Where to Watch the Super Bowl

Student Activities is hosting a Super Bowl viewing party in the GSU Metcalf Ballroom this Sunday. Other events are scheduled at various residence halls around campus.

Updated at 5 p.m. Friday to include street closings and cancellation of BU Bus late night shuttle Sunday night

After the monster snowstorm that clobbered Boston and much of New England with more than two feet of snow earlier this week, there’s probably no place better to be right now than Phoenix, Ariz. The perpetually warm, reliably sunny city is hosting Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, which is expected to draw a TV audience of nearly 100 million. If you’re not one of the lucky few with tickets to see Tom Brady and the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in person, you’ll have to settle for someplace indoors to watch the game. Fortunately, there are viewing parties galore on campus that will give you a chance to cheer on the hometown team with your classmates.

Arguably one of the biggest events of the year, the Super Bowl has something for everyone: music (provided this year by halftime performer Katy Perry), entertainment (commercials), and of course, football. The game is best watched in large groups, preferably with lots of snacks and friendly trash talk. With that in mind, Student Activities is throwing a campuswide viewing party starting at 5 p.m. Sunday, well in advance of the 6:30 p.m. game kickoff. The party, in the GSU Metcalf Ballroom, will offer football fanatics a chance to watch the game on a 20-foot (240-inch) projector screen, although fair-weather fans may be more interested in the snacks, refreshments, and games.

The first 100 students in the door will get to participate in a game of Super Bowl Squares (a variation on the traditional football pool); the rest will receive raffle tickets for such prizes as Patriots gear, BU items, and Beanpot tickets that will be given out throughout the game. There’ll be a lucky winner of one large prize at the end of each quarter—first quarter: a Fossil Grant brown leather watch; halftime: Ugg boots; third quarter: a $250 JetBlue gift card; and game’s end: a 46-inch Samsung LED Smart TV. The event is free and open to all students, but the SAO strongly suggests an RSVP in advance.

Smaller celebrations will be held in some of the residence halls as well: on East Campus, in the first floor lounge at 575 Commonwealth Avenue at 6 p.m.; on South Campus, in the basement lounge at 520 Park Drive at 6:30 p.m.; in the Cinema Room at Warren Towers at 6:30 p.m.; and in the first floor Commons at Kilachand Hall at 6:30 p.m. Free food and refreshments will be served, and the parties are open to any BU student with residence hall access.

Whoever wins on Sunday, the Super Bowl is a community-building experience. Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore (SED’87) hopes that students living both on and off-campus will get together to enjoy the game. “I encourage students to watch the Super Bowl somewhere: the GSU, a friend’s house, or if you are 21 or over, a local establishment,” Elmore says. “For me, the Super Bowl is like a really good cult movie. It’s participatory, whether you are watching it for the actual game or the commercials.”

Still, it’s important that even the most diehard fans maintain a level head, no matter what the final score. Elmore urges students to celebrate responsibly. “I just ask everyone to make safety their highest priority,” he says. “Aside from fun, trash talk, and snark, please make safety your highest priority. Please also be respectful of the city and its neighborhoods. The better gatherings are the smaller ones, not outside with lots of people you don’t know.”

Students should be aware that Kenmore Square will be shut down starting at the beginning of the third quarter and will remain closed to pedestrians and traffic until the game is over. Scott Paré, BU deputy director of public safety and BU Police deputy chief, says students should avoid Kenmore Square during the game and notes that residents of Myles Standish Hall will be able to enter only from Bay State Road while the square is closed.

The Super Bowl game will also cause a number of road closures between 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and will result in cancellation of the late night shuttle Sunday night as a result. Commonwealth Avenue will be closed from the BU Bridge to Mass. Ave. in both directions. Brookline Avenue will be closed from Beacon Street to Pilgrim Road, with the exception of those garages and parking lots that have no other exit to another public way. All vehicles exiting should turn in a southerly direction towards Park Drive. Boylston St. will be closed from Pilgrim Road to Westland Ave. and Ipswich St. will be closed from Boylston St. at Hemenway to to Boylston St. at Park Drive. Other street closings are: Landsdowne St. from Brookline Ave. to Ipswich St.; Van Ness St. from Ipswich St. to Yawkey Way and from Yawkey Way to Kilmarnock St.; and Yawkey Way from Boylston St. to Van Ness St.

With the considerable amount of snow still on the ground and piled near sidewalks, Paré says, it’s extremely important for students to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings. “We urge students to watch out for each other,” he says. “Students need to take into consideration that there’s a lot of snow out there and that drivers’ views are largely obstructed at intersections, so you need to take extra precautions when crossing busy streets like Comm Ave.”

To safeguard the safety of the BU campus and the city of Boston during and after the Super Bowl, the BUPD and the Boston Police Department will have extra patrols on duty. “This is to ensure that everyone can enjoy a safe celebration of our anticipated Patriots’ win,” Paré says.

With that in mind, enjoy the game, stay safe, and go Pats!

The viewing party in the GSU’s Metcalf Ballroom begins at 5 p.m. on Sunday, February 1, and lasts until the game’s end. Food and refreshments will be served. The party is free and open to all BU students, but Student Activities strongly suggests an RSVP in advance.

Super Bowl celebrations will also be held at the following residence halls: 575 Commonwealth Avenue, 6 p.m.; 520 Park Drive, 6:30 p.m.; Warren Towers, 6:30 p.m.; and Kilachand Hall, 6:30 p.m. Free food and refreshments will be served, and parties are open to any BU student with residence hall access.

Samantha Pickette can be reached at pickette@bu.edu.