It's finally here. The day in which two teams battle it out with all their might and soul. It's the Super Bowl. The day all sports fans have been waiting for. Right? Well, maybe.
Actually, not really.
Let's face it. The Super Bowl as a national event -- yes, but the Super Bowl as a true sports fan's ultimate day of glory -- no.
Truth be told, not all Super Bowl fans are the same. While it's difficult to label all these fans, they can, for the most part, fit into one or two of the following Super Bowl fan categories.
First and foremost it appears the number one fan of the Super Bowl is the media. If one has glanced at the Boston Globe in the past week and does not know that Bill Parcels is attempting to win yet another Super Bowl or that Brett Favre is the drug rehabilitated MVP quarterback for the Green Bay Packers or that, oh yeah, by the way, the New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl, that person must be nearly illiterate. After all, the media now has two full weeks to print pages upon pages of Super Bowl information, to host pre-game and pre-pre-game Super Bowl shows and to develop special Patriot radio hotlines for all those interested. Yes. The two weeks of Super Bowl hoopla are a media festival with the actual game of football a mere sidebar.
Following the media, advertisers should be right up there on that Super Bowl fan list. After all, there is a considerable portion of viewers who tune in to the Super Bowl to see the commercials. The question that stands in their minds is, who will win Bud Bowl XXX (or whatever it is by now)? Advertising thrives on the Super Bowl and viewers eat it up as easily as they eat up the chips and salsa sitting next to them. It seems that even notorious channel changers put down the remote control to watch what new commercials will appear.
A third type of Super Bowl fan is the socialite. Those who love to throw parties. Those who thrive on bringing down the chip and dip platter, and making munchies that everyone will rave about. Or they are those who attend the parties, or the date of the one who attends the party, or better yet, the one who attends the party to try and find the date. Sure, they may have glanced at the television during the playoffs. They glance through the papers so they may be able to initiate some football chit chat with another. But for the most part, football is what accompanies the Super Bowl.
And then there are those notorious fair-weather fans. Really, it appears that the beloved Patriots have been a part of Boston since the Boston Tea Party. New England jackets, T-shirts and hats have overtaken the Northeast, as it appears as though everyone and his dog is now a Patriots fan. Some of these fans should be given credit. They enjoy the game of football, but have no real allegiances. They watch the playoffs and tune into an occasional game throughout the season. They live in New England and can not but help be swept in to the festivities. But a large majority of these fans became excited about the Patriots when they heard that the team was hosting a playoff game. These fans may have watched an occasional quarter or two throughout the season and know that Drew Bledsoe is that nice looking quarterback. But their love of the Patriots will last as long as five games into next season when the Pats start off a dismal 1-4.
And now we come to the true football fan. Where does he or she fit into this picture? They are the ones who love to watch the game to appreciate the different styles of coaching and playmaking. They live for September and all the Sundays that follow it. They love the game and will watch through the hoopla. They will scan the papers for the statistical analysis of the game. If they are by chance a longtime supporter of the Patriots or the Packers, they will be so overcome by nervousness come day game, that even the well-prepared munchies may not seem appealing. If they are not a Patriots or Packers fan, then most likely they are still in the "moping" stage because their beloved team either did not make the playoffs or was unjustly ousted in the early rounds. These mopers may be able to tune in to the actual Super Bowl but to watch in its entirety would be too painful. Thus, they either boycott Super Bowl parties or will sit back and try to enjoy the food that is there.
Sure. Not everyone will fall in to one of these categories. But most everyone probably has some characteristics that fall into a Super Bowl fan grouping. In any case, it is the Super Bowl. So relax. Grab some chips. Put the remote control away. And, oh yeah, enjoy the game.
