The Big Game Isn't An Elephant?

Sunday and Monday of last week marked a really special yearly festival for many Americans. That’s right, it was Super Bowl time. I will let you in on a little secret, as long as you don’t tell the House Un-American Activities Committee:I am not really a football fan. I can’t even fake it. I have tried, but I just never have acquired the taste. I was moderately interested in the commercials, but with the advent of the internet, I can catch up on those later. Of course, I will likely see most of them re-aired for the next few months anyway.

 I have been to a few football games. There wasn’t too much activity on Saturday afternoons while I lived on campus at Eastern Kentucky University. Sometimes I just needed a change of environment from the dorm room. Well that, and it is hard to study with fireworks and band playing happening at irregular intervals. I have to admit there is something to the atmosphere of a live game in person. I think I may have actually missed the point though: I was more entertained watching the crowds. In fact there were some regulars that I tried to catch a few times. I think they were professional hecklers. These three could give the writers of MST 3000 a run for their money for play by play heckling banter. They were at their prime apparently when the opposing team’s mascot would enter the field. I believe that one fight broke out between the Colonel (EKU’s mascot) and the Hilltopper (mascot of Western Kentucky University-bitter rivals of EKU) was actually escalated by the professional heckling crew.

Like I said, I missed the point: I don’t remember any of the details of the games. I have a feeling that the same would happen if I were to be invited to a Super Bowl party. Then again, it could go worse. Given my math background I could choose to break into the mathematics and physics of the game and make eyes glaze over. Given my philosophy background I could spin out a spontaneous thesis on the benefits and downfalls of vicarious athletic team identification.  Yeah, that is a real winner for parties.

Not one of my magical math moments

I have made an important discovery: The following Monday apparently is also part of this ritual. I had several students ask me if I had watched the game. They all felt inclined to give their take on how close it brought us to the end of the world, or how it was one of the greatest moments and the universe shook with awe at the final moments of the game. I took it all in, with stride and grace I hope. In the end, I wonder how many feel the same in my place when I talk about the dramatic grand finale of an well written series, or when I experience an epic win moment if solving a particular difficult problem.

I can talk objectively about most of the sports, but honestly I still can’t feel nor relate the subjective experience of being “a fan.” Please don’t tell anyone.  I think that might actually be grounds for treason in some parts.