The Super Bowl: Live from Miami in Athens
By Zach Swartz, Staff Writer
January 27, 2007 | 12:16 p.m.
February is finally here. It is time to gather together with your beloved friends, families, and significant others for a time of comfort, love, appreciation … and hard-hitting football?
While Valentine's Day may be only a couple weeks away, Super Bowl Sunday is just hours, minutes and seconds away. One can be sure that the latter will take precedence this weekend for many. So snuggle up together on the couch, boys and girls, it's Super Bowl time once again.
Those who are financially able to fly down to Miami this weekend paid anywhere from $1,900 for upper level end zone seats to $6,815 for lower-level, 30-to-50-yard-line spots. As of last Thursday, prices on eBay could be found for as much as $17,000 per ticket, which might be a tad over-the-top for the average college student.
Since the NFL doesn't accept Dining Dollars, it's a safe assumption that most of you will be looking for somewhere a little less extravagant to lounge around and watch the game.
Here's what's going on in Athens
Red Brick Tavern, 14 N. Court St., is set to have the game focused on a pull-down projection big screen, along with eight other televisions. The restaurant and bar will also be offering beer specials, with Miller Lite pitchers going for $3.75 and domestic 32 oz. mugs for $2.
"We are a sports bar," says Neil Kerns of the Red Brick. "It's a Sunday evening with a football game on, so it should be pretty full."
Buffalo Wild Wings, 21 W. Union St., is also expecting large crowds and will be selling 23 oz. Coors Light for $3. Don't miss out on their incentive, as the popular wings joint will also be giving away three NFL helmets as early as halftime.
Lucky's Sports Tavern on 11 N. Court St., which has a large turnout every year for the Super Bowl, is planning on having the same this Sunday. While they are not arranging any drink specials, the bar will most likely have some food set out for anyone who decides to wander in.
The Baker Student Center is also planning a party for students on Sunday. Starting at 4 p.m. in Ballroom A and ending at midnight, free food will be available, and students will be invited to play corn hole and Super Bowl trivia. If you get tired of football, don't worry; you can turn your attention to competitive eating at the hot dog eating contest. There is a raffle scheduled, as well, and prizes will be given away throughout the night.
According to research by the National Football League, approximately 141.4 million people stopped their daily routine to watch the Big Game last year, making it the second-most-watched program in United States television history. The number one most watched program? Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004.
Why do so many people tune in to watch a football game? Avid football fans know very well that it's not because the two teams put together such a cliffhanger of a competition that viewers can't bear to get out of their chairs to grab another drink. After all, 13 out of the last 17 Super Bowls were won by a touchdown or more, 10 by at least 10 points and five by 20 points or more. To put it simply, Super Bowls of late have had the trend of looking a lot more like this year's college football BCS Championship than like a real football contest. It may not be the game itself that draws attention; it's the commercials.
According to CBS, advertising companies are paying as much as $2.6 million for a 30-second spot this year. They are expecting $2.2 to 2.3 million on average, which cumulates about $73,333 being spent by those agencies per second of every ad. But don't worry, that's nothing compared to the $7.1 million the Indianapolis Colts' players are worth every game they play or the $300 million the Super Bowl is expected to add to the country's economy.
Different people have different reasons for sitting down and enjoying this unofficial national holiday, so wherever you decide to watch the game, and whatever reason you choose for watching it, there is one thing that all of us should keep in mind: there are winners and there are losers, but it doesn't make for a good football game unless the loser gets over 82 total yards.
If you watch the game for the hard hits or for the plethora of clever ads, one thing is for certain: the dollar bill, not the football field, will be the green rectangle that is the focus of this Sunday's game.
Super Bowl XLI between the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts and NFC Champion Chicago Bears is scheduled for kickoff at 6:25 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 4.
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