Super Bowl Monday in Tokyo

Best Superbowl Party for years !!!

http://www.tokyoparty.org/party.php?lang=en&p=superbowl

I love soccer (football), but American football is my favorite (as has a large variety of plays, seldom seen in most sports--it's like a chess game in some ways). The scoring is more exciting. It is really something at the college level too!

Ratings are in: an estimated 108.4 million people in the U.S. watched last night's Super Bowl, just short of the record 111.3 million. Meaning 108 million kept tuned in despite 34 minutes of basically dim stadium waiting. Now that's commitment!

@in_japan super bowl for people outside America is like the ohanami for japanese people.. . while there are drinks no one cares about the reason to be in the event... by the way as a big fan of 49ers I am dissapointed for the first half but I am somehow satisfied to see a nice second half, too bad they did not get enough to win the game

I have watched every Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is not just a game.. but a massive TV Show and cultural event.. a display of sports at its highest physical level, ultimate war game of teamwork, performance under pressure merging of media, brands, bands. I personally think it was great TAC having the big screen, American food, cheerleaders.. the sexier the better..( USC Cheerleaders are the absolute best).. in white sweaters they will lift your spirits. I would have loved to have been there but could not get in. You dont know how hard it is to find a bar open there .. last year I was in Seoul and no bars were open in the morning and the only broadcast was in my hotel room and it was broadcast in Japanese and that was very strange. How did you like the Beyonce halftime show? What did you do during the blackout.. that was the time to have the cheerleaders do a routine. How did you like the commercials that cost $3.8 million a spot? Did you make it a bar atmosphere// mimosa's with your breakfast buffet?

LAcajun - What a great football game, went down to the wire, hats off to Ravens for first Super Bowl win

Ooops, sorry, that should have read "The Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV in 2001 by beating the NY Giants 34 -7.

LAcajun - What a great football game, went down to the wire, hats off to Ravens for first Super Bowl win

Actually, it was the Ravens' second Super Bowl win. The Ravens won Super Bowl XXV in 2001 by beating the 34 -7.

Actually, after taking a second look at the picture, it only looks like ONE person is watching the girls. Everyone else not looking at the TV screens seems to be looking at the guy on the far right with the microphone (white hair, white shirt, standing under the Delta banner)

Cheerleaders are a part of the team. Not a bunch of underdressed random girls who have nothing to do with either team. These are campaign girls.

The game is so drop dead boring, they have to bring on the girls to create any kind of interest.

Of the people in the photo, the majority are watching the TV screens, not the girls.

I don't watch pro football much, but it's not because the game is boring. It's because the pro game is so different from the game I officiate, that I get angry. The pro game is more about entertainment than a sport. We at the high school level have to constantly deal with student players who think they can get away with all the stuff the pros do, and become incredulous when we flag them for unsportsmanlike activity.

The game is so drop dead boring, they have to bring on the girls to create any kind of interest.

Tkoind, campaign girls? Try cheerleaders.

Just read a review of the Super Bowl commercials. GoDaddy.com has a history of extremely sexist commercials during the Super Bowl that usually involve an extremely well-endowed woman in a tight GoDaddy T-shirt. Apparently this year the ladies got some eye-candy with the Calvin Klein underwear commercial. The ladies are starting to get some equal time.

Re: Naming countries that don't have a THRIVING American-style football league: Just about all of them. I officiate the sport at the high school level and I was surprised that Japan had a league. Based on how often their website is updated, however, I'm not sure that I would call even THAT league "thriving".

Re: American Football in general. As I said, I officiate games in my area and the sport is in trouble. As more data comes in regarding the head trauma involved in even "normal" hits and tackles, the basic premise of the game is causing concern from the kid's level all the way up to the Pro level. Kids are entering high school having already sustained multiple concussions. Participation in the pee-wee and Pop Warner level leagues is down across the country - reducing the pool of available players for high school teams. There's pressure on us officials to get tougher about helmet impacts, but what do you do when a kid is setting up for a safe, proper tackle and another player knocks the runner's head into the tackler's helmet? It's all legal, but the kid STILL sustains a hard blow to the head.

Re: American football vs. European football. They don't give out Oscars for sports, but they really SHOULD for all the acting that goes on in European football. Awards for "Best Flop" and "Best Feigned Outrage" come to mind.

