I’ve got Super Bowl fever.
I’ve got Super Bowl fever.
How could I help it? Everywhere I look there’s a Raiders fan staring me in the face. I mean, before last Sunday’s playoffs, I could actually say I knew two Raiders fans. In the past week, the Raiders Nation has invaded Gilroy. Every third car on the road has a Raiders flag hanging from the window. Or a big pirate logo on the trunk. And every person I see around town has a Raiders pin or T-shirt or something that screams “RAIDERS.”
So I’ve got the fever.
The problem is, I don’t what to do with the fever. I’m not exactly a football fan. Or really much of a football watcher at all. I don’t understand the game. Oh, I get the basics. One guy passes to another guy and that guy catches the ball and runs like heck to the end zone. In the meantime, all the guys from the other team try to jump on the guy with the ball. But try talking to me about special teams or point conversions and my eyes glaze over and I start to think about what color to paint the living room.
But for some reason, I am really excited about the Super Bowl. And it’s not just the half-time show – which is usually pretty decent as long as Brittney Spears doesn’t perform. And it’s not the chicken wings, chips, dips and beer – all of which have no calories or fat content when eaten while watching the Super Bowl. And it’s not even the commercials that are shown only on Sunday.
It’s the game.
And that’s weird. Never in my life have I been excited about a football game. Not even in high school. Well, OK, that’s mainly because I went to an all-girls high school and we didn’t have a football team – but still. I’ve never actually wanted to sit down and watch a football game. In fact, I usually use Super Bowl Sunday as an excuse for my own bowl game – the Shopper’s Bowl. I spend all day at the mall, never once asking anyone what the score is.
So it came as a bit of a shock when I discovered I had Super Bowl fever. To be honest, I thought it was a head cold, but then I realized I actually wanted to stay home and watch the game, instead of hanging out in the shoe department at Nordstrom. In fact, I’m so excited that I am willing to share with everyone my pick for the winner of this year’s Super Bowl.
The Raiders.
Okay, maybe that is a big “duh.” Yes, it’s easy to say the local team is going to win, rather than go out on a limb and say a team from clear across the country is going to win. But really, I have some valid reasons why my money is on the Raiders. First, there are the names. Oh, yeah, it’s the Pirate Bowl. But let me tell you, the name “Raider” is a lot more intimidating than the name “Buccaneer.” Think about it. Raiders are tough. Macho. Their name says, “we aren’t just here to win, we’re here to annihilate you.” But Buccaneers? Please. It’s like they are the kinder, gentler pirates. Their name says “we might want to win, but only if it’s okay with you.” See? There is a difference. The other thing is team colors. The Raiders, again, are tough guys. Silver and black. Very manly, very macho colors. Serious football colors worn by serious football players. These colors scream “winner.”
Not so with the Buccaneers. Their colors used to be orange. Not bright orange, more of a creamy orange like a creamsicle. Can you take a team seriously when they are dressed up like ice cream bars? I can’t. I mean, sure they’ve changed the colors, but I’m telling you, once a creamsicle, always a creamsicle. And those colors definitely do not scream “winner.” They scream “look at me, I’m an ice cream cone.” Big difference.
So those are my reasons for making the Raiders my bet to win the Super Bowl. Oh I know there are tons of professional pundits around, letting you know about stats and scores and injured players. But take my word for it. In the real world of football, macho matters. And the Raiders have macho. And the Buccaneers just don’t.
Now pass the chicken wings, will ya?
