Megan Bowles ’15Sports Editor
Last Sunday, Smith students from various houses across campus gathered in front of their televisions to watch as the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, the highest rated game in television history. Students from Baltimore and the Bay area had the opportunity to cheer on their hometown teams while others simply enjoyed the tradition of coming together to watch the biggest sporting event of the year.
Though Smith lacks a football team of its own, football culture is not completely absent from campus life. In 2007, the Campus Center organized a screening of Game Day by bringing in a big screen television specifically for the Super Bowl, and Smith football fans gathered in the Carroll Room to watch the Indianapolis Colts battle it out against the Chicago Bears. The next year brought an even larger audience as fans of the Northeast’s very own New England Patriots and New York Giants crowded the Campus Center to root for Tom Brady as well as other football favorites.
While many students took the highlight of Sunday evening to be a keynote address by Smith alumna and feminist activist Gloria Steinem, Smith’s football fans were treated to an unforgettable night as well. From Beyoncé bringing down the house at halftime to Jacoby Jones completing the longest kick return in Super Bowl history, to the blackout in the Super Dome and to the 49ers’ sudden winning streak in the last quarter, which almost jeopardized Baltimore’s eventual 34-31 win, Smith students shared in every piece of Sunday night’s excitement.
