Superbowl is for Girls!

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Whether you are already a Football fan, your guy is a Football Fanatic or you were invited to a Superbowl Party this weekend and have no clue what it’s all about, my pal  fab Sports Writer Vanessa-Franchesca “VF” Castro has everything you need from what to wear to conversation tips that will make you the MVP of any Superbowl Party!

I am so excited to have her guest post this week PLUS we will be giving away a copy of her book “The Modern Girls’ Guide to the Gridiron” which delivers all the info you need to level the playing field during Football Season!

I’m handing the ball to to VF now…..

Most Super Bowl shirts or sweaters cost anywhere from $25-$75.00, which is a lot to spend when chances are your team isn’t even playing. But despite all that, you can’t just show up to a party (or the one you’re hosting) with a random color on. Football is about camaraderie and feeling like you belong. And whether your team is in the big game or not, everyone picks a side, because that’s just how it is! So what do you do when you’re less-than-interested in stopping by your local sports store and picking up a shirt you’ll only wear once? You open those closets or head to your favorite department stores with team colors in mind, and make tasteful investments in your wardrobe that will last you for years to come.

With the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Seattle Seahawks, taking on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona, you have two color pallets to choose from: Bright (neon) Green/Navy/Silver, and Blue/Silver/White/Red.

Here are four looks I put together:

SuperBowlLooks

Seattle Seahawks:

For the first look, I styled a pair of skinny jeans (which are a closet staple), and a neon green embellished blouse by 3:1 Phillip Lim, followed by a pair of navy blue espadrilles from Michael Kors. The second look is a little more fashion forward, but it’s still a classic style. I paired a gorgeous blue ribbed knit sweater by Yves Saint Laurent Vintage with a playful bright green skater skirt by Go Jane. And for accessories, I paired a sparkly bib necklace by BaubleBar, with grey booties from Steve Madden, and then a matching grey Debutante clutch by my favorite, Henri Bendel

New England Patriots:

For the first look, I paired basic skinny jeans with a white tank top, and a red sweater by KAOS, with leopard booties by Ella Moss (similar), and a necklace by BaubleBar. For the second look, I styled the same skinny jeans with this white dolman sleeve sweater by Helmut Lang, with white booties (similar), and accessorized with a red Ralph Lauren scarf, and this “timeless” nautical-style watch by Daniel Wellington — a perfect nod to New England style. 

If you go with the basic colors of each franchise, your rooting interests will be easily differentiated, but the goal is to have fun — both with your fashion choices, and during the game itself. 

Super Bowl XLIX: The Official Novice Primer

The Super Bowl is a fun time for friends, family, and new company to get together and enjoy one of America’s most storied pastimes: football.

Unfortunately a lot of viewers feel left out during the big game—either because they don’t understand what’s going on, or don’t know anything about the teams playing due to a simple lack of interest. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, Super Bowl parties can be pretty painful (socially, and emotionally) if you’re not prepared.

Enter the Super Bowl XLIX Official Novice Primer, with quick facts, anecdotes, and major news headlines leading up to the game, to prepare you with talking points for anything that might come your way.

Let’s jump right in:

SUPER BOWL HISTORY

  • Taking it back in the history books, the NFL came to be in 1970 following the merger of the NFL and the AFL. A lot of people are under the impression that 1970 is when the Super Bowl was born, but the first Super Bowl was actually played on January 15, 1967, following the ’66 season. Super Bowl I was played at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.
  • The trophy given to Super Bowl winners was renamed “The Vince Lombardi Trophy” in 1970 to commemorate the Packers’ late legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, who led Green Bay to the league’s first two back-to-back World Championships.
  • That year in Super Bowl V at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla., the Baltimore Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 16-13 to win the inaugural trophy.

TEAMS YOU SHOULD KNOW

  • The current reigning champions are the Seattle Seahawks, who defeated the Denver Broncos, 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey following the 2013 season.
  • That was the Seahawks’ first Super Bowl win in the team’s 40-year history.
  • Seattle’s win brought the grand total of wins per conference to 26 for the NFC (National Football Conference), and 22 for the AFC (American Football Conference).
  • The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the charge having won six Super Bowls, with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys tied with five wins apiece, followed by the New England Patriots, the New York Giants, and the Packers’ win totals to four each, and then the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders’ wins with three apiece.

