Picture this, you are in a room with around 30 people. It is the first Sunday in February, and in the room is a large TV, a table with snacks, a cooler with drinks, and plenty of comfortable seats facing the television. Most Americans could guess by now what I'm describing. That's right, the largest unrecognized national holiday, Superbowl Sunday. Only in this scene, things were somewhat different. The people were quieter, there was little or none of the usual good-natured pre-game banter, and the first thing shown was a short clip explaining the basic rules of football.
Welcome to Superbowl Sunday...er, Monday, European Style! Yes, the first thing is that due to the time difference, the game didn't start until 12:30am, Monday morning. Another difference, since the teams really don't mean much over here, people were more interested in certain players doing well, mainly Peyton Manning, (yes, there were several disappointed people by halftime). Also, no team jerseys, no good-natured ribbing of fans of the opposing team.
The game started, and while people were quite interested in the game, there was also quite a bit of socializing, in this aspect it was quite similar to American Superbowl parties. But there were no signs of frustration, no agonized sighs when Denver lost the ball on the first play and Seattle recovered for a safety. Overall, there was much less emotion invested in the game than there has been at many Superbowl parties I've been at. By halftime, with the score 22-0 in favor of the Seahawks, many people were more interested in socializing than in watching the game. At this point I suppose I should admit I gave up on the game as well, and went back to my room to get a few hours of much needed sleep before class!
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