Monday 7 February 2011

Random Superbowl thoughts

So I decided for no reason whatsoever that I would stay up to watch Superbowl XLV which saw the Green Bay Packers take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Please be clear - I know nothing about American Football. I tried to watch it once, the year that I lived with American Girl and Boy in Manchester and  American Boy tried valiantly to explain the game to me but I refused to listen (I was most likely drunk and/or tired). Oh how I wish I had, this game is nuts.


What follows are the random thoughts that I decided to write down as I watched the game to a) document this hilarious night, b) keep me awake. These were in no way meant to be coherent.




...Man those Quarterbacks really are a huge deal. Their names are pretty much the only individual names you hear...

...It's hard to actually figure out what's going on when you're not paying proper attention and writing blog posts that  don't make any sense. Bad spectator...

...Some of these guys are seriously just fat...

...They don't appear to catch the ball anywhere near as often as they miss it - it seems to be more about just hoiking it down the field...

...The Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers is some kind of boy-child...

...The drop goals (or whatever they're called in this game - see I'm not concentrating!) are amazing. They have to kick those balls in a straight line through a goal while very angry men run right at your face...

...Field goal! They're called field goals!...


...Loving the Black Eyed Peas. Let's get my energy levels up by having a little dance....

...Actually. Black Eyed Peas are a little uncomfortable to listen to live. This is what happens when your voices get manipulated too much in a studio...

...OMG Slash is on stage playing guitar. Why doesn't this happen in the FA Cup final...

...Woah...and Usher. Man I need to start going to those street dance classes at the gym, I could totally look that cool. No really I could...

..They keep saying numbers that mean nothing to me, what does 2nd and 15 mean?! Why do I never listen when people are trying to tell me things?!...

...Oh my goodness a player just ran full tilt into a camera-man. I'm a terrible person, I nearly choked laughing at it. I believe the world is split into two kinds of people, those who laugh when people fall over/get knocked over/trip etc and those who are kind and goodhearted...

...I must be getting tired. I just took the following photograph to post on American Girl's wall to show her that I was watching the game over here...


...I can sense that this is getting to be a tense game. It's 17 - 21 to Green Bay but Pittsburgh are coming up from behind (so to speak). I feel like I should be excited and I am but I don't really know why...

...Oooh does 1st down refer to the 1st man tackled to the ground? Could I be learning something?!...

...No I don't think I am. I thought that sounded too similar to Rugby League...

...No. Wait. I just asked the internet and I think it really is similar to rugby league...

...Hahaha there's a man on the sidelines called Dick LeBeau. How can you not laugh at that? No? Really? Well it's funny at 2.06am let me tell you...

...Haha penalty for "unnecessary roughness". Bless their little cotton socks...

...Life would be much easier if both teams weren't wearing yellow pants...

...Aaaah I see. You just have to be standing in the touchdown zone and be passed the ball for it count as a touchdown. Veeeeeeeery interesting...

...Oooh this IS exciting, the score just went from 17-28 to 25-28 in the blink of an eye. And we're in the last quarter. I feel I'm witnessing a good game here...


...Hurray!! Green Bay has won, I was unofficially supporting them. I am pleased although I am a) incredibly tired because it's now 3.10am and b) grossed out by the Gatorade Shower they gave the Green Bay coach. A whole massive barrel of juice? Sticky.

...Staying up for the trophy presentation - hang on...the Quarterback for Green Bay won MVP (Most Valued Player - I guess the equivalent of Man of the Match) and he doesn't just get the honour of being named MVP. Oh no no no. He's just won a car. Yes you read right. A shiny, red, sports car. Officially bizarre...

...3.31am. Time to call it a night. Ha I'll be walking into work in 4 hours. Note to self: you have one year to learn the rules of American football.

10 comments:

  1. He won a car? As if he's not rich enough to buy one?! Phew I feel tired just reading this and knowing what time it was, even Dick LeBeau wouldn't have been worth staying up for for me I'm afraid!

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  2. I did the exact same thing! Although I didn't write notes, I just pestered my NFL loving friend with an incessant stream of really stupid questions by text. Bless him, he answered them all and didn't tell me I was being a moron once.

    I feel that I would like American Football if I knew the rules but there is a certain joy in not knowing what on earth is going on or what they're talking about in the commentary.

    (Oh and this reveals my utter shallowness - I was supporting the Packers for the sole reason that I watched the highlights a few weeks ago and spied Jordy Nelson. He is HOT, therefore I support his team. I'm a proper fan of UK sport though, shallowness is confined to watched American stuff for some reason)

    ps - I laughed rather too much at the cameraman being knocked over as well. I think you and I may be evil twins...

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  3. We love the NFL so here is a VERY basic guide:
    1. The field is 100 yards long
    2. To start one team kicks off to the opposite team. That team then tried to "run back" as far as they can to get "good field position" This is USUALLY to about "their own" 20 yard line. That means they have 80 yards to go to get to the end zone.
    3. From there - that same team has 4 "downs" to get the ball 10 yards. if in those 4 downs they get 10 yards - they have another 4 downs to get another 10 yards and so on till they get to the "End Zone" (the big painted section at the end of the 100 yards!)
    5. To get those 10 yards they can run or pass the ball - in many and varying ways
    6. If they don't make 10 yards by the 3rd go (3rd down) they will usually PUNT which means they get it as far down the field as possible so the OTHER team have as far to go as possible in the opposite direction to get the ball into "their" end zone.
    7. If they make the end zone - they score 6 points for TOUCHDOWN, and then can convert that 6 points to 7 if they kick it over the uprights, or can try and run it in for a "2 point conversion"
    8. If they get to the other teams 30 yard line but aren't going to make it to the end zone then they can kick it for a Field Goal - this is 3 points.
    Wow - sorry to have taken all your space - there is so much more but I think those are the basics. Now pick a team you like to look off and get ready for the next season come Sept!
    Clare
    x

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  4. OMG I can't believe you sat through the whole thig!!
    American football never seems to get going to me..it just seems to stop and start over and over and over, but perhaps I'm missing something??
    Em xxxxxx

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  5. I've had a good chuckle at this. You have stamina!

    Yuck - the Gatorade shower sounds nasty. Imagine them pouring Irn Bru or Tizer all over each other at the FA Cup Final? x

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  6. Hi. I watched it in my living room in Manhattan. I know NOTHING about this game, but my husband apparently now knows everything. I have no idea how he acquired this knowledge. I asked him and he said he just watched the game and sort of picked it up. So I watched the game. I am none the wiser. Much as I hate to say it, maybe it's a guy thing.

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  7. Anything past 10pm is beyond me I'm afraid (I'm such an old woman!)
    I can remember NFL being really big at my school back in the 80's, but I still haven't got a clue what's going on. But, winning a car for being MVP is totally bizarre.

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  8. I remember the NFL being massive in the 80s too. My brother supported the San Francisco 49ers. I remember memorising the names of the teams and the logos on their helmets. Great names. Also there was some chap called The Fridge or Refrigerator or something. This clearly sounded cooler and more meaningful to American who have very large refrigerators than it did to us with our little electrolux model.

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  9. ...Life would be much easier if both teams weren't wearing yellow pants...

    Love it!!! :) That would be my kind of thinking...

    And lady - you have your tongue pierced? Something new again... Cool! xxx

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  10. Clare is on top of it! I was going to post some rule clarifications. But she got it all.

    I hear your honorary American citizenship will be arriving via post in 8-10 days. You're receiving this not only because of your valient effort to stay awake all night but because you sat through a live Black Eye Peas concert and survived.

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