Does everything in Japan have to have campaign girls? I like girls as much as the next guy, but the constant objectification of women gets old does't it?

Back on topic please.

bradg91:

Canada has a football league like we do here but i dont think its as huge

This is true, we do have the CFL.. football isn't treated as a religion like it is in some states like Texas, we have other things to live for as well :P though we ARE very passionate about the game of football... many diehard NFL fans in Vancouver, a lot of seahawks and husky fans as well who make trips to the games every year. The CFL is a very exciting game, just 3 downs instead of 4, a bigger field and one extra player aside, so game has more passing, very entertaining, though we just dont have the talent to sell out stadiums... back in the early '90's we had Doug Flutie in BC (and OJ Brigance), the rocket Ismail in Toronto.. over 55k fans were coming out to those games.. give us the product and more people will be interested in it..

Agree with you tmarie. Need some eye candy for the women JT readers once in a while.

Game's like a chess match! (But a lot of people don't play chess.) Though not as long as cricket.

Got your message, zichi. : )

it was a great venue, mainly U.S expats and wives attending. BTW - 2 or 3 of them are NFL professional cheerleaders.

I think American Football has never been the same since the rules were changed to allow the ball to be thrown forwards a hundred odd years ago. Reintroduce the ban on throwing the ball forwards, and you would have a decent game.

Is there a single country anywhere in the world without a thriving American football league?

In the UK there are 51 teams according to Wiki... which surprised me as it is an incredibly boring game. Why does the thing have to stop every time somone farts? Meh... just Rugby League with armour.

As for the photo... much much nicer than American Barbie dolls bouncing about.

Sick of this game thank gods above it is over.

Is there a single country anywhere in the world without a thriving American football league?

North Korea? Just about every country in Africa and South America, to name a few dozen.

As much as I am a die hard USA Football fan, and the SuperBowl is a world-wide event, it does pale in comparison to the world cup and soccer for world wide appeal.

I did not watch, nor did I care to, Green Bay wasn't in this year and I had to work.

Actually, TAC has at least 40% Japanese members and plenty of other people who are not from the US as members. Really more about the cash than any particular status.

Canada has a football league like we do here but i dont think its as huge. The NFL does one game a year in england and it looks like its received pretty well they even had talked about having a team for london but i dont know how successful it would be because every country has certain sports that they love more than any other sport

lucabrasi, et al.,

It was with great embarrassment that I discovered that the "Superbowl" is American football, I had always erroneously assumed it to be Baseball, hence the "Rounders" gag.

To be honest, I've always thought Rugby is more fun to play than it is to watch. Perhaps the same can be said of American football. I've tried to watch a game, but I'm sorry to say that it bored me to tears. It just gets going and they stop, have a chat about the weather, what they're going to do after the match and then it almost gets going again. Stop and start, stop and start.

There's no flow to it like there is with a good soccer match.

@zichi

Sorry. I had my sarcasm setting at max when I posted that. I'm English. If you'd heard me say "Go football!!" in my broad Lancashire accent, I'm sure you'd have got it. Genuine apologies though, I feel all awkward now... : )

But... who on earth would want to look at that? ; )

The numerous female posters who are rather tired of all the pics of the chicks?

@tmarie

Why does JT tend to run pics of scantily clad women but never of hot guys??

But... who on earth would want to look at that? ; )

TAC is an expat club. specialises in gaijin food (think huge burgers etc) and as a gossip club for expat wives. Lots of noisy young offspring also. Generally non-expat women are not made to feel welcome, so this picture has extra irony. The girls dancing don't look that enthused. Agree, JT. Where are all the pics of the hot Japanese men?

Another quality classy American cultural experience from 1973 - NOT!

The actual game was good though.

Why does JT tend to run pics of scantily clad women but never of hot guys??

@Bertie

How can you be so impolite about a sport that's played and watched by billions all over the globe? Is there a single country anywhere in the world without a thriving American football league? The whole of mankind is united in its love for and admiration of those helmet-clad, padded-up warriors. Go, football!!!

I am superbly bowled over by this photo.

As in_japan pointed out - most people are actually watching the game rather than the girls in short skirts. The dedication of some gridiron fans...

Click on the picture, zoom it and please tell me how many people has eyes on TV?

Great game. tension until the end.

What a great football game, went down to the wire, hats off to Ravins for first Super Bowl win

TAC. Classy as always.