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The big game isn't just for boys.
An ever-increasing number of women are tuning in to the Super Bowl and the popular commercials each year.
For Niki Messmer of Grand Island, today's game means rooting for the New England Patriots.
"I like football," she said.
Messmer plans to cheer for the Patriots because "The Pack" failed to make it to the Super Bowl after Green Bay lost to the New York Giants in the playoffs.
"It would be neat to see them have an undefeated season," she said of the Patriots.
She watches games on and off during the season and often talks about football, particularly college ball, with her mom.
"I follow college football, but I'm not a fanatic," she said.
In fact, Messmer was into football as a single gal and her husband, Mitch, started watching more games after they got married. The Messmers have two sons, the older of which is looking forward to the game, she said.
The family has been invited to a couple of Super Bowl gatherings, but Messmer said they will most likely return home before the game is over to get their children to bed.
Jill Kottwitz also plans to watch the game with her family which includes her husband, Dean, and two children and some friends.
"Dean wants me to root against the Patriots, but I'd like to see them go undefeated," she said.
She'll probably be cheering on the Patriots because her team, the Dallas Cowboys, is in the same division as the Giants and lost to them earlier in the season. Several of the Patriots' players were also part of her fantasy football team this year, she said.
She started fantasy football four years ago when her husband and some mutual friends needed another player.
"I don't do too bad," she said. "This year, Dean finished first and I was second out of 10."
Kottwitz, who lives in Aurora, said she's always watched football, especially the Huskers, but watches a lot more now because her husband is a big fan.
"It's something we can do together," she said. "If Dean has the remote, that's what's on, so its a good thing I like it, too."
Her 4-year-old son is also a fan. He favors the New York Jets, his dad's favorite team, she said.
"Dad watches it, so he watches it," she said of football. "When the Jets play, they watch together and wear their jerseys."
She added that her son knows most of the teams by their uniforms and understands first downs and touchdowns.
In addition to the football action, Kottwitz enjoys the Super Bowl commercials.
"There's always something new," she said.
It's also fun to try to guess which ones people will be talking about the next day at work, she said.
The commercials are an added benefit of the Super Bowl for Messmer, too.
"It's what everyone is talking about the next day," she said.
According to the Boston Globe, advertisers are taking note of the growing female Super Bowl audience. This year, an estimated 40.5 million women will be among the 90 million viewers taking in the game and the commercials.
About 32.6 million of last year's viewers were women, which is up from 30.6 million in 2001 and 32.2 million in 2002. More female viewers are likely to mean more family-oriented advertising, such as Procter & Gamble's Charmin toilet paper, according to the Boston Globe.
But the big game isn't just about football and commercials. There's the food, as well.
According to Associated Content, almost 15,000 tons of potato chips and 4,000 tons of popcorn are eaten on Super Bowl Sunday. If all of those chips were lined up, the trail would measure 293,000 miles, while a string of that popcorn would circle the earth almost five and a half times.
While Kottwitz's family and friends plan to order pizza, Messmer is likely to be among the popcorn consumers.
"I'm a snacker," she said. "I go between the spicy chicken wings to the pizza, and then later I go for the chocolate. The more exciting the game gets, the more I eat. Like if there's popcorn, I mow it down."
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