Monday, February 7th: if you’re a football fan this is one of the saddest days you will experience in 2011. No, it’s not the day the music died, (that day was the day Nickleback signed their record deal). It is instead the day football season is over. Haters, rejoice, you will finally have your Monday and Sunday night programming back, meanwhile us football lovers will quietly sulk in the background.
The 2011 Super Bowl was an exciting game, filled with both good and bad decisions from both sides. The Pittsburgh Steelers gave up an early lead to the Green Bay Packers, and could never quite hold on, with the final score ending up being Green Bay 31 and Pittsburgh 25. They showed a glimmer of hope in the fourth quarter, scoring a touchdown, as well as successfully scoring a two-point conversion, but it wasn’t enough. The final score was most definitely affected by the three turnovers by the Pittsburgh Steelers offense, two of which were interceptions thrown by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. In fact, three of Green Bay’s touchdowns were the result of said turnovers. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers won MVP of the game, throwing for 3 touchdowns, 300 yards and no interceptions, and according to SportsCenter, is the fourth quarterback to do so in a Super Bowl game.
All around, Tallahassee people were celebrating and enjoying this national past time, evident to those who, like me, had some last minute shopping to do last night. When I entered Winn Dixie, many college-aged students surrounded me, talking about the food they needed to pick up in order to contribute to the parties they were making their way towards. I overheard a conversation about a party on the top deck of AJ’s (which I am still a little confused as to why these girls were buying chips for such an event), as well as numerous conversations about house parties. The emphasis for my group of friends, in particular, was on the food. Junk food and finger foods are a Super Bowl staple and this year was no different. While munching on the spread in front of us, we watched the game intently. Within the first few minutes of the first quarter, Green Bay had scored a touchdown, and I, along with a few (very few) others, were elated. It has become my observation that here, in Tallahassee, the Steelers were the crowd favorite. This is based upon the jerseys I saw being worn all over town, as well as the many upset Facebook updates we’ve all been enduring since the end of the game.
In the grand scheme of things however, it was just a game, and the upsetting part of it is that it signifies the end of football for the season. While for hardcore football fans this is extremely sad news, for Tallahassee it is a sign that baseball season is right around the corner. So, while Steelers fans mourn and Packers fans make the most of their year of bragging rights, Florida State students can once again come together in appreciation for a sport we, as a university, dominate in.