Every weekend between Labor Day and New Year's, you can watch college football — lots of college football. Can you get too much of a good thing when it comes to the collegiate gridiron? No, because it's not just about football.
Sports fandom is more than it seems, and waitbutwhy.com tells why:
- Watching sports is entertaining.
- Sharing sports bonds you to other people.
- Conversing about sports gives you something to talk about in situations that would otherwise be awkward.
- Participating in sports — even via an armchair — provides an escape from the stresses of life.
- Virtually participating in sports exposes you to a "sliver of greatness."
To feed your fandom, here are a few tips for planning the perfect game-watching party. The game plan is simple: start with a smooth technical setup, and add good food and great friends.
Technical set up
The single most important piece to this puzzle is having a dependable provider, followed closely by a good viewing device. Big screen TVs used to be harder to come by, and whoever had the big screen was automatically hosting the party. Now big screens are common, regardless of income.
More than 60 percent of households with an income of less than $20,000 have a flat-screen TV, according to CNN Money. Most homes have a big screen with high definition and surround sound.
The deciding factor may be how many games you can watch at the same time. Services like CenturyLink's Prism give you more than 200 HD channels. Prism also lets you watch anywhere (in case your party is the kind that needs to take it to the garage) and, with the touch of a button, lets you toggle between the last five channels, a perfect feature for keeping track of your team and the other teams in your conference.
Friends
Beyond the bonding power of sports, which is obvious in the talk about the game with people after the end of the fourth quarter, surrounding yourselves with others during the game charges the atmosphere. A collective groan — or cheer — from the room adds to the excitement. The right viewing group gives you someone to celebrate — or commiserate — with.
Food
Sure, you can just grab a bag of chips, but if you're going to do a party, why not do it right? From chocolate chip peanut butter hummus (you read that right) to homemade mini corn dogs, the food is an important part of any party. Finger foods are easy to eat with one hand and gesture widely with the other, as in "What in the world is the coach thinking?" Finger foods are also easy to clean if that gesturing gets out of hand. These game day recipes are a great start.
With 128 college football teams in Division I alone, fall is the time to celebrate teamwork and camaraderie. Keep the food coming and CenturyLink on all season.
