With the Super Bowl now only days away we realize that many of our readers will be either attending or throwing a viewing party for the big game. Keeping that in mind we thought it might be fun to take a look at some aspects of Super Bowl party planning that deserve special attention. But we didn’t just want to spout off our own opinions on the matter. No, we wanted expert advice.
But who do you turn to for such input?
Well, fortunately, I was lucky enough to sit down with Ky Henderson, editor-in-chief over at ModernMan.com.
At Modern Man they’re always doing their best to provide keen insights into the male lifestyle, gadgets, fitness, sports and pretty much anything else you can think of that guys might be into. Basically, if anyone was going to be able to lay down the law concerning Super Bowl party etiquette, set up, issues of man cave, snacks and other frequently asked questions, it would be Ky.
Here’s how the conversation went down.
If people are coming over to your house to watch the Super Bowl they’re going to expect one thing above all others: That they get to watch the game! What’s the minimum size/specs for a TV that the host should possess or rent if he plans on throwing a Super Bowl shindig?
It’s all about the size of your room. Prevailing wisdom is that you shouldn’t sit much farther away from the TV than twice the screen’s size. But as long as people can see the TV (you of course need to have a decent LCD, LED, plasma, or projection TV) you’re probably fine. What’s arguably more important is to have multiple TVs. Chances are people will be milling around in the kitchen — that always tends to happen at parties — so you should have a TV set up in there as well.
There is a classic Super Bowl viewing party dilemma: Do you extend invites to only the most die hard football fans in your peer group or is it a social event where any Joe and his girlfriend will be allotted an invitation? Put another way, what’s more important, watching the game or having a party?
Whether you make it a hard-core viewing party or a casual viewing party is totally up to you. Just make it clear to the people you invite what the vibe will be — a hardcore party, a casual party, or somewhere in between. Chances are your potential guests have multiple party options, so let them make an educated choice. Plus, that way, you won’t have anyone whining about it and annoying you.
What makes for the best Super Bowl party setting (man cave style basement, open air living room, etc…)?
Unless you’re just having a few buddies over, you should ideally have a couple of different environments set up. For instance, the den or basement could be where the biggest TV is and where the hardcore watching gets done. Then the kitchen could have a smaller TV set up, and that’s where people less intense about watching the game could hang out and chat and pay more attention to the chips and dip than the TV.
Everyone knows that pizza, wings and chips are Super Bowl staples, but do you have any other food suggestions, recipes or unique snack ideas that set a Super Bowl gathering apart from the rest?
Communal foods like chips and salsa or guacamole are always good. You could make contests out of it by telling certain people to make certain things and then have people at the party determine who brought the best guacamole, 7-layer dip, brownies, moonshine, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lljQ4wkCiQU
It’s pretty likely if it’s the Super Bowl then alcohol is going to be served. Here’s the question, BYOB or no BYOB?
Don’t use the phrase BYOB — that implies people can only drink what they bring. Instead, simply ask people to bring booze of some sort—bringing a six-pack or a bottle of wine to add to the community stash is the least they can do since you’re the one who’s hosting the party. But make sure you also have booze on hand so that it doesn’t run out.
If the host has a television set up with DVR or TiVo, there’s always going to be one dude in the group who wants to rewind to constantly watch replays of big plays or hits. What’s the etiquette for pausing live TV or replaying previous game action?
F@#$ that guy. NBC will replay big plays anyway, so if some bozo needs to watch a big hit over and over and over, he can do it on his his own time. With Twitter and other web sites constantly updating the action, you won’t want to get behind on the live broadcast just in case.
Two words: Prop bets. What are your favorite prop bets or wagers to make before and during the game to keep things interesting even if the game itself turns out to be a dud?
Actually we just put together a list of our favorite Super Bowl prop bets. You should check it out!
Any final notes a would-be host should keep in mind to make sure he throws a great Super Bowl party?
If you’re cheering for one team and you have guests cheering for another, don’t be a dick to them. You invited them.
Super Bowl Party Planning 101 is a post from: Touchdown LA