THE BLING

Now let’s talk about the hardware: the trophy itself.

  • The Lombardi Trophy is designed by Tiffany & Co. and began with a simple sketch in 1967 by T&Co’s vice president, Oscar Riedner. The trophy’s design—cast in a stunning sterling silver—is as beautiful as it is functional.
  • With three concave sterling silver panels supporting a sterling silver football in the kicking position, the trophy adorns the NFL shield, with the score and numerical game details. Tiffany’s is the exclusive manufacturer of the $50,000, 22-inch, seven-pound trophy.
  • For the wearable jewelry, the NFL allocates $5,000 per ring to the Super Bowl-winning team for the franchise to contract a jeweler to make up to 150 rings for the players, coaches and other personnel in the organization. Any cost incurred beyond $5,000 (per ring) is paid for by the team. The bid for designing the Super Bowl rings usually goes to Jostens, Balfour and Tiffany’s, with last year’s Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl XLVIII champs ring being designed by Tiffany’s.

THE BUZZ

There have been many storylines headed into Super Bowl XLIX, and I guarantee they will come up at some point, so I’m going to lay it out in the most simplified way possible.

Deflate Gate

  • The major headline in circulation as of now involves the New England Patriots. In the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts on January 18, stories went viral following the conclusion that the Patriots had played the first half with under-inflated footballs.
  • The National Football League confirmed the “Deflate Gate” allegations following its interviews of 40 Patriots personnel, where it concluded that the footballs supplied did not comply with the league’s Playing Rule 2, Section 1, which states footballs have to be 12.5 – 13.5 pounds per square inch. League balls, supplied by Wilson, are 11 – 11½ inches long (nose to nose), and 21 – 21¼ inches in circumference.
  • For every game, 24 footballs are provided—12 for each team—and an additional 12 are kept in the officials’ locker room. Each football is inspected before the start of every football game and has to pass strict compliance measures before it’s allowed to be used.
  • Officials suspect that at some point during the first half of the championship game, the footballs were deflated. This practice is intended to improve grip, which creates a cleaner pass, but it also carries a $25,000 fine that the league can increase at its discretion, depending on the findings. Officials determined the footballs to be 2 PSI under the legal limits, and the league confirmed.
  • Although the Patriots are maintaining their innocence, the case is being looked at by Jeff Pash and Ted Wells, who oversaw the Dolphins’ bullying scandal two years ago, so it could take some time before a ruling is determined.

Expensive Gestures

The final major headline involves Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch.

  • Lynch has been rumored to have a social anxiety disorder, which is why he has spent much of his NFL career under the radar. However, as an introvert, this season has all but launched an all-out war between Lynch and the league, as the league imposed a total of $100,000 in fines for instances where Lynch refused to speak to media or give proper interviews, per the league’s media policy.
  • On top of that, Lynch was fined $11,050 for grabbing his crotch on a touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals in December. And it was announced over the weekend that Lynch was issued another $20,000 for a repeat crotch-grabbing violation against the Packers in the NFC Championship game.
  • Lynch has been warned by the League that if he makes any obscene gestures during the Super Bowl, the Seahawks would face a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, with additional fines possible. An interesting detail of this news is that a collage was being sold on NFLShop.com for $149.95, featuring an image of Lynch’s now infamous crotch grab. The NFL said the collage was made by a licensed retailer, and has since removed the item from its website.
  • While rumors have been circulating that Lynch could sue the League over its media policy as it relates to his alleged anxiety disorder, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has been firm in the franchise’s decision to continue letting Lynch to act in the ways he is comfortable with, as long as he’s being productive, and a team player.

The Super Bowl is a great time to bond and discover the camaraderie that sports can bring if you let it. So if you’re a football novice, or a well-versed fan looking for some talking points, I hope these help spark conversation and improve the overall experience!

ENTER BELOW to win a signed copy of “The Modern Girls Guide to the Girdiron” by VF Castro

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2 Comments

  1. Wow! Did not know that about lynch. Need to bring that up for sure at our Super Bowl party to my friend Jen lol

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