Of course you’ll be watching Ben liveblog the commercials tonight, but from where will you be watching? The L.A. Times tells us that Super Bowl parties are the latest victim of the financial godzilla angrily stomping down our spendthrift ways. Take a minute tonight between Ben’s updates to look around and ask yourself if there was more guacamole to spread around last year.
With the economy in recession and unemployment on the rise, many Americans will party less hearty for this year’s Super Bowl. One measure of that might be called the Guacamole Index. The California Avocado Commission says Americans will consume 46 million pounds of avocados this weekend, down from nearly 50 million pounds last year.
Beverage retailers are also seeing a downturn. At Mr. Kegs in Huntington Beach, pre-order sales are off at least 20%. “The whole gamut’s down, not necessarily the premium beers more than the domestics,” said company owner Jim Schaffer. “Kegs are a luxury for everybody these days.”
Big-screen TVs? Same story. In a good season, Ken Crane’s can sell 500 televisions the week before the game, which usually matches Christmas as the hottest sales period, said Executive Vice President Pam Crane.
“In this economy, there’s not a lot moving the needle, so the past week was not as good as other Super Bowl weeks of yore,” said Crane, whose company has 10 Southland locations. “Business isn’t booming as it usually would.”
Also taking a hard hit are the seasonal party goods stores, which usually start carrying “#1″ signs and football-shaped candies in anticipation of a sales spike.
Less guacamole? Less beer? Same old tv? God save America.
Fewer fans are splurging on Super Bowl bashes [The Los Angeles Times]
(Photo: RMTip21)
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I’m actually having a Superbowl party, for the first time in fifteen years. We bought a big screen last year, and redid our basement to accommodate it this year.
But it’s not going to be a big blowout party, just some family.
I’ll try to see what I can on my BlackBerry, but I’ll be on a train through the middle of nowhere so I doubt I’ll get much
If I can figure out what time it will be on, I might try to catch Springsteen’s set, but otherwise, I have no use for a football game.
This year, root against Pittsburgh.
In the future though, if I ever find a GF, I have plans to get married on SuperBowl Sunday. IMHO, it’s a great idea. Halls are never booked on that day. I figured that a SuperBowl Party/Reception would be great for everyone, as it eliminates the awkward times when you don’t know many people, you can have regular party fare for appetizers, have a big pool set up, etc…
@2Legit2Quit_GitEmSteveDave: You better find yourself a gal who went to a big football school or you may have trouble convincing her a football wedding is a good idea!
(I’m still kinda miffed my mom wouldn’t let me seat the guests by college sports affiliation instead of bride/groom sides!)
@Eyebrows McGee: The wedding wouldn’t be football themed, just the reception. Since I have always been told that no church or reception hall is booked on SBS, I figure I could get a great deal. Besides, what do people do a SuperBowl party? Eat, drink, and watch the game. What do people do at a wedding reception? Eat, Drink, and sit at their table and hope they know someone who they can talk to. A few rented big screen plasmas, full table of boneless wings/poppers/pizza/etc, a 50/50 pool(50 for the bride/groom,50 for the winner), etc… and it’s a reception that everyone will talk about for years, which will start a new trend, which will lead to Matt Dillon playing me in the “Wedding Planner 2:Guys Night Out”.
I will be on my couch. With beer-battered brats, potato chips, and my husband, attempting ONCE AGAIN to convince him that only people WITHOUT SOULS put ketchup on bratwurst. GOD.
We spend most of the fall companionably watching football on Sundays, so this is another football Sunday for us. We’d rather spend it together than at a party. Awwwwww. (But it’s okay, we skip Valentine’s Day. We’re not that schmoopy.)
@Eyebrows McGee: As long as the beer-battered brats aren’t your kids
I had never heard that term before, had to process it a minute.
I don’t like watching football, it’s just a dumb sport. And I’m a male.
I wish there were more pickup games of stuff around rather than people just watching sports on TV. I LOVE playing sports just not watching other people play them.
@Eyebrows McGee: Show your husband this:
@humphrmi: OMG THAT IS PERFECT!
