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Party for the masses, how to make the Super Bowl memorable

Written by Andrew Plock, The Shorthorn staff

Wednesday, 03 February 2010 06:31 PM

Miami will be hosting one of the biggest parties in the nation this Sunday as the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts face off in Super Bowl XLIV, and millions of people will join in the frenzy from their own living rooms.

There are a lot of things calling viewers to one of the nation’s biggest traditions.

By enjoying food, the company of friends, the glow of the TV or even tossing a football during some commercials, millions of Americans gather to celebrate on Super Bowl Sunday.

Super Bowl XLIV

Saints vs. Colts
When: Kick-off at 5:25 p.m. Sunday
Where: CBS 11

But everyone has their own idea of what makes a great watch party.

Whether it’s at home with the family, at a buddy’s house, or even at his own place, good Super Bowl parties are about the people, mechanical engineering freshman Adrian Almendariz said.

“You want your friends, and their friends, and their friends,” he said. “Everybody.”

With a lot of food, comes a lot of responsibility. And a lot of people.

Music freshman Will Long said he wants to do what he can to protect his food from greedy guests, so he is going to choose his guests wisely so he can protect his mini-sausages in barbecue sauce.

“I want a lot of people I know at my party,” he said. “But party crashers are no good. You don’t want a bunch of moochers eating your stuff.”

Biology junior Dylan Park is partaking in any festivities he gets invited to, especially for the freebies.

Snack sales for two weeks before last Super Bowl Sunday

Potato chips — $173,800,000
Tortilla chips — $135,900,000
Corn chips — $22,400,000
Unpopped popcorn — $39,300,000
Popped popcorn — $8,500,000
Pretzels — $38,700,000
Puffed cheese — $36,800,000
Total crackers — $185,000,000
Total nuts — $108,500,000

Source: The Nielsen Company

“I’ll probably be at my parents’ house with a bunch of food,” Park said. “But free food will get me to a lot of places.”

Hungry fans are preparing their stomachs for Super Bowl XLIV. The big game is second only to Thanksgiving when it comes to events involving eating food, according to the Department of Agriculture.

An estimated 100 million people are planning to tune into the game this year, making the consumption rate for food astronomical.

Almost 15,000 tons of chips will be devoured in front of the TV during the game, according to www.bleacherreport.com.

Music education sophomore Zach Hollis said he plans to encourage those people who are not fans to join in on the atmosphere.

“I would probably encourage everyone to look beyond just the Super Bowl,” he said. “Not every play is going to be interesting. You turn and talk to your friends. There’s a certain commodity about it.”

For on-the-fence fans this year there will be a halftime show performance by The Who and plenty of famous or soon-to-be famous Super Bowl commercials.

Local places to catch a bite and watch the game Sunday night

J.R. Bentley’s

406 W. Abram St. Arlington, Texas 76010
Hours: Kitchen — 5-10 p.m.
Bar – 5 p.m.-2 a.m.

J. Gilligan’s Bar and Grill
400 E. Abram St. Arlington, Texas 76010
Hours: Grill — 11 a.m-9 p.m.
Draft House — 11-2 a.m.

Fuzzy’s Tacos
510 E. Abram St. Arlington, Texas 76010
Hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

Mavericks Bar & Grill
1304 S. Cooper St. Arlington, Texas 76013
Hours: 7 p.m.-2 a.m.

Hooligan’s Pub and Grub
1301 S. Cooper St. Arlington, Texas 76010
Hours: 6 p.m.–2 a.m.

With advancements in high-tech televisions, many students said a big TV is the only way to go.

Architecture freshman Jessie Martinez said, along with his pizza rolls, the TV was most important thing.

“You need a big screen TV. Like a 60 inch,” he said. “No, upgrade that. You need a projector.”

While the average student can’t get their hands on a TV like Cowboys Stadium’s 180-foot-wide, 71-foot-tall Jumbotron, there are still options to satisfy TV envy.

Restaurants and bars in the area offer patrons the comforts of both refreshments and the big game without having to dish out a lot of money to purchase a TV for the occasion.

That’s what computer science junior Lisa Xiong said she would do if she doesn’t watching the game with family.

“If I could go anywhere else to watch it,” she said, “I would go to Buffalo Wild Wings because they have so many TVs.”

Sneak peak into this year’s Super Bowl commercials

Super Bowl commercials over the years have helped define eras with their extravagant advertisements and finally gave football-snubbing people a reason to tune in. With commercials ranging in the millions of dollars for 30 seconds of airtime, here are a few of the companies buying time for this year’s televised game.

Doritos: The company is getting back to its fan-produced commercials with fans voting for their favorites on their Web site. One tells the story of a boy protecting his Doritos and his mom.

GoDaddy.com: This domain registering Web site is doing another line of commercials featuring race car driver Danica Patrick. One of their submissions has already been banned for not meeting guidelines, though it’s viewable online.

Dr Pepper: This is the first Super Bowl commercial the company has ever aired. The commercial will feature the rock group KISS in support of Dr Pepper Cherry.

Focus on the Family: While this company may be low on some people’s radar, its commercial is already taking political heat. University of Florida quarterback and two-time BCS champion Tim Tebow will appear in the commercial with his mother as they talk about Tebow’s almost abortion.

Pop Secret and Diamond Foods: Diamond Foods’ brand Emerald Nuts has seen some Super Bowl airtime over the years with its wacky commercials. This year, instead of showing how Robert Goulet messes with you, they’re focusing on an extravagant dolphin trainer.

Coca-Cola: “Open Happiness” is Coca-Cola’s theme this year and it has already released a video depicting a Coke machine that dispenses unlimited Cokes, flowers and a six-foot long hero sandwich.

Sources: www.i4u.com

Super Bowl XLIV

Snack sales for two weeks before last Super Bowl Sunday

Local places to catch a bite and watch the game Sunday night

Sneak peak into this year’s Super Bowl commercials

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