Are you ready for some Super Sunday football?
Viewing pro football’s premier event is most certainly a different experience for the fan assigned overseas, be it in a tent in Iraq, an officers’ club in South Korea or Germany or on an aircraft carrier at sea.
In most cases, depending on where you are, Super Sunday becomes Super Monday.
Pittsburgh will take on Seattle at Ford Field in Detroit in the Super Bowl’s 40th edition. Kickoff is just past midnight Central Europe time, in the wee hours in the South Asian deserts and mid-morning in the Far East.
Wherever, there will be no shortage of viewing and listening options, thanks to the American Forces Radio & Television Service. From ESPN and NFL Network’s pregame shows to ABC’s televised coverage, Westwood One’s radio broadcast through the postgame show, AFN’s various services plan wall-to-wall coverage — about 14 hours on TV.
“We want to have everybody to have the opportunity to see or hear it, no matter where they’re stationed and how they can access it,” said AFRTS’ longtime sports programming director Tim Mattox.
“It’s become THE event. It’s the most important football game of the year. Everybody tunes in. Everybody has a little something they like from it, the halftime show, their team has finally made it to the Super Bowl. The NFL is probably the most popular thing that we do.”
Thus, the game will be telecast live on AFN-Sports and AFRTS’ prime Atlantic and Pacific/Korea channels, with pre-game festivities scattered over the three TV services, Mattox said. For those stuck with duty or who can’t stay awake at odd hours, the game will be re-aired on AFN-Sports twice, in prime time in the Pacific, then Europe.
And most will view the game during what nominally are duty hours. For that reason, section supervisors and commanding officers often make allowances to permit rank-and-file GIs and civilians to see the game, effectively making it an unofficial holiday.
“As long as it doesn’t affect operational commitments, most COs encourage their people to give as much time as is allowable,” said Bill Doughty, spokesman for Fleet Activities Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan.
“It varies from command to command,” said Doughty. “People need to check with their chain of command to see what their policies are.”
Base clubs and community centers swing to it, offering plenty of ballroom seats, wide-screen TVs, lavish buffet spreads and a bevy of contests, prizes and giveaways — some quite pricey, including airline tickets, hotel stays, recliners and TVs.
Throughout Japan, Oakland Raiders cheerleaders will fan out to several bases to sign autographs, shake hands and perform during halftime, while the St. Louis Rams cheerleaders will do the same at the Navy Club on Yongsan Garrison.
For the most part, breakfast buffets replace the standard Super Bowl fare, though some lunch and barbeque specials are planned. Depending on the command and venue, alcohol consumption is either discouraged, banned or offered in moderation, with one facility offering beverage specials for designated drivers.
“Coffee and doughnuts instead of beer and pretzels, that doesn’t even need to be said,” Doughty said. “It has to be responsible behavior, 24-7.”
Super Bowl activitiesJapan
Misawa Air Base
Collocated Club, 6 a.m. Monday, free for members only, breakfast buffet until halftime, stadium food and snacks until conclusion. 222-9512.
Yokota Air Base
Officers’ Club, Super Bowl tailgate party at 4:30 p.m. Friday, featuring hors d’oeuvres, drink specials, games and prizes. Super Bowl party, 6:30 a.m., Monday, free for members, $5 for non-members, featuring complimentary breakfast buffet and prizes. 225-8513.
Enlisted Club, 6:30 a.m. Monday, free for members, $8.95 for non-members, featuring complimentary steak-and-egg breakfast buffet, drink specials and door prizes, trivia and pick-a-square contests. 227-8820.
Yokosuka Naval Base
Officers’ Club, 7 a.m. Monday, food, door prizes. 243-5090.
Club Alliance Sharky’s Bar, 7 a.m. Monday, open to all hands, $5.95 breakfast buffet, 10-cent Buffalo wings, guest appearance by Oakland Raiders cheerleaders, prize giveaways. 243-5951.
Single Sailor Spectrum Lounge, 7 a.m. Monday, food, prizes, trivia contests, giveaways. 243-7284.
Ikego Heights Naval Housing Facility
Club Takemiya, Super Bowl party, $5 breakfast buffet, trivia contests, door prizes and giveaways. 246-8075.
Atsugi Naval Air Facility
Club Trilogy, 5:30 a.m. Monday, adults only, breakfast buffet at 6 a.m., lunch at 10 a.m., guest appearance by Oakland Raiders cheerleaders, games, trivia and other contests, giveaways including NFL helmet worth $252, NFL jerseys, T-shirts, jackets and other merchandise. 264-3574.
Camp Zama
Community Club, 7 a.m. Monday, adults only, breakfast buffet, snacks throughout, guest appearance by Oakland Raiders cheerleaders, contests including King of the Quarter for second and fourth quarters, giveaways including two United Airlines roundtrip tickets to the States, three iPods, gift certificates for food, merchandise and phone calls. 263-5995.
Camp Fuji
Roadhouse and Station 4 Clubs, 7 a.m. Monday, breakfast items available in the bars, free buffet starting at 9 a.m., contests, giveaways, darts tournament at 9 a.m. in both clubs.
Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station
Landing Zone at Club Iwakuni, 5:30 a.m. Monday, free breakfast buffet, submarine sandwich buffet at halftime. 253-3237.
Sasebo Naval Base
Harbor View Club, 7 a.m. Monday, free breakfast buffet, guest appearance by Oakland Raiders cheerleaders, trivia games, prizes. 252-3965.
South Korea
Yongsan Garrison, K-16 Air Base
Dragon Hill Lodge, Bentley’s Pub, Whispers, Naija Ballroom, 7 a.m. Monday, breakfast available for purchase, prizes. 738-2222.
