Are You Ready for Some Football???

For some reason, I was particularly excited about the Super Bowl this year. Am I big football fan? No, but I do enjoy watching the Redskins win. Am I Giants or Pats fan? No. Had I been following the playoffs closely? No. So why the excitement? To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. Part of the reason, I think, is that I miss the good ol' U.S. of A. sometimes and that the Super Bowl was a connection back to the homeland.

Now, you are probably asking yourselves, do they get American football games on TV in Cambodia? The answer: occasionally. But for the Super Bowl, I wasn't taking any chances. A few friends and I planned to go to The Gym, which bills itself as "Cambodia's premier sports bar and pub." The problem? There's a twelve-hour time difference between the east coast of the U.S. and Phnom Penh. That's right folks, kick-off was at 6:30am on Monday. No worries though, because I got the morning off from an understanding boss. And even though Shanti thought I was (and thinks I am) crazy, I woke up at 5:45am, showered, dressed in my work clothes, and set off, in the dark and rain - yes, it rained even though it's supposed to be the dry season - to The Gym.

The crowd was a bit sparse at first, but ex-pats, some of whom I recognized, filtered into an ideal setting for watching sporting events. There were three projection TVs (I'd guess 60" each) in addition to about two dozen smaller sets. I grabbed a table with a friend and we had an excellent, and comfortable, view of one of the projection sets. While many of the bar's patrons had a drink in hand - be it beer, screwdriver, or tequila sunrise - I elected to forgo an eye opener. I was hungry though, and it just didn't seem right to have pancakes or an omelette during the Super Bowl. My solution? Why a cheeseburger of course! In case you're wondering, it was delicious.

The only disappointment was the commercials. Since the bar had satellite television, I figured we might get some of the Super Bowl ads from the States, but this was not the case. Luckily, the game was a good one and actually warranted my attention. The crowd, for the most part, was pretty passive. There weren't any die hard Giants fans, but there was one hardcore Pats fans. Those familiar with the Boston-area would join me in calling him a Masshole. He wore a Tom Brady jersey and made it very clear to customers as well as those on the television, that he was supporting the Pats. Gotta admire how much those Bostonians love sports...

With the game over and a cheeseburger and a Coke in my belly, I headed off to work.; somehow the work day is that much better if you go in two and a half hours late after an exciting football game.