My Superbowl Barbie

I was a disappointed when I learned that I would be in Australia during Superbowl XLVI.  Not that I had much to be disappointed about.  I mean, I was going to Australia.  But this was the first year I'd really paid much attention to football.  I always watch the Superbowl because it's the thing to do, which I think is why many people watch it, but this was my first year in Michigan.

One difference between Ann Arbor and San Diego: Ann Arbor cares a lot more about football.  I went from living in an apartment with four other people who didn't care very much to a house with eight other people, many of whom care a lot.  And my interest was further piqued when the 49ers, my family's team, started doing really well...and kept doing really well.

So when the Superbowl neared, I put it together that I would miss it.  Who knew if Australians even watched football?  When the 49ers lost and it was determined that the Superbowl would be the Patriots vs. the Giants I didn't feel so bad, but it still would have been fun to watch the game with my football-loving roommates.

But I went to Australia, I snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef, I held a koala, and I forgot all about football.  I just assumed that I wouldn't even watch the game until my aunt's friend Diane who we were visiting in Tasmania asked if we would want to watch it.  So we planned to watch the game at Diane's house and invite a couple people over.

I learned how little Australians care about football when we asked our friend Tim if he wanted to come watch the Superbowl with us.

"The Superbowl of what?" he asked me.

"...of...American football..."

"What is that?"

"It's the..." I had never had to explain this before.  "Championship of football."

"Oh, okay, sure."

So our Superbowl party commenced with me and my aunt being the only ones who had been paying any attention to the season.  Now that was a first.  I had to explain the rules of the game of football to people.  That was a change considering that at past Superbowl parties I have been one of the people with the least football knowledge.  Tim and Nan, Diane's 87-year-old neighbor, needed the most explanation.

"Why do they keep stopping?"

"Why are they wearing all those pads and helmets?  Rugby players don't use those."

Dave, a rare Australian with some football knowledge, explained to us how rugby players are so much tougher than football players that years ago when two American football players came to play rugby in Australia one lasted a day and the other lasted two weeks.

Tim brought potato salad, and Dave brought sausages, or bangers, as they call them.  After Madonna's halftime show he threw them on the barbie.  All the Australians had been telling us that we needed to go to a barbie, and it seemed to be all many of them did on the weekends.  We were glad to have that checked off our list of things we needed to do during our trip.  No, there were no shrimps on our barbie, but we still had a taste of Australia.  And I think the Australians had a little taste of America, too.

And it really was quintessential Australian and American culture colliding: our Superbowl Barbie.