The first Super Bowl that I have memories of was Super Bowl XIV, or 14 for those of you Roman Numerically Challenged. I was nine years old at that time, and I remember watching the game at my dad's in the living room with my family. My dad was more of a baseball guy, in fact he didn't care for football, but by that game being on it told me the event itself must be a big deal. Super Bowl Sunday has become a national holiday. It's more than an excuse to gamble, eat, drink, and party, all fun things in their own right, but it's a time to get together with family and friends and enjoy life. The game itself, in many instances, is an afterthought.
How many of you bought a square or two for the game? This, technically, illegal form of gambling really amps up for the Super Bowl. It may be the easiest way to add to the fun, as the serious betting almost almost always favors the house. Yahoo sports has an interesting chart up showing how much Las Vegas rakes in on the Super Bowl, and last year over $82 million was bet on the Super Bowl legally in Nevada. The house has lost on only two occasions, and the last time it was thanks to the 4-1 underdog Giants winning the game. SBNation has their own Super Bowl Odds up (right here) showing the Packers to be around a 2.5 point favorite. So with a close spread, expect the house to clean up again.
I've always enjoyed looking at the prop bet sheets, if for no other reason than to see what crazy things they'll come up with. I touched on a couple earlier this week (right here), remember to take the over on Christina Aguilera's National Anthem. Big Ten basketball fans can bet on whether they'll have more total points than the Packers have total yards. What will be more, LeBron James points, rebounds, and assists, or the total points of the Steelers and Packers? I find it interesting that so many of the prop bets encompass other things throughout the day.
My favorite thing about Super Bowl Sunday (when the Bears aren't playing) is all the cooking and the eating, well, more the eating... I can't wait to see what WCG member touchdown bears will be cooking this weekend. I haven't decided which direction I'll be going yet. Maybe chili or some steaks. Maybe some wings or Italian sausage. Or maybe all of it.
The ads that run during the game garner as much press, if not more, than the game itself. I'm always excited to see what blockbuster movie trailers drop during the intermissions. Captain America, the new Transformers, Cowboys and Aliens are a few I'm ready to see (don't judge me). The humorous commercials are always fun, as is voting the next day on the best of the lot. Maybe next year when the Bears are playing in the Super Bowl, Windy City Gridiron will pony up the $3 million for a 30 second spot. I can see it now...
Adam, Dane, and Kev in full Bears garb, barreling through a sea of bloggers from "other" Chicago Bears sites. Just pummeling them as they sit and type away on their computers. Dane throwing his shoulder into unsuspecting bleacher reporters and yahoos, Adam trampling over their broken laptops, and Kev stopping at each one for a well timed slap across the face or a poke in the eye. Then a great finish as some graphical wonderment from David and WINDY, CITY, GRIDIRON, .COM is slapped across the TV. All with a James Earl Jones voice-over saying something like this;
"There was a time not long ago when a small website started to gain momentum. Just slowly at first, but it quickly began moving like a locomotive powered by the will of Iron Mike Ditka. It started to grow at an immeasurable rate and eclipse all others that dared to fancy themselves as sports websites. And as it began to ascend over all competitors in the football internet realm, this site, this Windy City Gridiron dot com, would tower above all, wielding nothing more than a sharp witted writing team and a twitter account. Long live the Chicago Bears and long live Windy City Gridiron."
Yeah... I can see it now.