Let's be real here- me and football do not exactly go hand in hand. I know this is highly ironic, considering I hail from the one and only THE Ohio State University BUT, as I am VERY quick to point out to any/everyone whose eyes alight when I share that I went to OSU... I may have a whole lotta school pride, but I could NOT care less when it comes to that whole football thing.
Hey, at least I'm honest right?
Given all that, it really should come as no surprise that I kept on forgetting that today was Super Bowl Sunday. Honestly, throughout the week, as people would start telling me about their weekend plans and inevitably bring up the Super Bowl, I would literally have to consciously filter my immediate thoughts of "Oh, that thing's this weekend? Didn't we just have one last year?". Since I can understand others' appreciation for this seemingly barbaric sport, I decided to keep such thoughts to myself (empathy personified, I know).
So when my friend, Joyce, texted me about a Super Bowl viewing at another friends' apartment, I was pretty indifferent to the whole idea. I mean, who are we kidding here, the only thing I really cared about was the halftime show (and the commercials, but that just goes without saying).
I was pretty much anticipating what always happens when I have to partake in some sort of football viewing party. I'll go, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to socialize and make merry... and people will just turn out to be GLUED to the television, hooting and hollering at random intervals when Player A tackles Player B. Over. And over. And over...
You get the idea. Honestly, watching a football game is like experiencing that movie, Groundhog's Day. I mean, it all just looks about the same after a while, right? Like... how many downs and tackles and throws and catches can one REALLY keep track of in the course of one game? I mean, football games are L-O-N-G, people!
So you can imagine my surprise with how this evening shaped out to be. Sure, Joyce and I ended up arriving about an hour and a half into the game (just in time for that halftime show... strategy is our middle name), but I have to admit- right from where I picked up the game, I was actually QUITE intrigued. I'm not going to lie... before I got to the party, I wasn't quite positive about who was ACTUALLY playing. I had an inkling that it was the New England Patriots but I couldn't be positive about the Giants... after all, when I think of Giants, I think of SF Giants and come on... even I know they're a baseball team.
Sigh. Baby steps, I know. It didn't take all too long for me to catch on that it was the New York Giants... and I even figured out the team uniform colors pretty quickly, so it was easier for me to track who was doing what to whom. I was actually quite proud of myself, really. Additionally, I FINALLY got to see this whole Eli Manning/Tom Brady saga unfold... I mean, I'd heard so MUCH about EACH of these players, but I finally got to see what they're made of. To be honest, most of what I saw of Eli Manning was him just watching from the sidelines (I guess they didn't need him??), but let's face it- he is just so wholesome and adorable, it's hard not to be completely smitten by him... sidelines and all.
Tom Brady in action? Eh. I mean, I guess he can throw the ball really well (especially during that last minute of the game when he needed to get the ball thrown past that yellow line AND outta bounds? Wtf), but he wasn't all that exciting for me to watch. I think he was just overhyped to me. But then again, what do I really know? (I bet some people reading this thing are literally just cringing. Oh well.)
Overall, though- I did find the game really interesting! I mean, it's really not ALL that hard to follow if you've got that yellow line to keep track of throughout the game! (I'm being completely facetious here... I know there's a lot more to the game than just the little yellow line but... well, baby steps, here, people!) In any event, as the game progressed, I quickly moved from not really knowing who was playing to becoming an AVID Patriots fan... for SEVERAL reasons:
1. I love, love, LOVED how the team had the owner's deceased wife's initials sewn onto their jerseys. Touching, really. Tugged at my heartstrings, to be honest. I love how that one player who used to always give that deceased wife a kiss on the cheek for good luck before the game now gave the owner himself a kiss on the cheek. Seriously, heartstring tugger.
2. I think my favorite part of the game was when that Hernandez player made that touchdown and did his little "make it rain" dance... seriously- it was SO elaborate (like, did he practice that as much, if not more, than he practiced the sport of football??) and so... just plain awesome. I could watch that over and over again.
3. And... well, that's pretty much it. Doesn't take much to make me a fan, apparently...
Sigh. Needless to say, I was pretty heartbroken by the end of the game. I mean, it was so CLOSE... and the Patriots were doing just FINE until the very last minute here. But oh well- it happens, right? Riiiight. I should try using that line of reasoning with that Patriots coach... he looked like he was on FIRE after the game... I certainly would've been running and hiding if I were any of those 200+ pound players. Seriously, did you see him?? Terr-ifying.
Anyway. So, there you hav-
OMG!! After all of the above, I nearly forgot to discuss the two things that were initially my sole purposes for watching the game!! Wow, I really AM a changed person!! In short... I thought the commercials were mediocre (nothing stood out to me as amazing, although there were a couple of laugh out loud ones) but I thought the halftime show was seriously Le-git. For a 50+ year old woman, Madonna never ceases to AMAZE me as a performer! Seriously. Le-git.
All in all... a sweet success of a Super Bowl... despite the downfall of my beloved Patriots. Is it possible to reach "beloved" status in the course of four hours? Apparently, in my book... why yes, yes it is.
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