WATCHING THE SUPER BOW

 WATCHING THE SUPER BOWL

    by Fred M. Allen

I have just watched the 54th Super Bowl which was one of the most exciting of them all. I was not a fan of either of the teams participating, but as my sons and I agreed by phone before the game, we just hope it’s a close game. That it was. Since I am a sports nut and generally interested in most sports, I want to share some of my experiences with the Super Bowl through the years.

In the early years of the Super Bowl I was always at church during game time for I was minister of music and we always had a youth choir rehearsal and supper before the evening service, so the game was usually over by the time we got home. At later times we would set the video to record the game so we could watch it later. Then we moved to Zambia, Africa, in 1971, so being 10,000 miles away where the Zambians knew nothing of the Super Bowl, we usually found friends from America who shared our interest in the game. However, because of the fact that Zambia was eight hours ahead of Texas time, the game aired at 1:30am on Monday morning; and it was not on TV but could only be heard on the shortwave radio.  I would either go to my office in my home and listen to the game or I would set my SW radio near my bed and, using ear plugs, listen to the game as I lay there in the dark. The excitement of it kept me awake.  We often received videos of the game sent by friends or family in America. Some years later the American Embassy installed a large screen and invited us Americans to come and watch the game. Several of us went each year. Being a die-hard Cowboys fan, I remember so well in 1993 when Leon Lett recovered a fumble and was nearing the goal line for a rare touchdown for a defensive player, but as he slowed down to begin celebrating early, Don Bybee slapped the ball from his hand just before he scored. Ouch!

When we returned to the USA after 27 years in Zambia, we again became active in our home church which always had evening worship services on Sunday, so we had to record the game on video and watch it later. Then, we tried having a Super Sunday Fellowship at which we would enjoy food and fellowship as we watched the game. The pastor would bring a brief message during halftime, and the minister of music would always bring his favorite “roadkill chili” for us to enjoy.  We had a great time together, but only a few were actually watching or listening to the game, so that plan was not my favorite.

Now that my wife, Joy, and I are in the retirement center in Mesquite, Texas, she is in Memory Care while I live alone nearby in an apartment, I just watched the game by myself and thoroughly enjoy it. I just popped popcorn to go with my sugar-free drink, sat down in my recliner, turned up the volume, and watched every play and detail of the game without any interruptions. It’s a bit different from listening to it through my shortwave radio or watching it from 10,000 miles away in the middle of the night, but the excitement was still there. Except for the halftime show, I really enjoyed it. Next year the Cowboys will win it – hopefully.