(ATR) Journalists had a chance to watch the National Football League championship game in the Main Press Center in PyeongChang.
A watch party was organized by the IOC and PyeongChang 2018 staff to allow journalists to watch the big game and get a respite from deadlines. Dubbed "Super Bowl Monday" due to the time difference, the game kicked off at 8:30 am local time.
Traditionally the Super Bowl is played on Sunday night in America. It helped that Olympic rights holder NBC was also broadcasting the Games. Organizers said the game would have been shown regardless had it been on another network, but the convenience of NBC’s broadcast was not lost.
To entice journalists and other watchers, organizers offered up a spread of breakfast food and traditional Super Bowl fares. Instead of kimchi, porridge, and rice for breakfast, guests were treated to chicken wings and fries.
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33 in a high-octane game that produced the most total yards accumulated in any NFL game in history.
Around 50 journalists, photographers, volunteers, and IOC and POCOG staff rose early to catch the Games. Only a handful stayed through the entire four hour broadcast even though the game came down to its final play.
The party also drew coverage from South Korea’s major newspapers eager to speak with journalists about the event. Both Yonhap news agency and the JoongAng Ilbo were canvassing the assembled crowd for quotes.
"When South Koreans think of football, they [generally] think of soccer and European football," said Yoon Seung Kang, a journalist from Yonhap covering the party. "People are becoming more and more aware of this event, but still football is a very new sport to South Korea. I think it's good to have this opportunity for the media to cover this event in Korea."
Throughout the game PyeongChang 2018 volunteers would peek their heads in to catch a glimpse of the action. Gina Lee, a volunteer from Seoul, said it was her first time watching American football. She along with friend Monica Cho, a volunteer from Daegu, heard the commotion after a big play and chose to investigate.
Lee said it was confusing to watch not knowing the rules, but enjoyed the "energetic" atmosphere. Her main takeaway from the experience is one NFL fans can understand: too many advertisements.
"The whole atmosphere, like, I don’t know," Lee said. "Only the commercials have come on!"
Written by Aaron Bauer
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