Students around the Mississippi State campus will gather around the television Sunday night to watch the New England Patriots play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
The night is one of the biggest nights of the year for advertisers as people flock to their TVs to see the spectacle of the game, the halftime show and even the commercials.
But what makes the Super Bowl so special? The World Series showcased a Boston Red Sox team that hadn’t won a title in any college student’s lifetime and were “cursed” to never win one again, but few gathered in groups and watched as they swept the St. Louis Cardinals.
Mississippi does not have a professional football team and the three closest teams, the Atlanta Falcons, the New Orleans Saints and the Tennessee Titans have all been eliminated from the playoffs.
So with no one really to cheer for, how much do Mississippi State students really care about the Super Bowl?
MSU student Brent McLemore says that the game is watched due more to hype and tradition rather than to see who will win the title.
“People watch the Super Bowl because it’s more of social gathering than a actual appreciation of the sport,” McLemore said. “People want to the experience the game as a group, rather than as individuals.”
Another MSU student, Marty Bridges, made McLemore’s point evident. Bridges enjoyed watching the Super Bowl in high school with her church youth group, but now she has other reasons for being excited about the game.
“I don’t even know who is playing in the game. I’m just going to some friend’s house who have free food,” Bridges said.
While Bridges may not be concerned about the actual outcome of the game, there are some people out there who are still hard-core football fans. The game comes first for Steven Platt and his friends.
“I’m watching the Super Bowl because my Patriots are going to win,” Platt said. “It’s the championship game between the two best teams. It’s sweet times, we’re going to have fun, cook out and watch the game.”
Platt plans on watching the game with friends from his hometown of Columbus, Miss.
“We’ve watched the game together for the past two years, you could say we’re starting a new tradition,” Platt said.
Apparently any reason to get together with other people is a good reason, but it just happens to be that a football game will be on Sunday night in case anyone wants to turn away from the buffet line and drink cooler to watch it.