The Red Zone Report | Do’s and Don’ts for a Successful Super Sunday Bash.

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Do’s and Don’ts for a Successful Super Sunday Bash.

By Brian Walzel ⋅ February 2, 2008 ⋅ Subscribe to The Red Zone Report

Beer? Check.

Bratwurst? Check.

Big screen TV? Check.

Ear drum shattering surround sound system? Check.

All of those are essential to throwing a great Super Bowl party. The most-watched television event of the year provides an opportunity for hosts to show off their impressive television, their cooking skills, their football knowledge and their social graces.

But what are some of the overlooked elements to throwing a memorable and safe Super Bowl party? Take a look at these four do’s and don’ts:

Do have plenty of things available to drink. The cornerstone to any respectable Super Bowl party is both a quality, quantity and variety in drinks.

Of course, a good variety of beer is a given, but don’t assume all of your guests will be beer drinkers, or even alcohol drinkers. Be sure and have plenty of soda, juice, tea and bottled water. Besides, even those with the most iron-clad of livers needs a sip of water occasionally. Also, don’t forget the kids. It’s a good idea to such things as juice boxes, fruit snacks and such.

Don’t let your friends drive home drunk. If you’re having a party, make available an extra bedroom or couch.

Some party hosts even insist on taking everyone’s keys as soon as they walk in the door, returning them only if the person hasn’t been drinking. It’s also a good idea to have phone numbers of cab companies readily available.

This also goes hand-in-hand with the No. 1 Rule of Hosting A Party: Don’t get drunk at your own party (do you think we‘d really recommend doing that?).

Do have a nice viewing area for the game. Clear your television room of any hazards that people may trip on, even removing unneeded furniture will create space for unexpected guests who arrive at halftime. It’s good to set up barstools in the back of the room. They provide a good viewpoint to the television for those standing or sitting in the back.

And one mistake that party hosts make far too often is having their 50,000-watt surround sound system up way too loud. The magnitude of the game does not need to coincide with the volume knob on your receiver. It’s okay to turn it up to notch, but guests become annoyed when they have to shout to hear each other.

Don’t have an overabundance of chairs. Follow the old rule for high school dances: never have the same amount of chairs as you do guests. You want to people to mingle, be up and about, meet new friends and re-connect with old ones. People oftentimes don’t do that when they are sitting down, fixated on a television. People are more inclined to talk to each other if they are standing next to each other as opposed to sitting.

Do talk about the game, about the plays, the teams, the halftime show, or which supermodel Tom Brady will date next. Sometimes people, especially new guests to the crowd, often feel like they MUST watch the game, because after all, it’s the SUPER BOWL.

And if you overhear two women talking about the latest episode of Desperate Housewives, let them enjoy the conversation, rather than tease them about talking about “girl stuff” during the biggest game of the year.

Besides, the only reason they’re probably there is to make you happy, big guy.

Don’t talk during commercials. Face it, most of the time the actual game fails to live up to the hype. But the one thing that will bring everyone in the room together, even if it’s just for 30 seconds, are the commercials. Most of the time, it’s what people talk about for years after. So, don’t ruin someone’s fun by saying “Oh, yeah! I’ve heard about this commercial! This is what happens….”

Do keep dogs out of the room where you and your guests will be watching a game. Nothing can derail a good Super Bowl party quicker than an unruly dog. Just because you think Rover is the family’s best friend, that doesn’t mean your guests enjoy him hopping up on their laps or jumping up on their legs when they walk in the door. Some guests may be allergic, as well. So, keep the dogs locked in an extra bedroom or kept in the backyard.

Don’t discourage friends who have young children from coming. Just because a longtime pal is the proud father of a 3-year-old doesn’t mean his football loving days are over. He probably won’t go bare-chested to Lambeau Field anymore, but he still no doubt enjoys the camaraderie.

Parents often feel that bringing their children to a Super Bowl party will distract the host and the other guests. Most of the time, that is not true, provided the host makes sure the kids have something to do. For younger children and toddlers, offer an extra bedroom for a temporary playroom. Set up a game console for older children, or even purchase a cheap football for kids to throw in the front yard.

Now, you don’t have to follow all of these, and I’m sure many people might not, but these are some pretty good suggestions to help make your Super Bowl Sunday as much of a success as possible.

However big or small your gathering on Sunday will be have fun, enjoy the game, and most importantly, be safe.

Discussion

3 comments for “Do’s and Don’ts for a Successful Super Sunday Bash.”

How do we feel about a friend that brings a 6 pack of Zima?
Instant dismissal?

Posted by David Chapman | February 2, 2008, 11:27 am
If he tries to bring in the Zima, he’ll have to watch the game from outside.

Posted by Eddie Griffin | February 2, 2008, 2:04 pm
A variety of drinks is good, but the color of your drink should never be lighter than, say, a Keystone Light.

Posted by Brian | February 2, 2008, 2:10 pm