of us was around or had anything to do with their creation and so to who of us are they really real? Super Bowl, on the other hand, is very real. Whether it means watching the big game, the big gathering, the food, the goofy commercials or whatever, Super Bowl's meaning and importance are real and tangible and therefore, in my humble opinion, more exciting in some ways. Banks aren't closed, Macy's isn't having a sale, nobody is marching around harping about any "reason for the season." It's just a good old annual excuse to eat, drink and be merry with the added bonus of there actually being an event to have it all around. I think that's why it's spread so much and become so popular. It's common ground and it's fun, which makes it accessible to anyone and so everyone gravitates to it.

Now, if the Giants can knock off the Patriots then I'd say it's worthy of National Holiday status, but we'll see.

Always.

Boy wants me to tape it so that we can watch the commercials together.

Give it time....

Welcome, brother, have a seat. You look like you need to warm up. You just sit here and watch for a while, and we'll take care of you.

Don't forget that during the halftime of Puppy Bowl IV, it's kitty time!

So far, I've watched The Quick and the Dead, and now The Right Stuff is on- I don't think I'm gonna be watching much football today...

Unsurprisingly, when most people are doing something on a specific day, and you are not, you seem different. That only makes sense. I am not into football but I did small-talk ask my coworkers if they were watching the game this weekend. When they said "no" or "yes" it's not like I judged them. I was making small talk.

Would that be a bad thing? I don't see why social acceptance of the SuperBowl is such a bad thing.

This is a great point. Believe me, if you're miffed that the SuperBowl is a socially acceptable event, try being a Jew your whole life. It's not just the baggers you have to ward off.

Ok, then at that point, there may be something to gripe about. Call me crazy, but I don't see it having the baggage of a religious holiday.

I'm with Jazzman on it. I like that it's a holiday that we've created as a public; regardless of religion or creed you can take part and really feel a part of it. I know when it is in advance, and can make appropriate arrangements for the purchase of food and goods without any fuss. I only regret that I have no one to spend it with this year, since J just left on a work trip this morning, and my only friend in the area is across town... normally not a bad drive, but anyone who might catch my LJ would know why I'm not driving again until this newest snowstorm is over. I'll just have to have my salsa and chips solo today. :D

Even people who don't like football can get something out of it, especially an advertising junkie such as myself. Except, I do like football, so I'll be watching that part, too.

I'm watching the game here at the Nuclear Muffin Test Kitchen, and it's just me, the doggies, the cats, and the rat (and oh yeah, the hamster).

:)

The only thing that pisses me off about this day is the fact that moms and crying toddlers come out of the woodwork to invade all public spaces so there is nowhere safe to be except at home.


Oh, and the drunk drivers also make home a safer option.

The only thing I don't particularly care for is that the tv station interupts the Commercial Bowl with all that pesky sports stuff

I ran across this article today, somehow it has to fit in with this thread...

NFL Pulls Plug On Big-Screen Church Parties For Super Bowl

Apparently it's OK with the NFL if you party it up at a sports bar but not at a place of worship. Go figure.

So, who won?

The Pats in a walkover.

I saw that church thing.....that's great NFL public relations.

Maybe not to some people. But in my household, Oscar night is a high holiday, totally on par with other celebratory days. So I certainly understand why those who love football would make an effort to do special food shopping and have parties and celebrate. We absolutely do for our big day (and we'll do it again on February 24, baby.) We just don't do it on Super Bowl Sunday.

So there's a huge percentage of people who care about the Super Bowl. So what? Everybody has their own thing that excites them. So the Super Bowl does it for a bunch of people. So the Oscars do it for another. So Super Tuesday does it for somebody else. I'm not sure I see what the big deal is.

(And for the record, I DO wish people happy Oscars.)

It's more than that. Several times, when I've told people I don't watch the Super Bowl, I get the same kind of confused, incredulous look I get from conservative Christians when I tell them that I don't believe in the Bible. They just don't seem to grasp that someone wouldn't be as obsessed with it as they are.

Please show me where I said that.

I'm not miffed; I could really couldn't care less (well... maybe a little less).

