Published: February 04, 2008 10:20 am            

The real Super Bowl contest: Do you watch the ads or the game?

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When the time comes, who will you side with? I’m not talking about Hillary or Obama, pro-war or anti-war, pro-choice or pro-life ... though those may be some of the most important and passionate subjects to take up our thoughts.

No, I’m talking about one of the biggest events to grace our televisions every year during the beginning of February.

The Super Bowl.

So when the time comes, when the pre-show coverage starts rolling, when the chips and salsa and hot wings come out, who will you side with? Are you an “Oh, I just watch the Super Bowl for the commercials” person, or are you parked in front of that big screen TV just for the game?

Many remain bitterly divided on the idea. I know my boyfriend can’t help but make fun of anyone who would put themselves through at least three hours of a sport they have no interest in just to see those sixty-second Budweiser spots. Then again, I know others who can’t imagine the event as anything besides a chance to see some of the most expensive television ads of the year unveiled.

I consider myself a fence-rider on the subject. Sure, there was once a time when the only football game I watched voluntarily was the Super Bowl, and that was only to tune into the commercials and see the half-time act.

There was a time when I had no idea what a fourth down was, much less a fourth-and-one or a fourth-and-goal. That was when I couldn’t imagine liking watching a game where a bunch of dudes ran at each other and jumped into big piles in mad scrambles to get a loose ball.

But four years of dating a Miami Dolphins fan (and I can tell you he is not a fair-weather fan, as evidenced by his continuing loyalty to this year’s 1-15 club) has left me with some actual interest in pro football.

I know. I can’t believe it either.

I can tell you I’m excited that the Giants made it to the championship because I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Eli Manning, and third-string quarterback (and former UK quarterback) Jared Lorenzen’s first Super Bowl appearance is kind of cool too.

I can tell you that the Randy Moss-Tom Brady dynamic gave me most of my points when I played on a fantasy football league this past year. It was my first attempt at competing in a league, and I fared well, considering how I wasn’t exactly the most knowledgeable football fan.

Football fan? Could I really call myself that? Or better yet, do I want to?

The jury’s still out on that, but I’ve reached a point where I would actually look forward to Monday Night Football, and Thursday and Sunday night games were my choice as much as my boyfriend’s.

Sure, I’ve still got a ways to go. My boyfriend just sighs and shakes his head when I worry whether a kicker will get the extra point during the last few seconds of a game. I have to be honest here: It broke my heart when Favre threw that interception during the Giants-Packers NFC Championship. My “Aw, poor Brett” was met with a “Seriously, he’s got two championship rings, he’s rich, has a hot wife and lives in a mansion. He’ll be okay.”

I can still remember shedding a tear for Tony Romo when he flubbed a short field goal hold in Seattle last year during a wildcard game. I know, I know, the guy’s got Jessica Simpson now. Still, I felt a tinge of sympathy for him when Cowboy’s fans were up in arms over his and Jessica’s relationship during the end of the season. You’d think a professional football player wouldn’t be distracted by a pretty blonde in pink during a game, but who knows.

No matter how many times I play the “Madden” video game, I still can’t get it through my head that the big red line that goes up the middle of a formation is a running play or a fake. I usually just pick the prettiest pattern and go with it. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. We won’t even go into the small tantrums I throw when my boyfriend beats me into a pulp, even when he uses an NFL Europe team and I get to use The Colts or Patriots.

And then there’s the fact that when the season is over, I inexplicably seem to lose all the knowledge of pro football I had garnered during the season. Players’ names are lost, teams’ records are scrambled ... it’s not pretty, and it’s extremely annoying to my boyfriend, who realizes he has to start over again at the beginning of the next season.

You can see now why the jury’s still out on whether I can call myself a football fan.

But I can call myself a Super Bowl fan. I tune into the big game to take in the commercials — I’m entertained year-round by commercials anyway, so why wouldn’t I want to watch some of the funniest commercials of the year get unveiled?

But I also like the game. I like the excitement, and I like how both teams are playing for it all. Granted, this game may have already been decided unless Eli and his team pull out some major stops against that Patriots offense, but I’m going to watch anyway because there’s still that chance that David can bring down Goliath. It’s happened before, so why not now?

I hope the Giants, as the underdog, will be able to pull off the seemingly impossible task of bringing down the 16-0 Patriots, as I’m sure others will be wishing. There’s a chance this year’s championship game will be one of the most predictable ones in recent years, but there’s the chance it could go the other way. I’m holding out for the latter.

So yeah, I love the commercials. I love the game, and I love everything that comes with it — the food, the friends, and the possibility that the ultimate upset could happen.

When the time comes, and you’re asked to decide who you’ll stand with, don’t worry about why you’re watching. If it’s for the commercials, then so be it. If it’s strictly because of the game, then fine. Or you can be a happy moderate and ride the fence, like me. Really, no pressure.

It’s just a game anyway. It’s the most important NFL game of the year, but still, it’s just a game.

        

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