@humphrmi:
LMAO – WIN!!!
@humphrmi: Brats = Hot dogs?
@Hyman Decent: Bratwurst are a sausage made of chopped meats, traditionally German. They’re popular in the Midwest where there was a large German population, and eaten similarly to hot dogs. Chicagoans do not put ketchup on their lunch sausages, no matter what kind.
[www.johnsonville.com]
Johnsonville makes a nice beer-battered bratwurst but you can do your own by getting regular bratwurst and boiling them 20 minutes in beer, then putting them on the grill or in a frying pan for a couple minutes to brown them up so they look less like penises. (They’re cooked through after the 20 minutes of boiling.) Buy hoagie rolls — they don’t fit on hot dog buns. We eat them with good mustard and sauteed onions.
For my game food, I’ll try my hand at making a Bacon-Explosion. Then I’ll either need to go for a run, or stop by my local hospital for an angioplasty.
[www.bbqaddicts.com] /bacon-explosion.html
@razremytuxbuddy: OMG!Ponies made a bacon explosion for Superbowl Sunday. It looks awesome! [www.omg-ponies.com]
My plans include watching the game and winning money. Food, beverage & location come second, third, yada, yada, yada.
I’ll be playing Call of Duty and checking in after each quarter to see if I won money. This is the first year I honestly don’t care about the game, and the commercials haven’t been funny in a while, half times aren’t even entertaining.
We’ll also be at home for the game by ourselves. We love football and when you have a party, you undoubtedly have all those yappy jerks who don’t give a damn about what’s happening on the screen.
I’ll be walking dogs as a volunteer at my local no-kill shelter. I do it every Sunday.
I don’t care about either team so why bother watching?
@weave: Why do you hate America?
@weave: I was going to deliver gluten-free food to my local non-kill shelter, but then I thought… WTF??? I love football! So I made some chili with veal and fluffed up the baby seal blankets in my family room and invited some friends over.
Just kidding. The chili was made from Kosher meat.
Just curious, does anyone actually advertise themselves as a “kill shelter”?
Since I can’t get the real stuff here (in suburban Philadelphia), I’m making Italian Beef in the slow cooker, roasting my own sweet peppers, and serving the two together in some sort of roll that I hope won’t ruin it all..
I got out of bed at 5:30am to get this thing cooking. It had better be good
No football for me — schoolwork is more important.
I’m going to stop by Home Depot and pick up a can of paint and some paintbrushes, and paint some walls in my house, because watching the paint dry will most definitely be more entertaining than football.
Since the Eagles didn’t make it, my friends and I are doing a Neon Genesis Evangelion marathon, as sort of a counter-programming to the Super Bowl
@Gaambit: Not doing a “Neon Genesis Evangelion marathon,” but that’s the same exact reason why I’m not watching the Superbowl.
Go Eagles!!
My Super Bowl plans are to NOT watch the Super Bowl. Couldn’t give or care two cents for either of the teams playing. Anyways, my favorite Linux distro just rolled out a MAJOR update this weekend, so I’ll spend my time (better spent IMHO) checking out all the great new stuff in the PCLinuxOS update.
I would be at school (I live in Hong Kong). But I would also try to spell “Roethlisberger” without reading ESPN.
I will be scowling at my beloved as he shushes me so he can concentrate on “the game”. I will also try to find objects conveniently located in front of the television to clean, run the vacuum, talk loudly on the phone, and demand he take out the trash. And if he complains I’ll remind him about how he ruined the Doctor Who season finale for me with similar behavior and maybe he’ll learn that as a football fan he has no room to criticize my Sci-Fi obsession.
If all goes well he’ll get aggravated and decide to watch the game at a bar, giving me and my newest Torchwood book some peace and quiet.
Or maybe I’ll be nice and leave him alone. I haven’t decided yet.
@JamieSueAustin:
Awesome.
As a Cleveland Browns fan, the idea of the Steelers winning yet another title will have me cheering for the blimp to crash into the Pittsburgh sideline ala the Hindenburg.
No, really….
