I try to be fairly "live and let live" on my blog. Yes, I lead an active and healthy lifestyle. I think that you will feel better if you do, as well. But I have to confess that this article has brought about a rant in me that I am going to have to let loose.
In case you don't want to click over, let me give you some highlights:
1.) Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest day of food consumption behind Thanksgiving. (source: American Institute of Food Distribution)
2.) Sales of antacid increase 20 percent the day after Super Bowl. (source: 7-Eleven stores)
3.) There is a plea to make "Super Bowl Monday" a national holiday for fans to "recover" from the effects of the Super Bowl party.
Let me say this: REALLY???
Because two teams --that 4 weeks ago 97% of the country didn't give a flip about-- are coming together and being paid MILLIONS to do so, we are going to gather with our friends and eat obscene amounts of food, drink obscene amounts of alcohol and then have to choke down antacids and call in sick to work the next day?
And... speaking of obscene... I know MOST of you will say, "Oh, but I just like to watch the commercials..." Have you SEEN the commercials lately? With your teenage children?? Or with a youth group??? Most aren't appropriate for either.
As far as the event itself goes, I know I am not an unbiased opinion. We are not a huge football family. I know some of you need to see a game if there is one on -- somehow I gave birth to a daughter that is that way. So I won't slight anyone watching a game -- but I don't get why we have to eat ridiculous quantities of food while we watch.
I just see the WHOLE theme of "EXCESS" throughout the whole time and find it even more nauseating than all the over-indulging. Sure, about 30 years ago some friends would get together for a pizza and chips around the TV. And as TV screens and waistlines around the country expanded, so did the buffet line and elaborate dishes. It is time for someone to say "ENOUGH!!"
So: "ENOUGH!!"
Please: enjoy the heck out of the game. Catch up with some of your "old faithful" Super Bowl Party pals that you may not have seen since LAST Super Bowl Party. But there is no reason to eat yourself ill just because there are men in huge pads making obscene amounts of money on the TV screen.
Let's make feeling good the day after the Super Bowl the new normal!
12 comments:
Amen sister! I stopped by after I followed a rabbit trail here from your post at Heartlight. I totally agree with you about the gluttony factor of Superbowl celebrations. We are going to a party tomorrow and lately I've been feeling that I need to set an example among my friends by bringing healthy food that still tastes good.
Let's do it, Jenn! Start a Super Bowl Super Fit Revolution! :-)
Even I agree with this. Pass a donut.
Amen, my dear. Well said. We're planning to celebrate the Super Bowl by going to Houston's on Kirby and sharing their heavenly prime rib. Or maybe Fred's Italian Corner, or maybe Lupe Tortilla, or . . . .
We're making 7-layer dip to serve with tortilla chips. And there will be hot wings. And guacamole. And carbonated beverages. God bless America and the NFL.
I agree. It's sad how excessive our culture is in everything we do, and tomorrow's festivities are the perfect example. Excessive eating, excessive paychecks, excessive injuries, excessive consumerism. Yuck. We can and should do better. Why is this a reason to celebrate?
Disagree. Well, not exactly, but I do believe on the list of things we need to change in America, eating on SB Sunday is low on the priority list.
We eat a ton b/c it is a LONG Game. If u include the pre-game and post-game, which most people do, then u r talking about a good 6-7 hour party.
Re: Mindy's post, I recommend looking at how some other countries celebrate holidays. For example, China is currently in the middle of its week-long Spring Festival celebration, i.e. Chinese New Year. The whole county shuts down for a week. Americans may celebrate in excess, but celebrating in excess is not a uniquely American problem.
I do agree with ur concern for the loss of and or redefining of "family friendly" entertainment. U r spot on there.
Pass the queso.
Kevin C.
Since the Oilers left Texas and died, even my husband cares not about football. He just didn't have the heart to jump on the Texans bandwagon (though he is a die-hard Houstonian. He H-A-T-E-S the Steelers. Maybe that should be MY concern. Rather than the gluttony on one day of the year and possible "family entertainment" gone PG-13+, I should be concerned about my husband's love of a team long gone and his malevolent feelings toward our neighbors to the (far) north.
(Tongue planted firmly in cheek here.)
Kevin you have a good point about the length of the game, but I think the stat about the sale of antacids may be an indicator that people aren't exactly pacing themselves.
And, you know I love ya more than my luggage (movie quote) but you can hardly compare the centuries of traditions and meaning that go with Chinese New Year with the 45 years of commercialism and Super Bowl (which, because I didn't purchase a license, I'm not even supposed to be able to call it that). Carnival in Rio in Brazil is definitely an example of excess and celebration, but at least started with reason and meaning. Again with the centuries of tradition.
You do bring up some good points -- I'm just tired of Americans thinking, "Oh, we are gathering together: we must eat huge mountains of food." Why is that?
I believe that gathering together to eat food--whether huge mountains or not--is a biblical principal as is God's demand to avoid gluttony in MANY forms. One of the punishments of removing yourself from Christian fellowship with someone was "do not even eat with them." There were festivals and banquets in Bible times when I'm sure some gluttony went on.
I, myself, have to use antacids from time to time. It has NOTHING to do with gluttony and EVERYTHING to do with age and stress.
As far as the Super Bowl goes, my students are AGHAST that I didn't watch it and DON'T EVEN CARE. I AM still obsessing over Megan Chickie's awesome nude/pink lip gloss, though.
Tra-la.
Are there any cultures, or is there a country anywhere that does not serve a lot of food when gathering to celebrate, have a good time, and fellowhip?
Just stumbled upon your blog and this post. I find it funny and true ... but I wish you hadn't written it.
Some of us are more tuned in to PARTICIPATING in sports than being SPECTATORS, and that's never more true than on this sick day, when people go out of their way to even watch commercials which seek to sell them even more of what they already have too much of!
Anyway, if anyone follows your wisdom, my mountain bike ride on SB Sundays will be crowded. I'd rather you all stay home and make pigs of yourselves and ... leave the trails quiet. My Father and I ride and talk and love that day's peace!
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