Christianity,  Sports

Confession: I DVR’d the Superbowl to watch Downton Abbey

I have a confession to make. I DVR’d the Superbowl so that I could watch Downton Abbey. I’m not much in to following television drama’s, but I have drunk the Kool-aid when it comes to the Crawley family.

I’m happy to read this morning that I’m not the only one. Ted Kluck is a former professional football player and a current sportswriter. He’s also a super-fan when it comes to professional football. Yet in an article earlier today he reveals that even he tuned in to PBS during the big game. But that’s not the most interesting thing about his article. He also reveals that he has all but burned-out on the vanity surrounding the annual Superbowl spectacle. It’s hard to disagree with him on this. He writes:

I became a grown-up tonight. I became a grown-up in part because I realized that an event that I’d once looked forward to and once placed upon a pedestal had become a boring parody of itself and also, in part, because like all grown ups my enjoyment of the ridiculous spectacle was in direct competition with the kinds of problems that nibble around the consciousness of grown-ups.

Caveat: I love football. I probably love it too much. But I told my wife at the end of the night, “The best part about the Super Bowl this year was the cheese dip you made.” I meant that. It was the only part of the evening that I enjoyed without qualification.

Read the rest here.

18 Comments

  • Jason Owens

    I tried to get into it the other night because of all the people talking about it. But at the end of episode one season one the makeout scene between the Duke and footman caused an instant end to the series for me no matter how great the rest of the show was. I just can’t bring myself to watch it.

  • scottshaffer

    Please turn in your man license. My wife and I watch Downton Abbey every week, but I’m glad to say I have my priorities straight and watched the Super Bowl last night. Why didn’t you just record DA and watch the game?

  • Stephen Poage

    The Super Bowl is outrageously overhyped. When it’s on…and beforehand in endless hours of breathless anticipation and afterwards in endless days of analytical pontificating…the planets are all aligned, each person quivers with excitement, the winner’s coronation is Henry VIII-ian, and the loser’s demise is apocalyptic. Okay, so I’m exaggerating, but not by too much. I’ve largely lost interest in the game. Yes, I do like football, but the Super Bowl has long since become a bit much for me, right down to the overdone Roman numeral numbering. I divided the second half of the game–the competitive half–between the Super Bowl game, an audio music channel, and a baseball game between the Dominican Republic and Mexico. Should I *gasp* relinquish my “man card”?

  • Bob Wheeler

    Being deployed with the military was what taught me that no matter what happens in sports, life still goes on. Being in a third world country watching people work for their survival everyday helps frame things with a global reality.

    I will say, though, that living in Maryland, this one was different. It’s great to see how a team can bring a city together. People are much more outgoing, they say hello to each other, and have an instant topic of conversation. This one is special for me because I get to experience it from this perspective for the first time. I’m just bummed that I can’t go to the parade tomorrow due to work commitments (made by an outside organization). But my wife and kids will be there.

  • Lucas Knisely

    So I guess being a “grown-up” is when you’re so insecure about watching a TV show with a predominantly female audience that you passively insult those who were excited about and watched the Super Bowl. If only we were all so “grown-up”.

    And I have to say I’m a little tired and bothered by the post-award show, post-election, post-anything, smug judgment from Christians. It always ends up sounding like, “I thank you that I’m not like these sinners “.

    • Stephen Poage

      Lucas, I agree that Christians have earned the tag about being negative about things, rather than functioning as salt and light in a loving way. But my comment about the Super Bowl had absolutely nothing to do with insulting others who somehow aren’t on some perceived spiritual plane that I am. No, I was simply expressing my personal opinion that the Super Bowl is overblown, overhyped, overdone.And while I didn’t watch “Downton Abbey,” I happen to like a lot of “chick flicks”–stories with actual character development– and am not insecure in saying so. You are free to be excited about the Super Bowl; I’m happy for those who are. But I’ve lost much of the interest I once had…a personal thing.

      • Lucas Knisely

        Stephen,

        I have to confess that I didn’t read any of the comments here, so please disregard anything that you thought was directed toward you. I was responding to the original blog by Ted Kluck.

  • Suzanne McCarthy

    At least Downton Abbey overturned male headship last week, with the rebellion of mother, wife, daughters and sons-in-law, all at the same time. In one stroke, its over. Isn’t that the truth.

  • Roger

    Well if Barry is secure enough to admit he watched DA, then I’ll step up and say that I probably enjoyed this last episode more than my wife. She did DVR the show so I could watch the game. Do I now have to relinquish my Crossed Rifles (earned as a 22 yr Infantry Officer)?

  • Lucas Knisely

    The irony here is that it takes more courage and “manliness” to admit to watching something seen as “girly” rather than succumb to social pressure about “man cards” and other such nonsense, forcing you to watch in secret or not at all.

    Watch what you want, and like I tell the teenagers at my church, if you need some fantasy “man card” in order to maintain a manly self-image by never saying a baby or a puppy is cute or never watching a chick flick, then you are probably not very manly to begin with. Tall people don’t need to prove they are a tall with a mythical “tall card”, and manliness is no different.

  • Shaun DuFault

    Glad to hear that the Super Bowl is starting to waver for some after how many years. And to think, we Christians use to actual go to church and enjoy fellowship and worship on Sunday nights. Maybe there may be a comeback.

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