Feb 4th, 2018, 05:49 PM

Eagles' fans turn up at the Super Bowl LII party at the Amex

By Ali Benzerara
Philadelphia fans go crazy as the Eagles score another touchdown against the New England Patriots
Image Credit: Ali Benzerara
The Amex was at full capacity as Patriots and Eagles' cheered their teams on.

Students and friends of the American University of Paris filled the Amex late Sunday night as Super Bowl LII unfolded in a head-to-head clash against the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots.

At the start of the event, the Amex was looking like any other rainy afternoon on a weekday; half-packed, with some people playing pool, and others socializing among their peers. As the start of the game drew near, the Amex quickly began to get crowded and people congregated towards the large projector screen to wait for kickoff.

Image Credit: Ali Benzara

Free chicken wings and quesadillas were served every 30 minutes until about 2 a.m. The barbeque chicken wings were perfect for the super bowl atmosphere, and the quesadillas added a nice flavor when wanting something to munch on. However, beer after beer being poured out to students, the food went as quickly as it came, creating a feeding frenzy for five to 10 minutes, never expanding further than the people propped up at the bar the moment the food came out.

With the food only an amenity to the actual event, most people did not seem to care that it was scarce. Students were much more worried about getting a good seat to watch the game and filling up their pint before the watering hole ran dry, which it never did, even as students bought pints up until the last minutes of the game.

As the game kicked off with the National Anthem, the Amex grew loud as voices from all over began singing, and even the bartenders paused and joined in on the festivities. With students from all over the world, it was a surprise to hear so many voices singing the anthem. It was truly a bonding moment at the Amex. But that did not last long.



Image Credit: Ali Benzerara



Image Credit: Ali Benzerara

With kickoff underway, the 'brotherly love' from Philadelphia Eagles fans soon turned into a Brady-shaming event as the crowd began to divide according to who they were cheering for. But, for many, the team to emerge victorious did not matter. What mattered more to them was the active celebration of America's most watched sporting event and indulging in an American tradition.

However, there were definitely some true fans at the event. If you could not spot them, they were the ones yelling out "Eagles!" every 5 minutes or "trust the process!" every time the Patriots made a mistake. As the game started, the lights went off in the Amex and students really began to get into the spirit.



Image Credit: Ali Benzerara

With the terrace closed, students had to exit the building in order to smoke, discouraging people from making too much noise outside. That, along with the freezing weather, kept most people inside for a majority of the time. 

At its most lively point, the Amex accommodated 150 people. Towards the end of the event, only about 30 people remained.

Unfortunately, if you came for the halftime show and infamous Super Bowl commercials, you were out of luck. Even with the volume of the Amex's sound system turned up all the way, it was near impossible to hear Justin Timberlake's flashy but down-to-earth performance as he took center stage, and at one point even made a tribute to Prince. As people yelled at the crowd to "be quiet" during the commercials, volume stayed steady, making it impossible to hear unless you were located somewhere near a speaker. However, that did not stop students from enjoying the visuals of the commercials. The crowd went crazy for the M&M commercial where Danny Devito got hit by a bus and the Sprite Zero commercial starring Morgan Freeman.

With little food served, and inadequate sound amplification, students still enjoyed themselves, and the event was an overall success. There was a good turnout, students from all over had a great time, the Eagles ended their 42-year losing streak and the cops didn't get called. It was a success.