Super Bowl 52 will be played this Sunday and for the first time ever I really don't care. With the Philadelphia Eagles facing the New England Patriots I can't imagine a worse match up. The defending champion Patriots are heavy favorites and even though this is the last football game of the year, I couldn't care less. In fact I have thought quite often about not even watching the game. I have rarely seldom missed a Super Bowl game and when I did it was because I was travelling during basketball season. The only way I could find any interest in this game is to pull against the Patriots. I've stated many times that I don't like the Patriots. I don't like Tom Brady and I don't like Bill Belicheck.
I've never been an Eagles fan except when the late Reggie White played there in the early 2000s but I hope they win on Sunday.
There are a lot of people who have boycotted the NFL due to the controversy surrounding players kneeling for the playing of the National Anthem and I have no problem with that. It's a person's right to watch the game or not watch the game. Just as I feel it's a person's right to kneel for the Anthem to express injustice in our society. I will always stand and place my hand over my heart but if someone else decides to kneel, I have no problem at all with it.
But, getting back to football.......I have never been as disinterested in an NFL season as I have this year and it really has nothing at all to do with standing or kneeling. It has everything to do with professional football being less exciting or less interesting than the college game. I did enjoy watching games on Sundays when Peyton Manning was playing but when he retired two years ago it really hasn't been the same. I was very interested in Super Bowl 51 last year because the Atlanta Falcons were playing against those hated Patriots. When the Pats rallied for the win it left a bad taste in my mouth; a taste that is still there today.
Some people I know have watched the Super Bowl because of the commercials or the halftime show. They could give a rip about the actual football game and many times the game has been anything but exciting. That's been the case in my family for many many years now. We always gather in my mancave in front of the big-screen television and enjoy all the great food and snacks; everything from fried snickers to homemade doughnuts and fried pies. Chicken wings and ribs have also been part of our family Super Bowl celebration. Since I had a quadruple by-pass last summer it will be much better and healthier if we stick to green leafy offerings for our snacks. I welcome suggestions for some of those healthier snacks.
The bottom line is this. I will very likely watch the game on Sunday because Super Bowl Sunday is one of the biggest days of the year. It has been a tradition in our country for 51 years. It's the most watched television event of the year and brings families and friends together. It's more than just a football game. It's an event. A reason to eat bad things and drink bad things and have a hangover on Monday morning from eating and drinking all that bad stuff. Having that eating and drinking hangover on Monday after a terrible football game will make me hate the Patriots even more.
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Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com