Not All Sports Parties Are Equal

I recently heard someone comment "there is no such thing as a bad party". All I could think of was "wow, this person doesn't get out much". Over the years I know I have been to my fair share of parties that were total busts. There are many things to consider when throwing or even just hosting a party. For the content of this article, we are going to focus on the good ole American Football Super Bowl Party.

First, lets think about who we are going to invite and how well do we know them. Super Bowl parties are unique as parties go. Some people go to a Super Bowl party to actually watch the game and cheer for their favorite team. Other folks go to a Super Bowl party merely to be social and hang out with other people. Some Super Bowl watchers have very little interest in the actual football game, but expect to be able to watch the Super Bowl ads without noisy distractions. Many peoples level of interest in the Super Bowl varies based on which teams are playing.

I have been to Super Bowl parties over the years where all of the invites were made based on those people being fans of a certain team that was playing. Other years, I have attended parties where the crowd was more of a mixed fan base. I happen to find that having both teams represented in the social mix makes for a bit more fun when your team scores. This is a prime example of where knowing the attendees is important because everyone needs to remember that while some friendly ribbing is fun, it is in the end just a game and no hard feelings were called for.

Some people feel that it just isn't a party unless there is plenty of alcoholic beverage to go around. Others often find intoxicated sports fans to be less than desirable. As I said before, know your attendees.

When it comes to watching American Football, especially the Super Bowl, the television you are watching it on matters. If you are going to invite other people to come watch the big game, you need to have a respectable television. Now, exactly how large is large enough depends on the size of your room and how many folks you are having over. Now, if by some freak chance, everyone at your Super Bowl party is the type who isn't really a football fan at all, but just wanted a social event to attend, then this rule may be unimportant.

One of the largest and most memorable Super Bowl parties that I ever attended had 5 televisions setup for the party. In the main living room was a large 70 inch ( this was HUGE a few years ago) tv. This was the center of the party. The kitchen, near the food, and for that crowd that always seems to end up hanging out in the kitchen talking, was a fairly small 19 inch flat screen with the volume set moderately low. This was so the kitchen chatters could turn and follow what was going on when the cheering got loud and indicated something important was happening. There was also two side rooms setup to be each teams "VIP room". They were each decorated in that teams colors, and had a reasonable sized ( I would guess 37 inch) TV. While I thought these two rooms were mostly a way of decorating the house for the event, it turned out that it gave quieter fans a place to get away from the high energy fans in the living room. The final tv was another large 70 inch unit and it was setup in large basement playroom for the kids to watch. The hostess was smart enough to put enough snacks and sweet drinks down there to keep the kids downstairs.

The world has changed. Many people can't imagine life without being plugged into the internet. I have found that good internet access is expected as much as a great tv at any successful Super Bowl party. I suggest that you make it easy and simply turn off any wifi security for the duration of the party. If you aren't comfortable doing that, change the password to something easy and Super Bowl related. I like to clearly have it posted in obvious places such as near the food. "Wifi password = champs". Some guests will be looking up team stats and others may be placing online bets, or voting on commercials, etc. It is all part of fun.

Lastly, but maybe most t importantly, do not take it all too seriously. The Super Bowl is just a game, and the party is just a social gathering of friends. If someone drinks too much or gets too upset for some reason, try to keep it all in perspective.