@CaptainConsumer: Ah, I’m a Pittsburgher that just moved up here to Cleveland – Lakewood, specifically…your sadness is delicious!
I could care less than to watch over paid “athletes” playing a kids game.
That being said I’m going to fire up the synths and drum machines and make some noise!
Watching the game with fiance and friends in our apartment. Way cheaper than going to a bar and we have the biggest living room of all our NYC friends, complete with big-screen TV which was purchased from Costco. Go, generic Costco plasma.
This is surprising only because we currently have no refrigerator. Our 25-year-old SubZero died a few weeks back and the new fridge isn’t coming until Thursday. We are solving this problem using the cold weather outside on our balcony to cool the beer/sausages/assorted other SuperBowl accessories.
@nicemarmot617: It’s currently 48° at LaGuardia.
@Hyman Decent: I know!! Our plans were ruined. God I can’t wait til our new fridge arrives.
I’m whipping up a spinach-artichoke dip and bringing it and things to dip into it over to a friend’s house. Rooting for the Cardinals, because as a Texans fan, I know how enduring years of futility feels and as a Rays fan, I know how a big jump up from years of futility feels too!
What’s a superbowl?
@racordes: It’s counterprogramming to the Puppy Bowl.
Screw football.
@floraposte: There was supposed to be a link in there. Let’s see if it works this time.
[animal.discovery.com]
I don’t have TV service. A friend’s coming over and we’re going to have lasagna, Arbor Mist, garlic bread, smoothies, and talk about guns and restraining crackheads.
This isn’t a joke. That’s what I’m doing tonight.
Mr. TiVo will watch the game for me, with a later review of the highlights. It’s 73 degrees with bright sun outside, and that’s where I’ll be…
I’ll be attending a party at a friends house and rooting for the Cardinals. I just can’t root for the Steelers as they are my division rival (Ravens fan here).
In honor of the Cardinals, I am making Sour Cream and Beef Enchiladas, and dying the sour cream red. I also am trying this dip recipe I got off of Lifehacker
[lifehacker.com]
I’m going out to eat in hopes that everyone will be at home watching the game and I’ll get quick service.
@Christopher Wilson: Just so long as you don’t go somewhere where your server would rather be home watching the game and resents you for showing up at their work
It’s just another Sunday for me. I don’t know who is playing and I don’t care.
Spend time at my local glory hole.
@GayNerd:”Spend time at my local glory hole”
You might want to Google “glory hole” before announcing that.
@MrsLopsided: You might want to look up “gay” before assuming I don’t know what a glory hole is.
I have no interest in football, so I’ll probably be doing some cleaning, surfing the web, making dinner, and watching something from my DVR.
I’ll probably watch some of the ads online though… and check the Consumerist ad liveblog.
Go to a nice restaurant.
I rarely go out to eat on my own and it will be nice because hopefully most people are at home.
I am going to do something constructive like do my taxes, clean my house, or clip coupons. The Superbowl is just over blown media hype and marketing. I do not need to be spammed with useless ads of overpriced goods that just further fuel the “spend beyond our means” attitude this country has now.
Having a friend come over that also doesn’t like football and watching Gran Tornino and The Wrestler on DVD and eating some pizza…
My father, uncles, and male cousins are watching the game. My mom, aunts, female cousins and I are at Disneyland. Superbowl Sunday is the best day of the year to visit the parks.
Watching the game- normally we’d order pizza and wings, but this year we’re going frozen. I’m happy about that because we got pizza with natural and upscale ingredients and its still a few bucks less per pie than dominos.
Cleaning the bird cage.
Making son’s lunch for school.
Starting a crockpot meal for tomorrow’s supper.
And hoping to see some of the game and the commercials!
I won’t be watching the game or partaking in the feeding the hyper-consumerism machine by watching the superbowl ads.
Watching something that’s not the super bowl. Last time I actually cared to watch a football game was 1984.
Like every year, I will pay it as much attention as I do the Estonian Dressage Championships. I have no interest in Estonian dressage.
@Hyman Decent: Don’t spoil the moment, man.