Musings on Superbowl v. Downton Abbey – Do you mind if I change channels?

What some media write up as a match between two coaching brothers, others describe as a match between two programs—sports or the popular Downton Abbey on PBS. On the home front, one of my childhood friends in Virginia (a Downton Abbey fan) emails me, “No Beyonce in this house. ” Then my daughter texts to ask if I realize I will be visiting South Beach on Super Bowl Sunday.

But I go to South Beach (Miami) anyway. I plan to sit through the first half of the game then leave in time to watch Downton Abbey in my hotel.

We walk to Ocean Drive. Surprise, no aggressive restaurant hostesses promote lunch-dinner or drink specials. Big screen TVs blare from café terraces. Crowds pack the tables. One or two restaurants make an effort to attract the non-bowl tourists, by playing music or having a guitarist. The Clevelander, which wraps around a corner on Ocean Drive, has standing room only (beer from the bar at $9 and from the bathing suit-clad hostess, $6). With all the people and noise, is anyone actually watching the game? Will they notice if I change channels?

Although I plan to watch the Super Bowl with my daughter and her boyfriend until halftime (really!) , I leave after a few minutes and head for Lincoln Road, which has few pedestrians and diners on this beautiful Sunday evening.


At DeLuca’s, where one of the owner’s explains it is not a “sports bar,” I try a pinot grigio (Torre di Luna) along with bruschetta. When the owner offers me another glass, I decline. After all, I must make it back for Downton Abbey.

Maybe next year. . .

Super Bowl Super Culture

Watching the Super Bowl from the Clevelander (South Beach)--courtesy of Sa!

Until recently, for me, football meant sitting through excruciatingly long games with few moments of action (throw, catch or fumble, pileup, flag). But given it’s the kind of event that draws crowds and becomes the focus of conversation, well, hey, it’s time to see what’s involved. It’s Super Bowl Sunday!

I had hoped to find a crash course that would enable me to talk with authority on offensive or defensive plays--like a Berlitz for football. But a Google search showed that football involves much more than players, teams and positions. There is the culture itself—tickets, the price of advertising, bonuses for winners and losers, food at Super Bowl parties. . . which looked like a good place to start my education.

- For seats at the Lucas Oil Stadium (with 68,000 seats), face value ranged from $800 to $1,200 and an estimated $3,500 on the secondary market (that price had fallen to a reasonable $1,100 on Feb. 4).
- $3.5-million for a 30-second advertising spot.
- Players on the winning team receive $88,000, and those on the losing team get $44,000.
- Traditionally, it’s been nachos or wings. My local grocery deli said, however, that those big ring sub sandwiches have been the popular orders.
For now, I’m waiting for the ads, Tim Tebow and Madonna at half time and checking Amazon. One reviewer, Wanda, says the book Tackling Football: A Women's Guide to Understanding the College Game, would have saved her marriage. That sounds like an endorsement to me.

Final score - Giants 21-17. . . . I'll be ready next year.

To learn more about the Super Bowl culture, visit these sites:


Party Guide – What to Avoid
Jason Gay, “The 21 Rules of Surviving a Super Bowl Party,” Wall Street Journal, Feb. 3, 2012 (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203711104577199052766483434.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_News_BlogsModule)
Tickets
Bill Sayer, “Super Bowl Tickets? Here’s How It Works,” CPBJNow.com, Feb. 3, 2012, http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/article/20120203/SPORTS/120209916/Super-Bowl-tickets?-Here%E2%80%99s-how-it-works&template=sports.
Fans
Matthew Futterman, “A Game Guide for Three Types of Fans: Novice, Casual, Expert,” Feb. 3, 2012, Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204652904577197361699434818.html
Food
“Final Round: Game Day Snacks Bracket Challenge,” Huffington Post, Feb. 3, 2012, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/02/vote-super-bowl-snacks-round-4_n_1250226.html.