It’s the Super Bowl, not the Social Bowl!

For die-hard fans, getting their team to the Super Bowl is the ultimate dream. They’ve been loyal season-ticket holders, traveling to road games and partying during the playoffs. For many of these fans, they have sat through games they want to forget and games they want to keep playing. So why do these fans choose to watch the Holy Grail of football alone?

These devoted fans are making the decision to stay home and watch the Super Bowl alone this February 3 and not go to a party. According to one die-hard 49ers fan and one who never misses a party, “I don’t want to talk. I just want to watch…and pray…and scream.” If this fan attends a party, will he enjoy the game less? “Yeah, I don’t want to shut people up and have to explain the game.”

This weekend, I spoke with a Steelers fan who threw a Super Bowl party in 2011 when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers by 6 points. He told me, “It was one of the worst decisions we’ve ever made. I had to host, but I wanted to watch every minute of the game. The worst part was having people at my house cheering for the Packers. Maybe I’d feel differently if the Steelers they would have won…” I’m sure he would feel differently if his team had won, but you never know what the outcome will be in the planning stages of the match.

The question is: why did the Super Bowl become the Social Bowl? I think Americans accept any excuse for a party! And why not? With the amount of money being spent on commercials and part-time routines, it’s becoming less about the game and more about the entertainment value. Unfortunately for sports fans, this blurs the game and takes attention away from the point of the game.

As Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal wrote in 2012: “The Super Bowl is the biggest fan day in sports, and if you’re a die-hard fan who’s spent the entire season paying close attention, you’ll be disappointed to find out.” Suddenly you’re in a room with chattering dilettantes… “I think that sums up why hardcore fans choose to stay home and watch the game alone or with one or two other fans.

How will you spend Super Bowl Sunday?

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