Super Bowl Party Event Critique

It was every male sports fan’s worst nightmare. The Super Bowl, a television viewing spectacle of sorts for sports fans throughout the country and world, is an occasion for fans and non fans alike to get together for food, fun, and viewing pleasure. In most instances, a serious sports fan prefers to view such a game with other diehard fans. However, in some rare instances, the ultimate male enthusiast ends up viewing the game with six females who are more interested in the commercials than the outcome of the game itself. This was my Super Bowl XLII party experience in a nutshell. While Super Bowl parties often fit under hospitality events, it could be argued that these have become hallmark and social events in many circles. This particular party was hosted by Ms. Jaclyn Marshall – an Early Childhood Education major – for members of her major cohort (group of students taking part in the same experiences in preparation to become elementary school teachers).

Invitations were sent via word-of-mouth to several members of Jaclyn’s cohort and to me, the unsuspecting boyfriend. Six girls were invited to stop by Jaclyn’s apartment to eat dinner and watch the football game. What is important to note is that the girls were encouraged to bring their significant others to the party. I arrived at Jaclyn’s Lumpkin Place II apartment just as the game was getting under way. She is currently the only resident in a two bedroom apartment, and the layout and spacing gave the potential for a great viewing experience. The television is relatively large and sits atop an antique stand three feet off the ground. In other words, when sitting down, the television is right at eye level. A soft three seat couch was set up on the wall opposite the television in the main room about seven feet away with a large coffee table in between to hold food plates and drinks. A single seat chair with ottoman was placed directly to the left of the couch, and a kitchen chair was set on the right side for additional seating. Given the likelihood of future teachers to sit on the floor, large pillows were placed on the ground near the television as well. About ten feet to the left of the television is the kitchen and bar with two additional bar chairs. Given that only six guests other than myself attended the party, the seating worked out nicely for viewing. However, given that the kitchen and bar were only a few feet from the screen, Jaclyn may consider placing the TV stand caddy corner so guests could view the game from a wider variety of places within the main room and kitchen of the apartment.

As has been my experience, the food was very typical for a television viewing event and party. Two of the biggest pizzas I have ever seen were ordered from Bulldog Pizza to provide the main dish for dinner. These incredibly large pizzas with extremely large slices fit the theme of a “Super” party. Guests were encouraged to bring side dishes, as we were told that pizza, drinks, and serving platters would be provided. These dishes – including small taquitos, chips and salsa, chocolate chip cookies and grapes - provided a variety of tastes to munch on as the several hour long game progressed. Since the game took place over several hours, Jaclyn cleverly kept the pizza warm in the oven for easy access at any time. The only thing I disliked was the drink selection. While the majority of the guests ended up being female, the limited selection of water and diet coke (there was one beer left in the refrigerator) catered to the female stereotype. Given that I was a stakeholder for this event as well, though, it would have been nice to have an additional option or two. Lastly, I might have purchased football themed paper plates and napkins to add to the overall experience.

Entertainment for the event was clearly the television programming itself, which included both the game, additional story lines, and the commercials. Conversation was kept casual in the actual apartment, a characteristic I believe can be found in most Super Bowl parties. During halftime, in addition to the television programming, guests were treated to an actual dance from Jaclyn and one other guest to the music of High School Musical. This certainly added to the liveliness of the event. Other than that, everyone enjoyed themselves by engaging in small talk, eating, and watching intently during the infamous commercials. While this was consistent for a hospitality event, I found it frustrating to try and pay attention to the actual television program and analysis over the many side conversations. However, the other stakeholders in this event expected the party to be more of an excuse to get together and enjoy each others company as opposed to watching the actual game. For this sole reason, Jaclyn’s party was a “Super” success. I was the only stakeholder who seemed dissatisfied at all by not being able to pay attention to the game as much as I might have liked to in a different setting. And even I ended up having a great time meeting people I may not have otherwise met while still being able to enjoy my Mecca of television viewing pleasure for the year. Following the conclusion of the game, guests were prepared “to go” bags with leftovers of the pizza, which was viewed as a very practical and nice gesture by the females in attendance. I immediately took advantage of my to go bag before I ever made it out of the door.

I truly enjoyed attending my worst sports viewing nightmare with future teachers. This was a direct result of good, prior planning by the event leader and the seamless execution of providing the dinner, substantial and comfortable seating, and entertainment for all who were in attendance. Perhaps most importantly, she was able to give us a medium through which we could actually view the game from such a large screen. As I mentioned before, the only thing I might suggest for a similar party in a similar apartment would be a different placement for the television and informing the poor, unsuspecting boyfriend that he would be the only male in attendance!

Event Critique #2