By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The Super Bowl is by far the most popular sporting event of the year. Sunday’s game was reported to be the most watched program in television history, beating the record set by last year’s Super Bowl, which of course featured the New Orleans Saints winning their first championship.

With the popularity of the game soaring to all-time highs, last week L’Observateur asked its readers where they planned to watch the big game.

Although images of rowdy Super Bowl parties clog the airwaves during the month of January, it seems in the River Parishes at least the popularity of the Super Bowl party may be fading somewhat.

Fewer than 20 percent of respondents said they planned to watch the game at a viewing party of some kind. While the 8 percent who said they were having friends over for Sunday’s matchup may bump this number up a little bit, it still pales in comparison to the nearly 40 percent of respondents who said they planned to have a quiet day at home watching the game by themselves or with their families.

Of the respondents who indicated they were not interested in the game, three-quarters were just generally disinterested while the remaining quarter were not interested because the Saints were not one of the competing teams.

A full breakdown of results follows:

• 18 percent of respondents chose, “I’m going to a viewing party to cheer on the hometown player.”

• 8 percent of respondents chose, “I’m having friends over to watch the game.”

• 38 percent of respondents chose, “I’m going to watch the game at home by myself or just with my family.”

• 9 percent of respondents chose, “If the Saints aren’t in it, I’m not interested.”

• 27 percent of respondents chose, “I don’t watch the Super Bowl.”