Watching the game in Everett on Sunday. (Photo by CHRISTIE MACDONALD)
By Christie MacDonald
Special to the Leader Herald
My Everett home consisted of majority Philadelphia Eagles fans. Real fans, not the bandwagoners.
My apartment on Sunday, Super Bowl Sunday, was a small green oasis in the middle of Everett.
Let’s face it, Sunday was a rough day if you bet on the Eagles.
My friends all bet on the Eagles.
The mood was pensive and full.
The Eagles ended a beautiful season with a 3 point Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs in Glendale, Arizona.
It was clear that most of New England wanted Patrick Mahomes to lose. This was proven by the utter lack of Eagles paraphernalia to be found on the shelves at party shops throughout the city.
On my dinner table sat a Super Bowl LVII table cloth with matching plates because that’s all that was left at the store. On top of that sat an array of food including; five different kinds of wings, taco dip, chicken broccoli Alfredo, Jalapeño poppers, garlic knots, brownies and cupcakes. I included some vegan options as a sign of the times.
This was, after all, a great American afternoon and evening. No matter the outcome of the game, I wanted everyone to leave my apartment feeling disgustingly full.
This is America after all.
What is the Super Bowl if not another reason for everyone to get together, drink, celebrate and eat more than their stretchiest pants can handle. It’s tradition. Being so full one can’t move is an American condition.
Some people came to watch the commercials. Others came for the halftime show. Mostly, people came to my apartment to socialize with friends and family.
“Super Bowl Sunday should be on a Saturday, I’m getting too old for this” said my friend Ken, 57, of Kittery Maine.
While my old bones wholeheartedly agree with his sentiment, my youngest self came out when Rihanna hit the stage for the halftime show.
She hadn’t performed in 7 years. She lacked energy but she didn’t lack in star power. She gave a great visual performance thanks to her incredibly talented backup dancers and her sublime voice.
When she came center stage at halftime, the only thing anyone could talk about was her baby bump. Baby number two on the way was confirmed by Rihanna’s team after the show.
No matter the variety in the Super Sunday spectacle – the Super Bowl just wouldn’t be the same without New Englanders in the mix.
New Englanders made several appearances in and around the big game this year. From the numerous mentions of winning Patriots teams and players to the multiple Sam Adams commercials with “your cousin from Boston,” to Ben Affleck selling Dunkin’ Donuts, to the all female (27 women) Super Bowl flyover team including a navy pilot from Waltham. We were everywhere.
And now with sports betting allowed in Massachusetts as of Jan. 31, 2023 we put our money where our mouth is.
Encore now has a sports betting section and one of my Super Bowl guests placed his first ever, legal, wager at the casino. Unfortunately it was for the Eagles to win. But rest assured that won’t stop him! Besides that last flag call which was glaringly egregious and the game would have most likely ended with an Eagles win if the refs hadn’t pulled that out of their back pocket.
Echoes of scripted games and entire seasons have plagued the NFL as of late. It’s been on the tip of everyone’s tongue including high profile players who’ve recently spoken on the subject. And the referees didn’t do themselves or the league any favors when it came to the calls they made in Super Bowl LVII.
It was in every way a great Super Sunday in Everett at my apartment. Let’s do it again next year!
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Christie MacDonald is a freelance writer who lives in Everett. She grew up here, graduated from Everett High School and received a BA from Suffolk University in Journalism.