On Sunday, over 150 Americans (and others) will be gathered around their TV to watch football’s biggest game. Some will be watching because they are actual fans of the Ravens or the 49ers, some because of the commercials, some because they enjoy gambling, and others because they were invited to a game-day potluck and are trying to follow along with what the rest of their friends are doing.

For some, NFL Sunday represents an excuse for binge drinking, or a continuation of college football Saturday drinking. For those who just tune in because they were invited to that potluck mentioned above, it offers an opportunity to meet people (sports fan and non-sports fan), see them in various states, and ultimately determine if you want to ask them out.

Did I come to a conclusion too quickly? Possibly, but think about it: You got tired of the biochemist whose hobbies included bikram yoga and the History Channel? Well, now you can observe the friend of your co-worker, who is a die-hard football fan (yet has no allegiance to either team) and has season tickets to his local NBA team. You can ask him about his passions (or her), and see how he responds to various questions, how he acts to others who may not share his interests, and his choice of potluck food. Chances are if he brought pho and white wine to a football party, he’s probably never been to a tailgate or game watch before.

Knowing that, maybe there is a guy you like at the party. As the hours go on, you still like him. You like how he explains football rules to your friend who knows as much about sports as I do about 18^th Century English literature (which is none), and how he uses “please” and “thank you” in his requests for his fourth, fifth, and sixth whiskey cokes. Even when he slurs his words a little bit and asks to take you to that new bistro on the corner of Starbucks and McDonalds, you give him your number.

Pregame coverage of the big game starts at around 11:00 am (depending on the channel you are watching) and the game ends around 9:30-10:00ish (for us on Central Time). That’s almost 10 solid hours of getting to know someone, or some people. Who knew you could get a date out of an alcohol-fueled party for football’s biggest game?