Super Bowl XLVIII: Why some people really don’t want to watch

I fully expect to be tied to a tree and shot at sundown for saying this, but here goes: I am not a big fan of football.

I realize that’s a scandalous statement to make when we are coming up on the biggest game of the season … the Super Bowl.

I tried very hard to get my head into the game for two consecutive Saints seasons. But midway through the second season, I gave up. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand the game. I actually could manage to hold an intelligent conversation with my football junkie best friend and Monday-morning quarterback extraordinaire.

She was so proud of me. And it was so hard to disappoint her when I abandoned the sport.

She called one Sunday at half-time only to find me happily walking the dog on the lakefront. It happened to be a gloriously warm and sunshiney day and the dog and I decided that there was no way we were going to waste it in front of the TV. My friend was horrified. You would swear she had lost me to a fatal car accident or something.

That brings me to my next point: What do you do on game days if you are not into the game?

Here’s my list, honed over years of blissful escape from the crush of sports fanatics.

• Walking in the park with Honey. There are virtually no other dogs or people around and it is quiet and relaxing.
• Shopping. Rock star parking spaces and no lines at cashiering.
• Lunching at a restaurant. No waiting. No crowds. I can actually eat at lunchtime instead of waiting for the lunch crowd to clear out. Just don’t pick a sports bar type restaurant.
• Seeing a movie. I get my pick of seats and no lines at concessions and the movie I want to see is never sold out.
• Bicycling without fear. The streets are deserted at game time, so I only have to worry about dodging the pesky potholes.

In my own way, I look forward to Super Bowl game day as much as any football fan. Now, if I could just find one more person in this city who feels the same way….