I sat in a deserted coffee shop this afternoon with Emma, as much of Seattle was watching the playoff game of the Seattle Seahawks against the Green Bay Packers. Idly curious, I checked the score early in the fourth quarter and found that the Packers were leading 19–7. I was quite surprised later to find that the Seahawks had won 28–22, sending themselves to the Super Bowl in Arizona in two weeks’ time. Apparently, it was a thrilling comeback late in the game.

I suppose that I’m happy for my football-loving friends, though I’m inclined to “love the sinner but hate the sin”, as I can’t stand football. I spent eleven years (ages 7–18) at a rugby-playing school in Dublin, where I came away with an abiding dislike of that game and the jock culture. American football, if anything, is worse: a brutal, punishing sport with obnoxious fans.

We’re thinking of having a non-Super Bowl Super Bowl party—a football-free party held at the same time.