Nowhere in my original or subsequent posts did I say that the Super Bowl Holiday was a bad thing, or that people are wrong for celebrating it. Others put those words into my mouth... er... keyboard. I was simply pointing out my observations that we, as a society have granted holiday status to the Super Bowl. Some of the responses I've received in this thread have only proven my point. I hit a nerve, obviously.

Happy Super Bowl, everyone!

I'm watching the game because one of two things will happen - pro sports history will be made or my Dad, a huge Giants fan, will be delighted. I know he's watching the game now in New Jersey. It's a shared transcontinental experience.

(and so far, it's already a pretty good game)

I do beleive that this is why I had a Boy at my doorstep at 1:30. He called me and asked if he could come home early. I am sure it was so that they could be drinking during the game and not worry about having to bring him home at 5-6ish.

We went to the grocery store, which was packed. We were headed home shortly after 3 and the roads were close to empty.

Ehh, only a sector of a society. I never watch, and no one has ever looked at me funny. (About this, at least.)

What's the superbowl ? :confused:

An American holiday where people gather around their giant TVs, drink beer, eat chips and other snack foods and root for men with cute butts in tight pants to catch a ball.

As of halftime, you might be wishing you hadn't posted that.

Excuse me?

The pats have more than DOUBLE the score of that other team.

I think the Pats will adjust in the same fashion they did against the Chargers - Look for them to run the ball effectively. I don't know the play calling, but I know the Pats haven't had that many plays on offense and 17 of them were passes based on a graffic I saw of Brady's performance against the pressure.

I figure we're looking at more wide receiver screens, pulling guards, and draw plays.

However, it's a fortunate thing for the Pats that the Giants haven't capitalized on chances, turning settling for a field goal and turning it over inside the 20.

It's all in the percentages, isn't it?

Well... wasn't THAT a phallic opening to the TP & the HBs set?


For those who missed it, it was a flying V with an arrow shaped head
"inserting" into a heart.


Oh my

If by "arrow shaped" you really mean penis shaped, then yes. I did see that.

Oh, and am I the only one loving the irony of this thread becoming the Super Bowl comment thread?

I dunno - this is kinda boring. The line up and then get tackled and that's it.

Why don't they do something really challenging and like release wild animals onto the field or set the ball on fire.

OK; the vitamin water commercials have been the best so far. I like when the Terminator kicks butt on the stupid metal football player.

And I am getting sick of the Indian gaming commercials (which I suspect you aren't seeing on the Bitter East Coast®)

Nope, none of that.

My favs so far are the FexEx pidgeons and the Bud/Rocky.

I like the one where Tom Brady fumbled... oh wait, that wasn't a commercial, that was the game... :)

Even the eTrade baby thinks clowns are creepy!

Isn't that West Hollywood ???

Oh, and I already know who won, so there. (We're a day ahead here...)

New England just scored a touchdown with 2:42 remaining. It is now up to the Patriot defense (which had been inconsistent all game).

Hey Moonliner- that was some game, huh? :D

Yup. And the reason I NEVER bet $$ on sports games. :D

That was a great game - didn't want the Giants to win, but that was a great game.

That was freekin awesome.

I think I just became a football fan.

Yeah, I didn't bet any money on this one; but I know many coworkers who did - be careful walking around skyscrapers for the next few days ;)

That was the best Super Bowl in a LONG time, I actually watched the game for once.

Argh!!!! I can see the results of the game are being discussed, but I have to jump past because I am running a bit behind (the Giants just kicked off after scoring their touchdown).

Woooooo!!!!

I love this whole "gotta burn the one second off the clock" fiasco.

I have a friend in my office who moved here from NY 8 months ago and was at the game today. He will be simply insufferable tomorrow. But he deserves to be, I suppose - he was with them the whole way and picked every game in the office playoff pool correctly.

Super Bowl? Eh....Whatever.
 

Yes sweet. The Giants won. :) Yes...boo hoo New England undefeated oh well not the Superbowl. I am not calling my dad at home he's probablly so mad that his team lost...lmao so glad the Giants won the way they did too. They deserved that. My coworker bet his whole paycheck (a week's wages) on the game and he lost....and the worst thing his wife doesn't even know...

I bet Jon Bon Jovi is happy his team won :)

WRONG!!!

