Super Bowl 2021
I’m not a diehard professional football fan, but I’ll be settling in for the Super Bowl today. I decided to postpone my trip to Hawaii so I could watch (I’m so kidding). I can’t really say I’m a huge fan of either team, but I know people who are. They are pretty elated and looking forward to a good game.
I’m excited, too. The matchup between two great quarterbacks will be fun to watch. But I also love the happenings between plays. The rendition of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl is always stirring. At least for a few minutes, we’re all on the same team. The commercials, of course, are worth the delayed bathroom break. I hear this year, there will be commercials not only dedicated to selling something, but to honoring front line workers. That would be nice. I also like the idea that between about 3 in the afternoon and 9:00 pm, I have free reign to eat nachos and buffalo chicken dip while parked on the couch.
Super bowl has something for everyone. This Sunday also highlights the 17th Annual Puppy Bowl; an event featuring adoptable puppies from animal shelters and rescue organizations. The goal is to highlight how wonderful shelter pets can be, and perhaps stir the longing for a faithful pet friend. I’m sorry to confess I’ve not been aware of the Puppy Bowl until this year. I can’t wait to watch. It makes me a bit worried . . . I can see myself visiting our local animal shelter this week.
One year ago, we all went through our usual motions on Super Bowl Sunday. My brother made chili and hosted his annual party with the same friends who’ve been attending for years. People gathered in sports bars, where chicken wings served in a basket were washed down with a cold drink from a tap. Collective high-fives and cheers erupted when long passes were caught. It all felt so normal and unusual, didn’t it? Most of us except Dr. Fauci had no idea the world as we knew it would shut down and be defined by the rapid spread of a virus within weeks. Yet here we are again, one extraordinary year later.
As we all settle in today, it’s good to acknowledge that we are different. The Pandemic has effected all of us. We’ve been united by worry and heartbreak and isolation. For far too many, struggle, loss, and fatigue still define their days. But the Super Bowl is an American staple, and I hope that at least for a few hours we can all settle in to enjoy. This year, the game and all its fixings represent our resilience and determination to come out the other side of this remarkable time. I hope that as we put cheese atop our chili and commit to adopt a pet (don’t tell my husband), we can take a moment and acknowledge the uninvited journey of the past year. Tomorrow will bring us to reality again, but for today, I hope respite and entertainment find you wherever you are. Next year, you’re all invited to my brother’s house.
