On Sunday Super Bowl XLVII took place as the Baltimore Ravens took on the San Francisco 49ers. And while no New York teams played in this year’s game, there was still a great deal of excitement about Sunday from Stony Brook’s students.
“It gives everyone an excuse to get together and have a good time,” said Kelly Day, a junior music major.
The Super Bowl has become an unofficial American holiday for many people. Last year, 111.3 million people tuned in to watch the big game, the biggest viewership numbers ever for a Super Bowl, according to statistics from the “International Business Times.” Stony Brook students are no exception to this.
Even students who aren’t traditional football fans watched for either the flurry of new entertaining commercials, the halftime show featuring Beyonce, or in many cases just because friends were watching.
“I’m watching the game on campus this year with a group of probably over 15 people,” Day said. “I’ve never really watched more than a few minutes of the game before, but I’m really excited about it this year.”
Some Stony Brook students decided to go off campus for this year’s big game.
“Me and a few friends will probably try and go some place nearby,” said Jimmy Pence, a senior physics major who lives on campus. “We were thinking of maybe going to The Bench (Bar and Grill). Some place with a lot of TVs obviously so we can watch the game while we eat and drink.”
Other students like senior economics major Vinnie Wilson will be traveling a little further off campus. “I’m meeting a bunch of friends in New York City,” said Wilson. “We’re going to watch the game, but we’re probably also going to go to a couple of parties thrown by people we know.”
Although there are no local teams playing in this year’s Super Bowl, many Stony Brook students still have heavy interest in the outcome of Sunday’s game. Bryan Sweeney, a Stony Brook sophomore and economics major proudly donned his purple Baltimore Ravens jersey as he walked around campus last week. For Sweeney, it was the last opportunity to see Ray Lewis, his favorite football player since he was 10 years old.
“Ray Lewis was the whole reason I became a Ravens fan, so Sunday is going to be pretty important for me,” said Sweeney. Lewis, a linebacker for the Ravens, announced that this season will be the last of his Hall of Fame worthy career. “I’m having a few good friends over, and we’re watching the game. We can do our partying before or after. This game means too much.”
Some Stony Brook students, like Glen Fields, enjoy spending the Super Bowl with their families. The sophomore computer science major said, “Me and my dad and uncle have been watching the Super Bowl together forever it seems like. So I’ll definitely be in my uncle’s basement on Sunday, watching the game.”
Other students like Stony Brook senior and sociology major Al Keith turn Super Bowl Sunday into a bigger family affair. “We try to get all the cousins together on Super Bowl Sunday,” said Keith, “We get (betting) pools going, and there’s lots of screaming and fighting. It’s a great time.”
Super Bowl hype around Stony Brook should be even greater next February as the big game comes to Metlife Stadium, the home of the Jets and Giants. “That should be pretty insane. I can’t imagine the hype that will be leading up to that,” said Fields.
Although the game itself takes place in New Jersey, surrounding areas like Manhattan are sure to be flooded by people from all over the country the days leading up to the Super Bowl. Events and parties will likely be seen in large numbers in New York during Super Bowl week 2014. “If I don’t go to the game, I’ll definitely try to be back in Manhattan again for a bunch of events that week,” said Wilson.
So while this year’s game was likely very memorable for Stony Brook students, there’s a good chance next year’s Super Bowl could very well top it.
