Daily Herald opinion: Make a (healthy and safe) game plan for Super Bowl Sunday
Bears fans haven’t had a personal stake in the Super Bowl in years — and they haven’t brought home a trophy in almost four decades. But that doesn’t mean city and suburban football fans don’t plan to live it up during Sunday’s big game in New Orleans between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
We all tend to overindulge while watching the on-field action, critiquing the commercials and replenishing our plates before the glitzy halftime show. And, generally, those sagging plates of pizza and chips aren’t going to win us any points with the cardiologist.
In fact, it turns out that Bears fans are real pros when it comes to racking up the calories.
A survey by online casino N.J. Bet ranked Bears fans third in the nation in Super Bowl calorie consumption.
The average Bears fan snarfs up 3,356 calories while watching the game, topped only by fans of Texas’ two teams: the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys.
Whether you consider that distinction a point of civic pride or a crime against nutrition is a matter between you and your doctor. But when those double helpings of cheesy nachos and deep-fried chicken wings are washed down with beer or something stronger, tight jeans could be the least of your problems.
After all, revelers didn’t give Super Bowl Sunday its reputation as one of the United States’ drunkest days by sipping seltzer water with lime.
If you are going to be enjoying the big game at a sports bar or a friend’s Super Bowl party, think ahead, safety officials advise. That means staying sober or catching a ride with a designated driver.
And let’s be clear: As electric roadside signs remind us, tipsy driving is drunken driving.
If you are hosting a Super Bowl party, you have a responsibility to make sure your guests don’t overdo it — and to take their keys away if they do. Make it clear that they’re only leaving your home if someone sober is behind the wheel.
In its warning this week about Super Bowl driving, the Illinois Department of Transportation pulled out every football pun in the playbook. But the message is deadly serious.
“Celebrate smart and designate a sober driver before the party starts so this year’s Super Bowl gathering isn’t the last one you attend,” said Stephane B. Seck-Birhame, IDOT’s bureau chief of Safety Programs and Engineering. “There’s no instant replay when you’re on the road, so be the MVP and make sure the party game plan includes a sober ride home.”
We’ll pile on with one final pun: Bear down on safety this Sunday.
Police will be out in force this weekend, with good reason. You don’t want to wind up in the back seat of a squad car — or worse.