Monday, February 04, 2008

Backing the Losing Side

The OH loves the Super Bowl. He’s not American but its sport and he never can have too much sport. So for the past few years we’ve attempted to have our own Super Bowl party. This has usually consisted of us getting in the beers, chips and dips and me promptly falling asleep minutes after the national anthem has been sung.

But last night was different. Last night, I managed to stay awake for quite a bit of the game and to see the thrilling decisive minutes. So what was different about it this year? It wasn’t just the promise of Tom Petty at half time. This year my team were in the game.

That’s right. I have an American football team. I support the New England Patriots.

I have no ties to the area at all (the American Sanddancers are in Atlantic City). I’ve never been there, but I have supported them since 1986. Admittedly, this support has been limited to watching the highlights of one Super Bowl back in 1986, telling the bemused OH that I supported them and watching the game last night. There hasn’t been much actually week by week support.

I used to watch the American Football on Channel 4 back in the 80s with my Dad. I never understood the game. I only watched it because my Dad watched it and because I was reading the Sweet Valley High books so was interested in American culture. My Dad in turn only really watched it because one of his good friends, Len Shackleton, loved American Football (I’m name dropping again here – Len Shackleton was a footballing legend of the post-war years, so there probably aren’t many people alive still who remember him playing and he was one of my Dad’s cronies - its rather odd finding a Wikipedia entry for someone who was a family friend).

So we both used to watch it on television and me, being me, even at the age of 11, decided to support the underdog in that year’s Super Bowl, which was the New England Patriots. They lost.

Last night, they weren’t the underdogs. Last night they were very much the favourites, being undefeated in the season so far, and would have made history if they won this game. They lost.

5 comments:

Mellifluous Dark said...

Don't know much about American football but your mention of Sweet Valley High has taken me right back!

SandDancer said...

I thought that might strike a cord with someone! I loved those books and wanted to be Elizabeth.

Anonymous said...

Loved sweet valley high books too! I lived in ny for 5 years so of course i was pleased the giants won! Sam x

M said...

I, too, love American football, but I'm an American, so it's practically mandatory!

I grew up watching it with my Dad and brother, and I DO know something about football -- more than most women and actually, more than lots of men, too! I can truly hold my own in a Monday morning quarterback conversation around the water cooler. Coaches, stats, records....the whole lot. :)

I didn't actually have a favorite in the Super Bowl this year. Still licking my wounds from the Dallas Cowboys getting beat in the early rounds of the playoffs after such a promising regular season. They should have been the ones beating the Pats last night.

Ironically, the Cowboys got knocked out by the team that went on to win last night. And they actually beat the Giants TWICE in regular season. *sigh*

Se la vie.

Mellifluous Dark said...

Ah, me too Sanddancer. And this was in the days before 90210 etc, so we used our imagination to conjure up glossy lives... ah, those were the days.