By Caden K.
February 13th, 2022 will mark the second time our generation must watch the Super Bowl under the constraints of a worldwide pandemic. Within my family, the Super Bowl is more than a yearly sporting event; it is a holiday, a moment of celebration, a day filled with nothing but excitement. I look forward to the Super Bowl every year, for it has always served as a coming together of my entire family and friends, happily partying under one roof. Much like last year, however, viewing the championship game will have restrictions that maximize the health and safety of those closest to us, and it is in our best interest to abide by them. Lucky for us though, after having experienced one isolated Super Bowl, there are ways to make it more enjoyable.
Last year, the United States was coming out of one of the deadlier months of this prolonged pandemic as the season of gathering and celebrating had just passed. According to the New York Times, the holiday season was to blame for the 95,246 covid-related deaths, one of the deadliest months in the United States’ pandemic experience. With covid rates currently appearing eerily similar to the rates this time last year, it’s clear that our precautionary measures need to be far more efficient this year, especially during an upcoming period of grand social gathering. It is in our best interest to tell our friends to watch from home and have our own isolated fiesta. Surrounding ourselves with a surplus of individuals for a day of celebration is not worth the very real risk of infectious disease, especially when this disease has taken the lives of so many in such a short amount of time.
I don’t wish to be a downer. The Super Bowl is a party, and it will continue to be, but we must prioritize each other's health and wellbeing before we sacrifice future days for a single four-hour game. So, how do we stop the uninvited guest that is COVID-19 from ruining the party for the rest of us?
The key is to keep yourself busy. Thinking about how much more fun the day would be with other people will only bring down the joyful essence of Super Bowl Sunday. Playing table football is a totally enjoyable, time consuming game that can keep us distracted from the hand-cuffs that COVID-19 has put on our festivities. The rules are fairly simple, crafting the paper triangle takes no time, and YouTube videos do a fantastic job explaining any confusions that may arise. Food can also be an incredible distraction. Just because you don’t have guests doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself to chips and guac or nachos or sliders or chili or sausage or wings. Food has an incredible ability to enhance the championship experience and can easily heighten the mood of most viewers. If you feel like testing your luck, maybe you can try your hand at Super Bowl squares and place fun, harmless bets throughout the game with your friends (virtually, of course).
This year’s Super Bowl doesn’t have to be a depressing snooze fest, and it starts with the attitude you take towards it. We will eventually return to our traditional, glorious watch parties, but for now, look out for each other during this frightening time by staying home. Do not let the unwanted guest destroy your awesome party completely.
Works Cited
Morales, Christina, and Ron Depasquale. “The Super Bowl Brings Fears of Another Coronavirus Surge.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Feb. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/07/us/super-bowl-coronavirus-surge.html.
Games, Gather Together. “How to Play Paper Football.” YouTube, YouTube, 29 Sept. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxkt0ddWmpQ.
Photo Credit: "02/03/2013 Superbowl" by BOMBTWINZ is licensed under . To view a copy of this license, visit undefined?ref=openverse&atype=rich