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.
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