by The Cowl Editor on February 8, 2018
Campus
by Alexandra Huzyk ’20
On Sunday, February 4, Super Bowl LII was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Many Providence College students tuned in for the event, rooting for either the Philadelphia Eagles or the New England Patriots. Both McPhail’s and Campus Ministry hosted watch parties for the big game. In order to accommodate students watching the Super Bowl, the normal Sunday Mass schedules were altered.
The Providence College campus, located in the heart of New England, seemed to be scattered with students in red, white, and blue attire this past Sunday. As a college comprised predominantly of students who live within this region of the country, it comes as no surprise that many students chose to support the New England Patriots. Matt St. Jean ’20 said, “I’m a lifelong, diehard Pats fan, so I was rooting for them in the game.” St. Jean expressed that while watching the game, he became worried when the New England Patriots were losing to the Philadelphia Eagles. “The problems weren’t with scheming, but with talent. So I knew the defense would have problems all day,” he said. St. Jean also shared that when the game progressed into the second half, he felt that only a miracle could result in the Patriots’ victory.
Amidst the sea of Patriots fans, some students were rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles. Rita Murphy ’19 explains that, due to her loyalty to the New York Giants, she was rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles. Murphy said, “I went by the Campus Ministry center for the game because they always have really great food made by the Knights of Columbus as well as a huge projection screen to watch the game on.” She also explained that because of the College’s large New England Patriots fan base, watching the game was a bit tense.
Ben Simons ’18 was another student rooting for the Eagles. He says that he has been a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles his whole life because his family is originally from Pennsylvania. “As I have grown up in an area with predominantly Pats fans,” Simons said, “I grew up dealing with the Pats dynasty and their fair-weather fans.” Simons, who watched the game with other non-Patriots fans, describes being anxious while watching the game.
To the chagrin of New England fans, and to the delight of Philadelphia supporters, the Philadelphia Eagles won with a final score of 41 to 33. “The campus has shown a resilient spirit after the Patriots’ loss, but I was definitely feeling joyful for the Eagles’ victory,” said Murphy. Simons said that he felt ecstatic when the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl. Leicia Henderson ’19, a student who attended the watch party in Campus Ministry and a New England Patriots supporter, said, “I was obviously upset about the outcome of the game but I hope that the Patriots can work well in the off-season.”
Although the campus seemed to be divided, as students rooted for their respective teams, a love for football seemed to unite the campus this past Super Bowl Sunday. Following the game, there was a celebration, which was planned to be held at the Calabria Plaza Torch on Slavin Lawn. However, due to the rain, this small gathering was held in the Slavin Atrium.