Super Bowl Monday

American by birth, Australian by choice

Super Bowl Monday as we call it here in Australia. This one finds me in St. Kilda watching it live with the company of a dog. Neither of us really cares who will win but  I have predicted the Philadelphia Eagles to win by 10.  As my predictions are normally the kiss of death, congratulations Kansas City!

When I was here in 1984 on my first visit and holiday to Australia I found myself on 23 January 1984 at a marvelous beach house in Avalon, New South Wales. Kick-off was close to 9 AM local time so croissants and champagne were available. I could hear the surf and as I sipped the bubbles I went out and had a look and knew where I would be at halftime. Before 1993, most of ½ time entertainment was some sort of tribute or salute to something like The Stars Of Hollywood or a Tribute to New Orleans. Fanfare, but not big celebrity acts as it is now.

In 1993, it was Michael Jackson, and from then on we got wardrobe malfunctions by his sister, The Rolling Stones, U2, Prince, Lady GaGa, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Tom Petty, Springsteen and how the hell did Maroon 5 get onto this list?

Today we have Rhianna. We know it will be a spectacle and I will forget to count how many times she touches her crotch. I think you can bet on that number on the TAB.

Back in 1984 and Oakland was smashing the Redskins so I took my time as I paddled out to ride some waves on my boogie board. The cliffs of Avalon, the morning sky, and some decent waves filled me with gratitude. How lucky was I to be here escaping winter and having my first Super Bowl Monday experience in paradise?

Within 24 hours of landing in Australia, I felt like I belonged there. That my soul and spirit were part of this place seemed to come from somewhere. Lying in the ocean this morning, something solidified.

Marcus Allen and Tom Flores’s Team crushed the Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII. I used to love those Oakland Raider’s teams. They were like outlaws. But this was the Los Angeles Raiders, they had cleaned themselves up a bit. Now they are doing a residency in Las Vegas, yeah the game has changed.

The years have passed along with my deep interest.

But before football became a footnote in my life, my move to Australia later in 1984 proved to me that my connection to Major League Baseball and the NFL was going to be sporadic.

Sometimes there were games to see, sometimes they were delayed, or hard to find. It took some adjustment.

Enter Don Lane and the ABC who had the  NFL rights for a number of years in the 1990s. Don Lane, the lanky Yank from NYC, knew the game and could talk the talk. The games may have been on a week late, so you had to really go into the cone of silence, but at least we had a regular broadcast to keep us informed.

1991 found me at the live ABC broadcast of the Super Bowl. It was the 28^th of January here and Super Bowl XXV had my New York Giants up against the favourite Buffalo Bills. Free beer and hot dogs and a huge screen made for a fabulous way to start the morning.  

The Gulf War had just commenced and Whitney Houston sang a National Anthem that many people mark as the best rendition at a Super Bowl.

I had called in sick to my airline job and was pretty sure no one from work would be at this event.

This game went down to the wire with the Giants taking the lead by 1 with a Field Goal in the 4^th Quarter. With seconds left to play Buffalo brought out kicker Scott Norwood to attempt a 47-yard field goal. His stats showed he had a 20% chance of making this kick.

As his kick sailed right and missed, I jumped to my feet cheering for my Giants. I was wearing a bright blue t-shirt with a yellow NYC Checker Taxi Cab on the front.  The camera zoomed in on me and I was broadcast around the country. The Giants ran out the clock and NY was the Super Bowl Champs.

A number of people called me at home that night to say they had seen me on TV. I watched the replay so I could see myself in full view as the Giants won the game. I thought that was kind of funny.

I got to work on Tuesday and my manager asks me to come into his office. He asks me how I am feeling as I had called in sick for the game. I looked at him and said, “Did you watch the game?”

We laughed about it. He told me to take a leave day next year as any proper manager would.

I then married a gal from Kansas City and sports stayed alive in our household because we both loved baseball. Julie did have some Yankee trauma when she was a child in the 70s and this Home Run by Chris Chambliss shows you why. She had all of the Royals players’ names written on her sneakers. Heartbreaking, for her, for me as a 19-year-old I wished I had been AT THE GAME.

And although she had this baseball trauma, she became a Yankee fan while we were together. We named our cats after Yankees: Matsui, Petite, and Moose. Things got dicey when the Royals played the Mets in the World Series in 2015 and she expected me to root for the Kansas City folks.

That was not going to happen. It was a NY Team versus the Royals….come, on man. This could possibly be added to the list of reasons why we are no longer married.

When I first got access to Major League Baseball online I watched the Yankees almost every night, maybe not the entire game, but at least the highlights. If the Red Sox and Yanks were playing, I would not miss a game. After the baseball season ended, I had no time to deep dive into the NFL.

My fanaticism with sports was waning. Simply, the tradition seemed to be fading more and more. Players followed the dollar and your hometown hero one year was playing on your rival’s team a few years later. Rules to protect the players, speed up the game, and more would have my Dad spinning in his grave.

To top it off, Sports were a mirror of some of the negative aspects of our society.

So now, I limit my sports intake and it does not take any energy at all. At times I miss not knowing the batting average of every player on my team, who is on the bench due to injuries, and the stories, but the bottom line I feel I get much more out of life with the time given back to me.

And it’s ironic because now I can watch every game, every day, whenever I want.

Enjoy the game, enjoy the snacks, and let’s hope it is not a blowout!

(Note: I predicted the Eagles by 10 based on nothing….and in case you have not seen the game, I will respect your cone!)