s W u A p I e T r A b N o G w I l (Ways the Superbowl is like Waitangi Day and vice versa)

I'm living a double life: I'm in Toronto physically but in some ways I'm always still in Aotearoa too.

Today (5 Feb) is the day of the Superbowl here in North America... and today (6 Feb) is Waitangi day in New Zealand.

Funnily enough, these two momentous occasions seem to have a few things in common...

Ways the Superbowl is like Waitangi Day and vice versa

1. It's either a big event of great significance or a waste of energy to be ridiculed/ ignored where possible and to be endured where necessary, depending on your perspective. And your perspective is more likely than not determined by the perspective of your family when you were growing up.

2. Television media uses their coverage of the day in order to bring in more audiences for advertisers... the 'entertainment' between and around the actual event often get more profile and coverage than analysis of the actual event.

3. An endless array of commentators have opinions before, during and after the actual day - regardless of what actually takes place.

4. If you don't understand the rules of the game, it's confusing to just sit around and watch for fun.

5. Sometimes an attacking team is needed, sometimes a defending team is needed.

6. Although the event is framed as if it is an annual meeting between two teams, it actually comes at the end of (and beginning of) a long series of connections and encounters that involve far more than just the people on the field on the day. Far, far more.