Q. What is football?
A. (jokingly) A game played by two teams of eleven participants each, wearing much protective gear[1], who are desperately in need of rest while being watched by (in person and via TV by millions of spectators who are desperately in need of physical activity.
Q. Why is it called a football?
A. I don’t know, since the ball is spherical in shape, not circular. Also, kicking is only a small part of the action.
Q. How long is a game?
A. The professional (NFL) league games are 60 minutes, divided into four quarters. However, during much of the time, there is no action as players re-group or “line-up” for the next play. Some estimate that actual play-action totals a mere 18 minutes or less in a typical game. A TV broadcast of a game, however, generally consumes three hours, though most of the extra time is given to advertisements.
Q. What is the Super Bowl?
A1. The ultimate rice bowl! Yum!
A2. It is the championship match between two teams representing the NFC and AFC divisions of the NFL, National Football League. In 2022 those teams are the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Q. Why is it called the Super Bowl?
A. Decades ago several matches at the end of all regularly scheduled college games became popular. Those contests usually included a few of the best university teams nationally. One contest, called the Rose Bowl, was and still is played in California at a bowl-shaped stadium. Soon after when the NFL expanded and began matching its top teams for a championship match, the name “super bowl” began to catch on. Media helped. This year NBC holds the televising rights to the Super Bowl game and is reportedly seeking advertising at the rate of more than $6 million per 30 seconds! That is super expensive. Some viewers may be more interested in the commercial creativity than in the actual football competition!
Q. Should I watch the Super Bowl?
A. “Super Bowl” viewing parties have become widely popular. You may want to drop-in during such a party, grab a snack, watch a few commercials, cheer wildly when others do and then excuse yourself for a school project that is coming due. Or, check the sports news the next morning and memorize the score and the name of the MVP (most valuable player), so as to verify your cultural savvy during lunch break with some crazy Americans. After all, you know that real football is futbol, played without gear, hands or commercial breaks.
And speaking of big contests there is one Huge Victory that is regularly celebrated, not merely once annually. In fact, it has become a living dynamic for probably millions of true believers. Have you heard about it?
[1] In fact, alternative ways of playing football are enjoyed by non-professionals, including touch-, flag-, co-ed, and seven-man football.
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