Trying to find interest in Sunday’s game

Published 4:58 pm Friday, February 1, 2019

I have to admit that for the first time in a long time I’m rather ambivalent about watching the Super Bowl this Sunday.

For years, many of you, our gentle readers, followed the entire season of all of us at the SNAP picking the regular-season and playoff games, culminating each time in the playoff bracket and ultimately the Super Bowl.

Having won two of the contests myself (not bragging, just saying), I know having a reason to be interested in the outcome of the game between two teams which were not Miami nor Carolina probably helped.

Charles Curcio, sports editor

For this next section, I’m going to ask our newest addition to the newsroom, Chris Miller, to avert his eyes (although he figured out quickly the next factoid when seeing my lifesize old school logo Miami helmet on my work desk); I don’t like the Patriots.

Call it what you will (and there are many words which are probably applicable to some degree), but I’m tired of Brady and the Patriots making it year after year.

The NFL was supposed to be a league of parity where different teams would not make it year after year, but once again, New England has found its way into the Super Bowl. Some would say they were fortunate in the AFC title game at Kansas City, but to be fair, the L.A. Rams found little bits of good luck in the NFL championship at New Orleans.

Having said that, and with my three favorite NFL teams being the Dolphins, Panthers and whomever is playing anyone else in the AFC East, go Rams.

But honestly, it’s hard to get excited about this when you hear about some of the stories surrounding the Super Bowl.

I’ve always wanted to go to a Super Bowl. My father was one of the original season ticket holders for Miami in 1965 and ended up going to several Super Bowls, including VIII in Minnesota and the Dallas-Pittsburgh matchup in Super Bowl X. If you can’t recall the last one offhand, think Lynn Swann’s catch falling down, an iconic play.

There was a recent story from ESPN’s investigative sports wing, “Outside the Lines,” about some of the less than honorable ways tickets to arguably the biggest game in the world each year are distributed. I was not aware of some of the facts, but I encourage you to read it.

To be blunt, I’m not willing to sell a kidney to go see a game, even if Miami should by some miracle ever make the game (the odds of which are better for me to hit the Powerball numbers).

My half-brother was in the music business for many years; he was a member of the Mojo Men back in the 1960s and went on to produce albums for the Doobie Brothers and Metallica; he also was a concert producer.

He used to tell me the hardest thing about promoting a show is getting people to give their hard-earned money and not receive something tangible or physical in return.

To some degree, I’m beginning to think Super Bowl tickets are like that, even with the pics and videos one would take and share to social media.

So I’ll be just as happy to enjoy wings and pizza in the comfort of my own recliner this weekend.

I can assure you I will not be watching the umpteen hours of preview. My presence in Saint Denis or Rhodes will likely be needed by my friends online at that time (ask someone younger about to which video game that refers back).

I guess I’ll watch the game and the commercials along with Maroon 5 at halftime.

But if the Patriots win again, will anyone other then New England and L.A. fans really care? I don’t think I will.

About Charles Curcio

Charles Curcio has served as the sports editor of the Stanly News & Press for more than 16 years and has written numerous news and feature storeis as well. He was awarded the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and named CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He has also won an award from Boone Newspapers, and has won four North Carolina Press Association awards.

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