Watching The Super Bowl Together: Great Date Or Disaster?

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Watching the Super Bowl together is a bad idea for a first date, but it makes sense if you've been seeing each other for a while, according to a new survey by specialty dating service It's Just Lunch. The company received over 600 responses to its latest online survey, which includes questions about dating and the Super Bowl.

When asked, "Would you bring a 'first date' to a Super Bowl party?" 53% of singles answered no. Surprisingly, men and women agreed on this answer more than any other one, with women at 54% against and men at 50% against.

But after a first date, the Super Bowl turns out to be a nice way to spend time together. The top answer to "How do you really feel about watching the Super Bowl with someone you're dating?" was "I'm happy to do it together." 88% of the men and 75% of the women responded positively to watching the game together.  But not everyone watches for his or her own enjoyment.  21% of the women watch the game with their dates, but it's not their favorite thing to do.   Only 1% of singles across the board picked the curmudgeonly "I'd rather they left me to watch the game with my friends so I can really enjoy it."

"The Super Bowl makes a lousy first date because you're paying more attention to the TV set than the person you're with," says Irene LaCota, spokesperson for It's Just Lunch.  "But after you have been dating awhile it can be a lot of fun.  You'll be able to see a new side of your date and see firsthand whether or not they really like watching football."

The genders disagreed about where they would rather watch the big game. 53% of women would rather attend a Super Bowl party, compared to 38% of the men. Watching the championship game at home was the first choice of 53% of the men and 32% of the women. Everyone's last choice was sports bars, but 15% of women preferred them compared to 9% of men.  "Though women clearly enjoy watching the Super Bowl," says LaCota, "most prefer to watch it with lots of social interaction."

One of the reasons for this may have to do with which part of the Super Bowl experience women like the most. When asked what part of the Super Bowl Show (the game itself, the commercials or the half-time show) they most looked forward to, the top answer for both genders was "I look forward to all of it equally," chosen by 45% of the men and 39% of the women. Only 16% of women selected "the game itself" compared to 36% of men. However, 31% of the women (and 17% of the men) selected "the commercials." The half-time show was preferred by another 14% of the women, but was chosen by only 1% of the men.

But women are definitely interested in the football part of the Super Bowl as well. In fact, the football widow looks like she's facing extinction. When asked, "How do you feel about the football watching habits of the person you're dating?" 42% of the women, and 56% of the men said, "It's fine. We both watch together." In second place for both genders was "It's fine. I like having the time to do my own thing." This answer was selected by 36% of the women and 20% of the men. In third place for the women, with 13% (compared to 7% of the men) was "I'm not in love with it, but they make it up to me in other ways." Only 2% of the women (and just one-half of a percent of the men) selected "I don't like it. It puts a strain on our relationship."

When it comes to this Super Bowl in particular, It's Just Lunch checked on who the fan favorites were by asking "Who would you most want to meet for a drink after work?" Singles were given a choice of the quarterbacks and the two top running backs for each team. And just like in most high schools, it was the quarterbacks that had the advantage. Colin Kaepernick  of the 49ers was the top choice for women (33%) and second choice for men (30%).  Joe Flacco was the first choice for men with 33% of the vote, and just missed out on first place with the women at 31%.  Ray Rice of the Ravens was the most popular of the running backs, scoring with 18% of the women and 16% of the men. Frank Gore of the 49ers was selected by 13% of the men and just 6% of the women. LaMichael James of the 49ers, came in second to last. He was drafted by 10% of the men and 6% of the women. Bringing up the rear was Bernard Pierce of the Ravens who managed to hang onto 8% of the male vote and 7% of the women's.

Despite all the interest in the Super Bowl by both genders, watching a football game, whether in person, or on TV, gives you very low odds of meeting someone to date. Only 5% of men and 6% of women responded "yes" to the question "Have you ever dated someone you met while watching a football game or at a Super Bowl party?"

LaCota understands why it's hard to meet someone this way. "It's a lot easier to meet someone when you have the time to look in their eyes and not feel like you are missing the next touchdown."

SOURCE It's Just Lunch