American football that is! Super Bowl Sunday ~ February 12 2023!
I know, it’s only Tuesday and the BIG GAME isn’t on until Sunday! But I wanted to post this prior to the game so I’d have some readers before they all got too busy! And, if you’re in Yank country, you’re already planning for the big day. Even if you’re not a sports fan, DON”T STOP READING! This post will have an abundance info on Yank culture too!! There are a lot of Yank folks who watch the big game with their friends, even if they aren’t a sports fan, simply to watch the very expensive, very elaborate half-time show and, believe it or not, the commercials!! So…are you ready for some football??!!
There’s the venue. Where will you watch the game?
There’s the menu. What tasty treats will you serve?
There’s the drink menu. What types of beer will you have for all of your friends?
There’s the teams ~ of course it’s important to know what teams are playing! This year it is the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Kansas City Chiefs! (no Patriots this year–2024!!)
The Super Bowl is HUGE across the entire country in the states, whether “your team” made it or not!!
It is estimated that Super Bowl-related consumer spending in the U.S. stands at about 16.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2023! The average American consumer planned to spend around 85.36 U.S. dollars on Super Bowl Sunday. That’s a lot of beer and nachos to make sure you’re ready for som football!
So first–for our Brit family and friends ~ what exactly is the Superbowl? Well, this is American Football to our Brit friends. The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 and (for the past few years) is played on the 2nd Sunday in February (it used to be played on the 1st Sunday of the month, until an extra regular season game was added). Teams play in two leagues during the regular 16 week season, the AFC (American Football Conference) and the NFC (National Football Conference). At the end of the regular season, the winning teams from each league play in the Superbowl and the winner becomes the NFL (National Football Leagues) champion! That’s the long and short of it!!
Now onto the fun stuff! Are you ready for some football?!
Leading up to the game there are many things happening for weeks prior! There are the ever popular Super Bowl betting pools (usually played at work!). People are planning menus, where they’ll watch the game, who will be there, even what they will wear!! There are commercials on TV (telly) hyping the “Big Game” all week. See below for a few fun, ever popular music videos (and these vids aren’t even just for the Super Bowl, these are played year round for regular season games!):
Okay–so if you actually watched the vids, you’ll notice my team, the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, is featured in both! And if you know me, or have read any of my previous posts, you’ll know I hail from Massachusetts, home to the New England Patriots team, based in Foxboro, Mass!
Also located near the stadium, is Patriots Place, an open air a shopping and dining center. Entertainment for all to make sure you’re ready for some football!
Enough about the Patriots, especially since they didn’t make the Super Bowl this year, bummer! However, the New England Patriots have won six Super Bowl titles in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019 and 11 American Football Conference (AFC) championships!
Food Menu ~
It’s more about finger-foods for a Super Bowl (or any football game tailgating) party. Everything from nachos with salsa dip or avocado dip or cheese dip, to chicken wings (teriyaki, barbecue, chili), potato chips (crisps) with dips (ranch, bleu cheese, French onion), grinders (deli sandwiches loaded with multiple deli meats and cheeses), sausage and meatball sandwiches…everything you can think of that’s messy and unhealthy! YUM!
Here’s a recipe for one of my faves! Last year, when my youngest son came to visit here in Brit county, we made it for our Brit family. I think they enjoyed!!
Franks Red Hot Chicken Dip:
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup Frank’s RedHot® Original Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
DIRECTIONS
- PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon into shallow 1-quart baking dish.
- BAKE 20 minutes or until mixture is heated through; stir. Sprinkle with green onions, if desired, and serve with chips (crisps), nacho chips, crackers and/or cut up veggies.
Delish!!!
And..a few more things to make sure you’re ready for some football!!
Drink Menu ~
Beer, beer, and more beer! Budweiser, Michelob, Heineken, Corona–just to name a few!
Venue ~ as in England, when there is a big football (soccer) game playing, the Super Bowl will be played on TV’s (telly) across the country, in all of the local bars and restaurants (pubs). Some folks will host a game watching day at their homes and will invite family and friends to watch. Usually, when someone is hosting a Super Bowl party at their home, everyone will bring something to contribute to the food and drink! That takes a lot of planning too!!
A little story about my lovely Brit hubby watching his first ever Super Bowl in the states.
We were away in Maine for a few days, staying at a local Inn in York Beach, Maine. The Inn hosted a Super Bowl party down in the bar (pub), with yummy treats and of course, the bar! I had him all excited, for days explaining the game and how fun it would be for him to experience such a Yank tradition! It was Super Bowl LIII, in 2019. And you guessed it, the Patriots were playing! They were playing against the Los Angeles Rams. It was the lowest scoring, slowest moving game ever!! He kept asking me if it was done yet! We did watch the entire game though, and we celebrated with everyone else at the bar (pub), when the Pats WON!
But…I don’t think he’ll jump at the chance to watch a football again! But he was such a good sport!
What to Wear to make sure you’re ready for some football!
Now, I can hear Yank’s reading this and saying, “HAH! This isn’t a fashion statement! “.
Ahhh…but…the Yanks have their traditions and superstitions. If your team is in the Big Game, then will you wear your favorite jersey? The one you haven’t washed all season because you don’t want to “jinx” your team? Or, will you wear the new one you just bought last week cuz your team made the playoffs? Will you wear your favorite team cap? And if your team is down at half-time, will you turn your cap around for good luck?
Furthermore, the ever important Commercials ~
As I mentioned above, commercials are a huge draw for the Super Bowl. A 30 second ad played during the game, costs more than $7 million. most ad space for the 2023 Super Bowl sold for between $6 million and $7 million. There are some classic ads, some silly ads, and some very touching ads. Let’s look at a few of my faves…
The first time I watched the Super Bowl here in Brit country, I got all sorted! I was absolutely ready for some football (and the commercials too!)
I had the channel all mapped out and I was super ready for some football! I had my “nibbles” all taken care of as I watched the game and anxiously awaited the ads! However, on the Brit channel, no ads were shown!!! They would cut to the announcers or keep the cameras on the field during time-outs or reviews… talk about disappointing!!! I had to google the ads as the game went on!
Half time shows ~
Every Super Bowl game has a half-time show. Usually, the show is over-the-top, with light shows, fireworks, choreography, etc. The 2020 half-time show, which featured Shakira and Jennifer Lopez cost the NFL approximately 13 million dollars to produce! And the Yanks will never forget Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” of the half-time show in 2004 (she performed live with Justin Timberlake). Check it out if you don’t mind the PG rating:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdqrooiRS
The Rolling Stones at the Super Bowl half-time show 2006:
And this spectacular show with Michale Jackson in 1993:
Whether you’re a football or sports fan, or not, the Super Bowl has something for everyone!! It will be played on Sunday, February 12th, (12/02 for the Brits) and will be played in Phoenix, Arizona at 5:30 PM on the west coast of the U.S., 6:30 PM on the east coast of the U.S. and at 11:30 PM GMT here in Brit country!
SO … Eat, Drink, Socialize, Enjoy!! Share your Super Bowl day activities with me! Let me know how you enjoyed the Big Game! And…are you ready for some football??!!
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