Living Like a Local: Football & Pop Culture
One thing you may notice about East Tennesseans (and
Americans in general) is their passion for American Football. While soccer is
popular worldwide, American Football has taken a particular hold on the United
States. Everything from family dinners, game
day tailgating, university admissions, and college celebrations often
revolve around football. Aside from being a cultural phenomenon, football
offers many students opportunities to pursue higher education through
university sports scholarships. Many others pursue the sport in middle school,
high school, and college simply to stay active and play a sport they love. Even
if they never play, football serves as an opportunity for Americans to bond. Friends, families, and fans come together on
game day and through fantasy
football leagues to create community as they cheer on their favorite team.
Watch the Big Game!
This weekend and next week bring two key cultural events in
the U.S., Valentine’s Day and Superbowl Sunday. Valentine’s day is popular
among friends and partners alike, while Superbowl Sunday is an unofficial
American holiday. More than 120 million viewers are expected to watch the big
game. Football season in the U.S. typically runs from September through
January. The Superbowl is the final game of the season. This year, the Kansas
City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles face off in New
Orleans! Each year, the Superbowl is held in a different city. This year,
the Superbowl is expected to bring $500
million in economic impact to Louisiana.
Celebrities & Commercials
The Superbowl isn’t just for sports aficionados. Each year
at halftime there is a musical performance! This year Grammy
award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar will lead the halftime show. I absolutely encourage
you to tune in.
If you’re into pop culture celebrity watching, many
celebrities attend the Superbowl each year. Swifties (fans of Taylor Swift)
will be glad to know that Taylor Swift is very likely to attend this year. You
can expect to see many celebrities televised in attendance. With tickets going
for thousands of dollars, most Americans opt to stay at home or head to a bar
or restaurant to watch with friends or family.
Don’t skip past the commercials! The Superbowl is known for
its creative commercials. With millions watching each year, the Superbowl is
the time for advertisements to shine. According to USA Today, this year
commercials are set at the steep price of $7 to $8 billion each. Thankfully for
us, it’s streaming free on some
platforms. There are many ways to stream the game this Sunday, don’t miss it!
If you don’t have plans already, have a watch party at I House! My friends and
I often bring snacks and make a potluck out of the occasion.
Fun Fact: According
to Sports Illustrated, Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest food consumption
day in the United States. Only on Thanksgiving do Americans consume more food. In
2017, Forbes
noted 1.33 billion chicken wings and 12.5 million pizzas were consumed on Superbowl
Sunday. One in seven Americans will order take out, and an estimated 8 million pounds of avocados will be consumed (guacamole is a fan
favorite).
https://www.visionmonday.com/scene-and-heard/todays-read/article/fun-facts-about-the-super-bowl/
Watch football change throughout the years here: https://www.loc.gov/free-to-use/football/
Read more about the NFL and its structure here: https://guides.loc.gov/sports-industry/football
Still not falling
in love with football?
Check out some
popular American movies and TV shows that show you a different side of the
sport:
The Replacements
(2000)
Remember the Titans (2000)
Friday Night Lights
(2004 film, 2006-2011 TV series)
Draft Day (2014)
Little Giants (1994)
American Underdog
(2021)
All the Right Moves (1983)
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Vocab Words
Potluck:
A communal meal, in which each guest brings a food or beverage to share.
Tailgating: A community event, often
involving food, drinks, decorations, and games, centered on an American
football game. Tailgating is often an all-day event, beginning well before the
game and continuing throughout the event. The term “tailgating” comes from the
act of socializing around the open tailgate of a
car or truck. Team fans come together near the stadium on game day and create a
space to socialize. According to CNN,
tailgaters spend $196 on average at each tailgate event. See more about tailgating here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/discover-america/nfl-tailgate-party-explained/
Halftime:
An intermission between two halves of a game or contest.
Fantasy
Football: An online game, in which people act like football
managers and build their own NFL teams. Fantasy footballers pick players from
teams throughout the NFL. Points build up for your team based on how players
perform throughout the NFL season.
Swifties:
Passionate fans of Taylor Swift.
Events: 2/7/25-2/14/25
2/7/25
2-3:30 Crochet Club Weekly Meeting @ Anderson 240
2/7/25
9-11 am Fit. Green. Happy Fitness Class @ Alumni Gym
2/7/25
5pm Vision Board Night with Maryville Women Outside @ Crawford House
2/7/25
4-6 pm (free) Women’s Basketball v. Huntingdon @ Cooper Athletic Center
2/7/25
6-8 pm (free)Men’s Basketball v. Huntingdon @ Cooper Athletic Center
2/7/25
7-10pm Intramurals-Indoor Volleyball @ Alumni Gym
2/7/25 First Friday ArtWalk in Downtown Knoxville https://www.visitknoxville.com/event/first-friday-artwalk/6898/
2/8/25
10-4pm Hike with Mountain Challenge—reach out for details!
