… you Dave. I guess my tradition has been similar to yours. Fire up the grill, put out the snacks, ice down the beer, and get ready for some football. Usually on the largest TV we can find.

To be honest, I have never been as huge a Super Bowl guy as a Falcons guy. Granted, I have watched most of the Super Bowls since XXV, but I didn’t catch last year’s because I was spending quality time with my fiancee.

My family, once college ball is through for the year, is done with football on television. My dad, an Alabama fan and NFL anti-fan (he doesn’t like the money the players make and the fact that Alabama doesn’t have a team yet), usually only watches the Super Bowl for the commercials. He will indulge me and catcht the game as well, but he’s mostly in it for the commercials.

However, for some strange reason, this year he has an interest. He still thinks the whole media circus that occurs in the week leading up to the game is ridiculous, but he’s followed the Falcons with me this year and I think he actually wants to see the Cardinals take home the trophy. He claims it’s because the Falcons were close to beating the Cardinals and that if the Cardinals win, it reflects well on the Falcons.

Our usual SB tradition is such: An hour before the game, when most people are watching the pregame festivites or gearing up for their party, dad and I travel to the nearest store (a Publix) and revel in its almost complete emptiness, able to shop for our snacks and dinner without any interuption. Then we make it back just in time for kickoff and hunker down for an evening of the NFL’s best football.

And this year, we finally have HD cable. We’ll be watching the game on a large, flat TV in 720p for the first time. I’m looking forward to it.

The first football game I ever watched was the 2005 Super Bowl, when I was still a student. Somehow I missed the Steelers-Seahawks game the next year, but in 2007 I got my own flat and I’ve hosted Super Bowl parties here for the last two years.

Watching the Super Bowl is a special occasion, but it’s also a bit of a hassle in the UK – the game doesn’t kick off until 11.30pm, which means that you either have to take the next morning off work or deal with Monday on about three hours’ sleep. As a result, only dedicated football fans and the unemployed tend to make the effort. Fortunately I know a few of both.

I make it a house rule that nobody is allowed to bring anything other than American food or beer. This means that we generally have to drink disgusting Coors or Budweiser instead of tasty European beer, but it’s worth it for the “authentic” atmosphere it creates and the opportunity it gives us to mock the US brewing industry. On the food side, it’s pizza, nachos and hotdogs – and I’m currently debating whether I can be bothered to make chilli for tomorrow’s event…

The worst thing about watching the Superbowl in the UK is the fact that we don’t get to see the ads. This year it’s broadcast on the BBC, which doesn’t show any ads at all (state-funded, Commie institution that it is) – so instead they cut back to the studio and you have to listen to analysis from a bunch of ex-players who aren’t good enough to be employed by any US network – even FOX.

(That said, we do have an incredibly good British guy called Nick Halling who is obsessed with football and is probably my favourite sportscaster ever. We also have Kevin Cadle, who says the word ‘ballgame’ in every single sentence, which makes a good drinking game.)

Anyway, I’m really looking forward to watching the Cardinals get taught a lesson tomorrow night. Hope you all enjoy yourselves too.

At least raw sewage doesn’t come in a ‘lite’ version. What the hell is that about? Why would you care about the calorie count of beer when everything you’re eating (pizza, nachos etc) is basically pure fat and carbs?

(That said, that girl who was on the Bud Lite advert where she was at a tailgate party – she was hot enough to make me want to drink American lite beer. Which is pretty damn hot…)

Did you hear they’re planning to do another series of Red Dwarf? Personally, I think they should have stopped after series 6, but I guess it could be good if they handle it right. Currently, I think the actor who played Cat is facing a samurai-sword-based assault charge, Lister is smoking crack and Kryten is presenting a show where people make cars out of junk – so it could be a bit of a challenge to round up the cast. But let’s hope they can get it together…

This thread has really taken a left turn.

Due to a really dandy head and chest cold, there’ll be no party here; however, I will be parked on the couch with snacks, teaching my daughter the fine art of superbowl watching and how to properly yell at the television!

Hubby will probably retreat to his office for the duration.

This year I will be joining a small gathering of hardcore football fanatics. There will only be about 5 or 6 of us, but the ground rules are simple. No non hardcore football fanatics allowed. Drinking some beer (wheat beer, not that I’m a beer snob) and cooking some venison burgers.

I wouldn’t call it as much a Super Bowl “party” as much as a football “summit”. We are going to get serious about having fun!

No need to apologize Iggy, just enjoy the game!!