My non-American boyfriend is more obsessed with American football than any of my previous American boyfriends. For Alvaro, Super Bowl Sunday is better than Christmas morning.
All season long he painstakingly listened to various podcasts, advising him of the best picks for his fantasy team, the Peruvian Guinea Pigs. I listened intently and learned the ins and outs of fantasy football. For the first time in my entire life, I can name several football players, what team they play for and what position they’re in. I now know the specifics of a pass complete and that once a knee hits the ground, the play is over. Previously all I knew about football was “ten yards in four downs” but now I have graduated to the über-cool, supportive, football watching girlfriend. Now that’s true love.
Unfortunately, NFL.com isn’t able to ship gear fast enough to Peru and desperate times call for desperate measures. In order for my dear boyfriend to have his true Super Bowl experience, I used my sorority girl crafting skills to make two jerseys supporting Alvaro’s beloved Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was the Quarterback for the Guinea Pigs this past season so our Super Bowl loyalties were strong. During our adventure to find all the supplies needed to make the jerseys, we came across yellow construction hats. Alvaro quickly picked out two and said they were to be our helmets, we adorned them with the Green Bay Packers logo and just like that, our outfits were set.
A couple of Steeler’s fans (um, I mean friends) joined us for our Super Bowl fiesta. Typically we order pizza from a Peruvian chain but since it was the Super Bowl, Alvaro insisted that we order from Papa John’s as he yelled: “it’s the official sponsor of the NFL!” I whipped together these wonderful Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls and we enjoyed the game with crisp, cool Peruvian beers.
Thankfully, Aaron Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers came out victorious, otherwise dear Alvaro would have been sulking until next season’s draft. Our Steeler friends accepted their loss with grace and even adorned our construction hat helmets for a photo op. Thanks for the win, Rodgers, see you next year!