The Giants. :D

I only bet on sports in the "pool" form, where it's a few bucks. Betting a whole paycheck? Simply irresponsible.

Oh, and I gotta say; I LOVED the Victoria's Secret ad.

Super Bowl? Eh....Whatever.
 

Eli Manning is so cute. Cuter than Tom Brady. They had a poll and most women would go out with Eli over Tom that Tom wouldn't be a great loyal longtime boyfriend lmao...

And yeah watching Eli he is cute. :) For a football player. :)

Great game! I love it when the underdog wins!:snap:

yup yup- only Davis was rooting for the Patriots. The rest of us were quite gleeful when the Giants won- GREAT game.

Fav commercial was the one right after Kickoff. The cat wailing as the guy sneezed made me snorck my Dr Pepper. The FedEx pigeons was good too.

Go Giants !

...who are the Giants ?

having zero interest in football, I feel I must ask, how were the commercials?

It's the pats in a walkover.

I liked the pigeons. You can see most of them online at www.break.com

All I kept thinking was that some lucky pool winner took home the winnings from two quarters

Oh, and I loved the eTrade commercials

Great game. Would have been a better game if it had stayed 7-3, but great game nonetheless. I would have liked it if the refs had simply shot and carted off the Giants players who dragged out their injuries, thus stopping the clock on the Patriots' last drive. On the other hand, that would have deprived us of that third down play where Manning avoided the sack and threw that amazing long completion. One for the ages.

Eli Eli Eli.. good on ya, son.

Take that win back to the New York media.

Super Bowl? Eh....Whatever.
 

Giants were the underdogs. :) Yay :) the underdogs did it :) The game was great. Wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I came home during 3rd period when the score was still Giants 3 Pats 7 right after halftime...lmao and who would have thought. Funny they showed Manning practing the same move throw that he did to make that last touchdown that ultimately won them the game...

I thought the 1 second on the clock was like omg lmao...and yet they had to clear the field and finish the game before it was official. Heck the Giants even with injuries kept on playing and played so much better than i've seen someone want something so badly (the win). The Pats were so arogant and i'm so glad they lost....ha

Just shameful that the head coach of the Pats immediately walked off the field when the game was over...poor sport...sorry but sportsmanship regardless...Brady and the team screwed up oh well so sad....

Yay for the Giants. I screamed so loud....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160...550_pe_snp_500

I want this, just to give to a certain Patriots fan at work :evil:

The Giants played wayyyy better than the Pats.

Super Bowl? Eh....Whatever.
 

Brad i agree...it's like they played with their heart and soul and Determination to win. Unlike the Pats...you could tell. I mean it was a good game but the Giants wanted the WIN more...and they got it :)

W.O.W.

Way to go Manning and the Giants. I cannot believe that he scrambled away from that pack and then threaded the needle for that TD. Awesome. I've never cared either way about the Giants but I love underdogs (and despise New England) so this was a fantastic game. I loved that the refs stayed out of it too. After the Seattle debacle I was worried about officiating but they did well. Bill Belichick cracked me up when he challenged the Giants having too many players on the field. Not only was it such a lame, nitpicky little thing to do but the way he flicked his red poofy down was hysterical. What a tool. :D And Brady. Whatever. He's been billed all week as the second coming of the Messiah and today he ends up on his back more than a cheerleader after homecoming. Ha!

Great, great Super Bowl and definitely one of the best ever.

The ads sucked this year though. I liked the Cavemen ad for Bud Light and the lizard Thriller but other than that they were all just regular old commercials. It gets worse every year. Is the era of the Super Bowl Super Ad dying?

I wonder if you can still get those?

That was not because of Brady, but because of his offensive line - they completely failed tonight.

Not to gloat or anything, but somebody's gotten creative :)

Super Bowl? Eh....Whatever.
 

Oh that is awesome CM. :) Cracks me up. :) What fun i will have tomorrow at work...lmao

Bud Light

The Pats.

Is the team made up of androgynous characters from SNL?

Now thats a football game you might get me to watch! :cool:

Well, regardless of its actual importance to society as a whole, it was certainly an exciting game. And as with most things augmented by being in a group of people also similarly involved.

