The crowd at Champs Sports Grill, 1611 N. Atherton St., was packed with people all watching the same show: the Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens.
People watch with different aspects. Some are lifelong football fans with rooting interests for either the 49ers or Ravens.
“I'm a Pittsburgh Steelers fan rooting for the Niners,” Nick Murray (junior- petroleum engineering) said. “I can't ever root for a division rival like the Ravens.”
Others were more interested in a win from the boys in purple.
“I'm a Green Bay Packers fan and I'm excited for the Ravens winning right now,” senior Jessica Waltersdorff said. “I grew up with a big family tradition of following football.”
Some students were natives from the respective teams playing.
“I'm from Baltimore and the sendoff for the Ravens was wild,” Joseph Abouchacra (senior - energy business and finance) said. “So many people showed up to wish them luck before they left.”
Some students were most interested for the commercials that premiered during Super Bowl night.
“I loved the Doritos commercial with the man and the killer goat,” Lauren MacWhirter (senior-Spanish) said. “I always look forward to what new stunts companies come up with.”
Champs was not the only place where students went to watch the game. Others went to the HUB-Robeson Center. Approximately 20 people were watching the game on the HUB concourse level at 8:30 p.m.
Other students were focused on the entertainment aspect. Several sang along as Beyoncé performed the half-time show.
“I’m just here for Beyoncé and the commercials. I’m not big into professional football,” Emily Yarosz (freshman-immunology and infectious diseases) said.
Some were looking forward to the reunion of Destiny's Child as part of the half-time performance.
“It was like reliving my childhood,” Alyssa Tourso (senior-education) said. “Seeing them perform again after so many years was amazing.”
Another reason people enjoy the Super Bowl is the camaraderie.
“I just love eating food and hanging out with my friends,” Natalie Milszatajn (sophomore- undecided) said. “The Super Bowl gives me a great reason to do that.”
Collegian staff writer Mary Chuff contributed to this report.
