The Best Things to Do If You Don’t Care About the Super Bowl

Over the last seven years, an average of 104 million people have tuned into the Super Bowl — and it’s safe to say, lots of people will be doing the same when the Rams take on the Bengals this weekend. But what’s a non-football fan to do while the rest of the country guzzles weak beer and tries to keep buffalo wing shrapnel off their jersey? You could curl up with a good remote and binge your favourite Netflix new release, sure. But with nearly a third of the American population otherwise engaged, it’s prime time to visit normally crowded places, especially if you’ve been avoiding them for that reason during the pandemic.

Here are the best ways to take advantage of a hundred million Americans being glued to their TVs.

Make an epic grocery store run

We’ve all been UberEating and Menulogging our way through the pandemic, but why not use the Sunday evening lull get reacquainted with the four walls of your old friend, the actual grocery store? I like having food delivered to my door as much as the next person, but there’s something calming and fulfilling about strolling the aisles myself, being reminded of items I forgot exist (hey, corn nuts!), getting inspired to make something different for dinner, or treating myself to a bar of bougie exfoliating soap or a container of unplanned sushi. And Costco or Target without the usual weekend crowds? Glorious.

Eat at that restaurant you can never get into

Have you considered booking a reservation at that new Asian fusion restaurant you’ve been dying to try but which never has an open table? This study of 36,000 restaurants nationally found that the average revenue drop on game day was 19% versus a typical Sunday. Especially in urban areas where buzzed-about, in-demand new eateries pop up regularly, this could be the ideal time to finally find a seat. (Make sure they don’t serve takeout pizza, though; according to the same study, Super Bowl is the #1 Sunday of the year for pizzerias.)

Make a trip to the movie theatre

If you’ve been hesitant to see something on the big screen for fear of sitting in a crowded room with a bunch of strangers, now’s your moment. You may run into a few diehards, but for the most part, you can expect movie attendance to be lower than usual. (Also, it’s Sunday night — not prime time for moviegoing, generally.) Is anything good playing? Well, there’s Blacklight for Liam Neeson fans, Death on the Nile for murder-mystery lovers, and Marry Me for anyone wondering where Owen Wilson’s been. (Sing 2, Encanto, and Spider-Man: No Way Home are still playing in many areas, for kids and Marvel acolytes.) Most large theatre chains offer reserved seating online, so you’ll know how crowded the theatre will be before purchasing. With any luck, it’ll be like rolling up to the pictures for a mid-week matinee.