Watching at home alone I would have been entertained but calm. Watching among a group of people I was on my feet shouting when Manning somehow broke out of that scrum and lobbed it for the game saving play.

I don't think it cosmically important (I didn't even care strongly who won and just picked a side to help even out the rooting interests in our group) but it certainly was fun.

This is an odd image to picture.

It was a very exciting game. One of the best in recent years.

It was an exciting game indeed. I'm disappointed at the lost opportunity of witnessing a perfect season, that's definitely not something that's going to come around again any time soon. But at least it was a good game to watch, and the Giants deserved the win. Their defensive line kicked the crap outta NE's offensive line all game long. The Pats had their opportunities (there were at least 2 balls on that last drive that could have been intercepted) and, uncharacteristically, didn't make good on them.

About my only complaint is that the fumbled handoff by Manning should have been Colts ball and that would have been good field position. And an argument could have been made for offensive pass interference on the first Giants touchdown.

But considering the calls the Patriots got all year long and that they weren't slam dunk I don't complain much.

Oh yeah, forgot about those two. Those were pretty lousy calls. But eh, it those happen. The lack of execution and the inability of the Patriot's line to give Brady any time to throw are what lost the game for them, those calls wouldn't have changed that.

I'm still baffled by the 4th and 13 decision. Has Bill attempted to explain himself on that one? Why pass up a 47 yard field goal?

Despite the breakdown of the Patriots' offensive line, I was chanting "Rope-a-dope, rope-a-dope" on their last scoring drive as they showed shot after shot of spent Giants defensive linemen. If the game had been two minutes shorter or thirty minutes longer, the Patriots would have won.

And speaking of two minutes shorter, on that last drive the refs should have shot and carted off those "injured" Giants players whose flopping around stopped the clock. How long does it take to get off the field with a sprained wrist anyway?

On the other hand, that would have deprived us of Manning's scramble and pass to David Tyree, which truly was one for the top ten reel. Plus, even if the Patriots had won, their undefeated season would always have felt a little asterisky to me because of the finish to the Ravens game.

Would that be the one with the TD catch in the corner that looked out of bounds? Probably should have been challenged, but it would still have been 2nd and goal form a couple inches.

That was just the last bit of divine intervention. Brady had been stopped on a quarterback sneak on fourth down that was negated because the Ravens called time out before the play started, a fact that none of the players appeared aware of at the time. The next fourth down stoppage was negated by a late false start call. Then there was a questionable pass interference call down the middle. Then the fingertip TD in the corner of the end zone. Had the Patriots lost that game, it might have braced them for what lay ahead, and the Ravens would not have gone on to lose to the Dolphins.

Wrong Manning, wrong Superbowl (unless I missed a reference to SB XLI somewhere along the way).

Yes, I meant Pats.

It always amuses me to read and hear that the more physical team winning the Super Bowl is an "upset". I doubt there are 5 examples of the less physical team winning a Super Bowl matchup.


As noted in another thread:

It all adds up to smart gamblers* taking the +400 money line on the Giants and combining it with the under on a two-team Super Bowl parlay worth 8-1 and laughing all the way to the bank.



*Not me. I planned on placing my bet right before kick-off but I got caught up in playing a basketball game out front and forgot all about placing the bet until it was too late.

:)

That is priceless. :snap:

And now Tyree's amazing catch has a name.


Much better than "The Catch", imo.

The what now?

Ling-Ling! Oh wait....

I assume that picture is a recreation of a scene from Drawn Together.

:( I miss that show.

Did they stop making new shows? I'm not a regular watcher but did see it on recently.

They got canceled about 4 episodes into season 3.

I thought I saw someone predicted about Patriot superbowl champ t-shirts being sent South America. I can't find it, but whoever said it, is clarvoyant!

Story here

No need for clairvoyance, that's what happens every major sports championship where there's money to burn to afford making merchandise for both possible outcomes so that the correct set will be immediately avaialable at the stadium and in stores.

They could just destroy them but they get a charitable write-off if they give them away. And they want to give them away somewhere far from the American audience.

In the past it's been Africa. Interestingly, most Africans believe that Buffalo Bills are the greatest sports franchise in history.