Super Bowl Sunday

We've been preparing all week, both mentally and physically, for Super Bowl Sunday, an unofficial US holiday. Finally, it's here. The kick-off is scheduled for 1830 Eastern Time … 1530 for us Las Vegans, out west. There's an Official Super Bowl 50 website and all sorts of associated apps for phone and tablet. The media refers to it as Super Bowl Week and significant TV prime time has been devoted to the big build-up to Sunday's game. It's especially important to us because our team, the Denver Broncos, is playing. Woohoo! The game is being played in Santa Clara, California (not far from San Francisco). Super Bowl ticket prices range from $3144 - $15,000. We're obviously watching it at home.

So, how have we prepared mentally for the big event? Well, we've been watching all the programming leading up to the big game including Best Super Bowl Commercials/Advertisements over the past 50 years ($5 mil for a 30 second spot) and the Best Half Time Shows over the years and highlights of Super Bowls past. This is Super Bowl 50 … so there's lots of material to choose from. There are interviews galore with the players, men who used to be players, men who have played in the Super Bowl but who aren't playing this year, daughters of Super Bowl players … you get the gist.

Additionally, we've been sending strong mental “win” vibes to the Broncos. We really want them to win and firmly believe they will. The odds, however, are not in our favor. The Carolina Panthers are favored by 5.5 points, but that's irrelevant. We plan to win, but just in case, we have cast a few spells and are relying on a little juju to overcome the point spread.

Ah, now you're asking how we're preparing physically for the event? There have been no calisthenics involved. We had a family pow-wow and carefully planned our menu which is comprised primarily of brunch, snacks, junk food, mimosas and beer. We've made lists and shopped relentlessly to make sure we have everything we need … and in great quantities. According to the USDA, Super Bowl Sunday is “the second-largest day of the year for U.S. food consumption”, second only to Thanksgiving. We plan to do our share along with the other estimated 120 million folks who will be watching.

We haven't watched a Super Bowl game in over a decade. Including the upcoming game, the Broncos will have competed in the Super Bowl eight times. Their last wins were back-to-back Super Bowls in 1998-1999. The Broncos also hold the record for most Super Bowl losses (5 losses – shhh!), but this time we plan to eat and drink our way to a victory.