Yongsan Main Post Club, Landing Zone at K-16 Air Base, 5:30 a.m. Monday, scoreboards, football mannequins, helmets, NFL banners, cheerleaders and more, free breakfast buffet, coffee and juice until 8:30 a.m., first 40 people in the door eligible for grand prize of 65-inch high-definition rear-projection TV at Yongsan, 27-inch color TV with DVD player at K-16, other prizes include round-trip airline tickets to United States, NFL jerseys, contests to include best cheer, best end-zone dance, best-dressed, guest appearance by cheerleaders from Korean pro basketball LG Sakers team, pick-the-quarter-score winners receive DVD player.
Navy Club, 6 a.m., breakfast menu available, St. Louis Rams cheerleaders to sign autographs and perform at halftime. 725-7731.
Osan Air Base
Officers’ Club, 6 a.m. Monday, free for members, $6.95 for non-members, breakfast buffet, country barbeque lunch, games, contests, hundreds of dollars in giveaways. 784-5530.
Challenger and Mustang Enlisted Clubs, 6 a.m. Monday, free for members, $6.95 for non-members, pregame breakfast, halftime tailgate party, prizes, giveaways and contests to determine Armchair Quarterback and Hardest-Working Fans. Challenger 784-6900. Mustang 784-6931.
Kunsan Air Base
Loring Club, pre-party at 4:30 a.m. Monday, party at 5:30 a.m., $3 breakfast and lunch for members, $5 for non-members, discounted beverages, prizes to all include $600 from New Car Sales, team jackets, 10 Outback Steak House dinners, prizes for members only includg quarterly cash drawing, barbeque grill giveaway, NFL jackets, bowling passes, Tours and Tickets trips, recliners. 782-4575.
Camp Red Cloud
Community activities center, 7 a.m. Monday, free refreshments. 732-9246 or 6246.
Mitchell’s Club, 7 a.m. Monday, free breakfast, guess-the-final-score contest for $50 gift certificate. 732-8211.
Camp Casey
USO, 7 a.m. Monday, free breakfast, prizes including free hotel accommodations, dinner certificates, USO tours, mobile phones, phone cards and more.
Rodriguez Range
Eight TVs to be installed in dining facility.
Camp Carroll
Community activities center, 6 a.m. Monday, $1, breakfast, door prizes, drawings, giveaways including calling cards, gift certificates and football jerseys. 765-7484 or 8325.
Camp Walker
Hilltop Club, 6:30 a.m. Monday, free breakfast until 8 a.m., door prizes, giveaways, drawings. Sponsored by club and Better Opportunities for Single Sailors. 764-4985.
Camp Henry
Henry’s Place, 6:30 a.m. Monday, free breakfast until 8 a.m. Door prized, drawings. 768-7300.
K-2 Air Base
Jake’s Club, 6 a.m. Monday, free breakfast of doughnuts, juice and coffee. Chili cookoff, with judging at halftime, plus bratwursts and other side dishes. 766-4107 or 4226.
Chinhae Naval Base
Duffy’s, 6 a.m. Monday, open to all hands, free breakfast at 6:30 a.m., lunch at 11 a.m. Exact quarter-score contests, prizes including team jerseys and gift certificates. Exact final-score contest, winner takes home a mountain bicycle. 762-5848.
Camp Hialeah
Pusan Pub, 6 a.m. Monday, free breakfast until kickoff, door prizes, drawings. 763-3685.
Camp Humphreys
7 a.m. Monday, $9.95 steak-and-egg breakfast at Alaska Mining Company, $3.95 continental breakfast at community activities center, prizes, chairs of honor, halftime contests.
Okinawa
Kadena Air Base
Banyan Tree Enlisted Club lounge, 6 a.m. Monday, free continental breakfast, halftime snacks, beverage specials, drawings, prizes. 634-0644.
Officers’ Club Weekender Lounge, 6 a.m. Monday, breakfast at 6:30 a.m., prizes. Open to members 20 years or older. 634-3663.
Rocker NCO Club Ballroom, 6 a.m., breakfast buffet and halftime snacks, contests, prizes. 634-3828.
Marine Corps Community Services Clubs
7 a.m. Monday, $3.95 breakfast buffet, halftime snacks, prizes, contests, giveaways throughout game. Camp Schwab Beach Head 625-2053, Camp Hansen Palms 623-4375 or 4447, Camp Courtney Bayview 622-9300, Awase Meadows Golf Course Restaurant 645-4980, Camp Foster Chesty’s Staff NCO Club 645-5242, Globe & Anchor Enlisted Club 645-4842, Futenma Marine Corps Air Station Thirsty’s E-Club 636-3046, Camp Kinser Surfside 637-3137.
Torii Station
Coral Cove, 7:30 a.m. Monday, free breakfast until 10 a.m., free snacks until end of game, drink specials, door prizes. 644-4017.
Guam
Naval Station “Big Navy”
Club Rumours, 6 a.m., breakfast buffet, lunch specials, beverage specials, contests including a Deal or No Deal game for up to $1,000 in Navy Exchange gift cards, grand prize for active-duty personnel including trips to Japan to see Tokyo Disneyland or American Bowl 2006 in Tokyo, other prizes include weekend getaway or lunch and dinner certificates at local hotels, gift certificates to various local outlets.
Single Sailors Sanctuary, 7:30 a.m. Monday, free food and drinks.
Andersen Air Force Base
Top of the Rock Collocated Club, 8 a.m. Monday, free for members and deployed personnel, $10 for non-members, breakfast buffet, lunch menu including burgers and fries, pizza, roast beef sandwiches, Buffalo wings and chicken Caesar salad, contests, door prizes, giveaways.