2/8/25 10-2pm Winter Farmers Market @ Knoxville Market
Square
2/8/25 10-2pm Valentine’s Pop up Party in Maryville
(details here: https://downtownmaryville.com/event/galentines-pop-up-party/)
2/9/25
1pm Ultimate Frisbee @ Pearson’s Park
2/10/25
7-10pm Intramurals- Indoor VB @ Alumni Gym
2/10/25 by 5pm REGISTRATION
DEADLINE for Scots in the Smokies @ Tremont (Stop by Crawford to fill out the
registration form!)
2/11/25
11-2pm Employer and Graduate School Partner Tabling Event @ Pearson’s Lobby
2/11/25
12:30-1:30 Global Showcase: Cambodia @ PDR
2/11/25
4-5 pm World Cup Coffee
2/11/25
6-7pm Philosophy Club Meeting @ Thaw 215
2/11/25
6:30-8pm Broken Hearts Bingo with SPB @Isaac’s Café
2/11/25
7pm (free) Lads & Lassies Choral Set @ Lambert Recital Hall
2/12/25
Hot Cocoa Walk in the Woods w/ Mountain Challenge
2/12/25
6pm Psychology & Neuroscience Graduate School Information Session @ Sutton
113 (fill out this
form to attend).
2/12/25
5-5:30 Yoga with Mountain Challenge @ the CCM
2/12/25
7:30-9pm Meet Your Match @ Isaac’s Café
2/12/25
8-10 pm Intramural VB @ Alumni Gym
2/13/25
11-2pm Employer and Graduate School Tabling @ Pearson’s
2/13/25
12:30-2 pm Major Declaration Fair (Calling all Freshman!)
2/13/25
12-1pm HABIT Dogs @ CCM
12/13/25
1-2pm Crochet Club @ Anderson 240
2/13/25
3-5 pm Black History Month: Trail Mix it Up with Student Affairs @ Bartlett 101
2/13/25
– 2/16/25 Maryville College Theatre Department presents: Romeo and Juliet (see Clayton Center for times and tickets)
2/14/25
9-11 am Fit. Green. Happy Fitness Class at Alumni Gym
2/14/25
5pm Galentine’s Craft Night with Maryville Women Outside @ Crawford House
2/14/25
11-1pm Self-Defense Class @ PDR
2/14/25
1-3pm Flowers & Candy SPB @ Anderson 240
2/14/25
3-4pm Love, Sex, & Marriage Panel @ Anderson 130
2/14/25
3:30-4:30 Love Shouldn’t Hurt Workshop @ Bartlett 101
2/15/25 9-11pm Maryville Farmer’s Market (details here https://downtownmaryville.com/event/maryville-farmers-market-6/)
Events: 2/17/25-2/20/25
2/18/25
6-8pm The Blount County Band Festival @ the Clayton Center for the Arts
2/18/25
9:30-12:15 HSOS Yoga Classes @ Alumni Gym
2/18/25
11-2 pm Employer & Graduate School Tabling @ Pearson’s
2/18/25
4-5pm World Cup Coffee @ CCM
2/18/25
6-7:30pm Philosophy Club @ Thaw 215
2/19/25
Yoga with Mountain Challenge @ the CCM
2/19/25
Cooking on the Fire with Mountain Challenge
2/19/25
6-8pm CDEI Black History Month Event @ CCM
2/20/25
12-1pm HABIT Dogs @ CCM
2/20/25
11-2pm Employer and Graduate School Tabling @ Pearson’s
2/20/25
1-2pm Crochet Club @ Anderson 240
2/20/25
4-5 pm Jam Session @ CCM
Find more events here:
Maryville https://downtownmaryville.com/events/
Maryville Fine Arts Calendar https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/calendars/fine-arts-events/
Maryville Athletic Calendar https://mcscots.com/
Mountain Challenge Events Calendar https://www.mtnchallenge.com/open-trips
Downtown Knoxville https://www.downtownknoxville.org/events/
Knoxville Events https://www.visitknoxville.com/events/?skip=72&bounds=false&view=grid&sort=date
Maryville Scots App https://maryville.link/scots-app
Today @ MC
Ijams Nature Center Calendar of Events https://www.ijams.org/calendar-of-events
Sources Referenced:
All photos sourced from Pixabay
https://time.com/6622138/super-bowl-history-facts/
https://www.visionmonday.com/scene-and-heard/todays-read/article/fun-facts-about-the-super-bowl/
https://guides.loc.gov/sports-industry/football
https://www.si.com/fantasy/2020/04/04/fantasy-football-advice-guide-for-beginners
https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/25/living/tailgating-by-the-numbers/index.html