It is not about the football game. It is about the communal experience, one shared by, if you believe the hype, a billion people.

I have not watched a minute of the National Football League season. Yet I will watch the Super Bowl tonight. And I don’t really care who wins. I only vaguely know who is playing.

But I have been invited to a friend’s place to watch the game and share a meal (if the snacks we will consume can really be considered a meal) so I am going. It really is about community. Or maybe in my case food I don’t have to cook.

I don’t care about the commercials, one of the major reasons non-football fans tune into the action. Not only do we Canadians not receive the much ballyhooed American advertisements (though we can see them on YouTube), but there is nothing I need to buy. I must admit also I have never seen the point of scheduling time so someone can try and sell me something. They should accommodate my schedule, not the other way around.

Monday morning I will be able to talk knowledgeably at the water cooler about not only who won the big game, but about specific plays.

Mind you, I doubt any of my co-workers care. But at least I will have had the satisfaction of taking part in that shared cultural experience. Maybe if I keep telling myself that I’ll start to believe it.