Issue date: 2/9/10 Section: Sports

As I prepared to write about the Super Bowl, I was hit by the realization that I had absolutely nothing to write about. It was tough - here is the biggest sporting event of the year and I, an intent sports fan, had no idea what was going on. I didn't know who to bet on, who to make fun of, and most importantly, I still don't know which guy was supposed to do what.

Try to remember how much trouble you had understanding football when you were five years old. I understand the guy standing in the middle of all the big guys gets the ball, and then throws it to the tall, lanky fast guys or hands it to the short, stocky fast guy. I get all that.

I even understand some of the basic rules, like four downs to get a first down.

What I don't understand, however, are the finer points of the game. Why that tall, jacked dude ran over there without even looking at the guy with the ball? Or why that big fat dude got in the way of that other big fat dude, instead of trying to get the ball or something? The little things that make this game watchable.

Think about it for a second - if you have never played or enjoyed baseball, then you find it boring. But if you have played, and understand the ins-and-outs of the game, you know that there is so much more going on than a guy throwing a ball and a guy swinging a bat.

When you have no idea what is going on between plays, calls, and even in the seconds between the snap and the throw, this game becomes really boring. From my perspective, something only happens once every few minutes. What kind of entertainment is that? Who watches a movie in which the actors are only on screen for five seconds at a time every few minutes?

Exactly.

But that's what the Super Bowl was for me. Sure, I enjoyed watching the game with my friends, and look forward to doing this every year for the rest of my life. But am I sad that football season is now over? Of course not.

But this wasn't the only thing I learned watching the Super Bowl. I learned that "The Who" are absolutely, truly, completely finished. Done. You have to commend a band like this for putting on such a show at such an age, but this was taking it too far. Watching "The Who" play at half-time was like sitting through a really bad joke at a family reunion. You try to pretend you are enjoying it all the way through to keep everyone happy, but really you are just counting the seconds until it's over and you can move on with your life. It was that tough to watch.

And after all this, I can't help but wonder: What do the Colts do after losing? Do they go out and 'celebrate' their season? Do they go home to their and stay in for the night? Do they fight amongst each other? Does Peyton Manning organize a "Sorry, my bad" cake for the whole team?

But after all is said and done, after the final hit, the final high-five, the final celebratory drink, there is a champion. This is why we watch sports, to experience the elation you get from watching people you have never even met reach the pinnacle of their profession. I couldn't tell you how exactly they executed each drive or diagrammed each play, but it is no doubt compelling to me that for 12 months, the New Orleans Saints can proudly identify themselves as NFL Champions.

-Jacques is a sophomore from Brisbane, Australia majoring in communications.

sports@thedepauw.com

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