Thanksgiving 2024 has officially concluded. From all of us here at Two and A Half Virgins, we hope that your Thanksgiving was picture-perfect; a crazy drunk uncle, a grandfather who ate all the pie, and at least 4-5 instances of painfully awkward silence to accompany dinner, all the necessities. Now that Thanksgiving is officially over, it’s time to break out the Christmas music, decorations, egg nog, or whatever it is that gets you into the holiday spirit. This is unequivocally the best time of the year. Family is in from out of town, we have back-to-back-to-back holidays, the kids are home from school, and depending on where you live, snow is falling outside. If you are the Scrooge type, however, who likes to be Mr. Rain Cloud for the holidays, I strongly encourage you to click off this blog and ask your dad for a hug or something. I have no patience for you ruining everyone’s peace and holiday joy. With that aside, let’s talk Christmas lists. I, unlike most, have a singular wish at the top of my list. Judging by the title, I’m sure you all have an idea of what that is…

Now I’m not sure about you all, or what age or demographic you, Mr. or Ms. Reader, might be, but when I was a kid growing up in New England, this world we lived in felt astoundingly less hostile. It may have been my shroud of innocence from being a child, or the non-existence of social media, but I fondly remember a world where neighbors smiled, a helping hand was commonplace, and good drastically outweighed the bad. I currently live in San Diego, and this close proximity to the city may be tainting and blurring my vision of reality, but I feel the contrary to the formerly mentioned observations of the past exists. Anyway, moving away from my opinions on humanity’s existential moral conundrum, I’d like to propose a solution.

For many of us, immersing ourselves in our favorite sports team is a special way to cope with all of the issues we face in the world. As a football fan, Sundays are my crack. Inching from one day to another during the week is made possible by my gleaming excitement to watch the currently awful New England Patriots play. I express this fact to highlight the importance that sports, community, and deep-rooted tribalism have in our lives. Every so often, these phenomenal spectacles of athleticism form in such a way that our preconceived ideas of tribalism and community are transcended to new heights. In a word, a sporting event occurs that is so special and powerful, rivals become allies, and even non-fans clap along in enjoyment. Surely, you all can think of a time where sports had this impact in your lives. That “feel good” story that has stuck with you all this time. That “feel good” feeling is recognized in all of us and brings even adversaries together. Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m talking, of course, about a Bills vs. Lions Super Bowl. This is a matchup which no man or woman worth their salt could root against. Take it from me, a Patriots fan. Stark rivals of the Bills, and I could not care less about meaningless rivalries in a moment like this. The Lions have never been to the Super Bowl as a historic bottom-tier franchise, and Buffalo fans suffer from the never-healing scar of 4, yes 4, straight Super Bowl losses. The storyline for this matchup is just all too perfect. Both teams are historic underdogs. Dan Campbell and the Lions, biting at shins, embracing the mentality of the junkyard dog in order to rise up from the shackles at the bottom of the league; Jared Goff, passed over for Matthew Stafford, told he wasn’t good enough to win a Super Bowl. On the Bills’ side of the house, Josh Allen, underrated for his entire amateur career, overlooked time after time. Bills’ Mafia, enduring literal blizzards with the hopes that their team would ascend to greatness. This story is perfect. This story is AMERICAN. I am rooting so heavily for both of these teams, and if they meet in the big game, I will sit back and let fate choose the winner, and regardless of the outcome, my heart will be full. This matchup has the power to unite! This matchup has the power to remind us all of the sort of stuff we grew up on. This matchup has the power to restore our pride and faith in each other!

-Tyler S @twoandahalfvirgins