No, it's not that sort of post, and I do realize this is a soccer blog, but I'm a sports fan in general, and I always watch the SuperBowl. This year, though, was the first time I watched it with only female friends.
"You're actually going to watch the game?" Kim said incredulously.
"Isn't that the point?" I was confused.
"I never watch the game - I just visit and try the food," Kim stated.
Rachel was more willing to give the NFL a try. "Who do you want to win?" she asked me.
"The Giants," I answered, then left the room to bring in the mango salsa. When I got back, she was hanging up the phone, telling me she'd just placed a bet with her brother-in-law on the outcome.
"Who did you bet on?" I asked.
"The Giants, of course. You're the sportswriter, so I figured you'd know."
"Rachel, you didn't ask me who I thought was going to win," I protested. "The other team is undefeated this season."
"You didn't tell me that! What's the name of the other team?"
After establishing that Peyton wasn't playing, that the reason the other quarterback looked familiar was because they're related, and yes, Gisele is dating the other quarterback, on the other team, we moved on to the trivia of what downs actually mean.
I decided metaphors were easier than repeating the rules again and again.
"American football is like a sporting pageant of war, like chess. Think of the touchdown zone like the castle, where the opponents on offense try to storm in and the defense tries desperately to keep them out. The coaches are like chess players trying to figure out the the best way to break down their rivals, the guys on the line are like really big pawns doing the grunt work, and the quarterback is the most versatile and important player."
"So Tom and Eli are queens?" asked Kim.
Metaphors work until they break down.
My friends followed the action well enough, though, and we were a pretty glum bunch when Tom Brady marched the Pats mercilessly downfield to take the lead with only a few minutes left. When Eli Manning scrambled to make that pass to David Tyree, Rachel couldn't believe it. "How is he still standing?" Then we were both more amazed at the catch. The final touchdown play was almost easy by comparison.
"I watched the game," said Kim in disbelief. "That never happens, but it was good."
Rachel, meanwhile, was gloating on the phone, collecting her bet.
5 comments:
Andrea, that was funny. I watched the game with my niece. When NY had the ball inside the 50 with about a minute(?) left, I said "Plenty of time", and she informed me that they wouldn't score because "lots of times in these games they just hold the ball & the time runs out". Huh? I explained about time outs and stopping the clock with out-of-bounds plays and that New York wouldn't be wasting time because they have control of the ball and WANT to score. She didn't believe me....
Great post. And don't sell the analogy short.
Very funny AC. Have you had Kim and Rachel watch the other kind of football with you?
Not yet, actually. Mostly it's because I have to work while I watch soccer games. I either blog or make notes for stories or lists of questions. It's tough to socialize that way, and I don't want my friends to feel ignored.
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