Super Bowl now a social event rather than a game

CASEY RESSLER

Resslin Around

When did this travesty happen? When did the Super Bowl go from being about football fans, for football fans — to an event known for the commercials?

Sunday, many of us diehard football fans were put out.

For 17 weeks, plus three more glorious weeks of playoffs, we reclined our chairs for six hours every weekend, ate bags of chips and yelled at the television screen. We bemoaned every bad call, whether it went against our team or not. We sat through meaningless games, like Cincinnati versus Cleveland, because we had to pay our dues until Super Sunday. We worked out our remote control finger, just to be prepared for the big day.

And now, we are left trying to pick up the pieces of our lives.

Super Bowl Sunday is supposed to be our big reward for a season spent working out and preparing ourselves, just like the athletes who are actually participating in the game. Instead, it is the football fans who are the real victims of Super Bowl Sunday.

For some reason, through the years, the big game has turned into more of a social event than the crown jewel of the football season. For heaven's sake, I actually heard this year's Super Bowl referred to as the "Survivor II pregame show." Are you kidding me? It almost made me cry to hear that.

Throughout the entire season, the real football fans have been telling people to be quiet during the game, and talk during the commercials. Chances are, John Madden and Pat Summerall had more important things to say while the action was going on.

But on Super Sunday, that changed. All of the social watchers raced to the television set and were absolutely silent during the commercials, but talked throughout the game. They were more interested in what new commercials were coming on during each break in the action, rather than seeing how the Giants could break down the Ravens' vaunted defense.

It is like that everywhere for Super Bowl Sunday — even at my parents' house.

It's the fourth quarter at my parents' annual Super Bowl get-together. I look over at my mom, who couldn't tell you who is playing in the game, despite the fact that it has been on the television for at least six hours already. She is working on the guacamole dip, and mixing in some salsa, completely oblivious to the fact that a world champion is being crowned.

Kellie, my sister, is three-quarters of the way through Good Housekeeping, peering over the pages only to talk about her upcoming wedding or to watch a new "Whaaaaazzzzzzup" commercial from Budweiser. Her fiancé, Jaden, is snoring so loud it awakened my dad, who was sawing logs himself. My wife is a football fan, but the Giants vs. Ravens matchup has even bored her.

I, though, was glued to the screen, simply because it was the Super Bowl. I couldn't care less who is playing in the game if the Broncos aren't there, but still, I watched every play. I managed to eat chicken wings without having to break away for a napkin during the action. I was prepared.

And I was alone.

So who won the Super Bowl last Sunday? "Who cares" seems to the attitude of most. That isn't the biggest question around water coolers at work this week. The real question overheard at offices everywhere was, "Did you see Survivor II after that football thingee that was on Sunday night?"

Casey Ressler (ressler@alaska.net) is the Frontiersman Valley Life editor. With the Super Bowl over, he is ready for the XFL to start in February.