This was the first year that my kids were old enough to enjoy both the Oscars and the Super Bowl alongside us. We watched both with friends, though not at anything resembling a party—more of a last minute, “let’s watch together and drink some wine while the children pre-occupy each other” situation expecting them to pay little attention aside from the snacks.
We are not what I would call a sports family. We like to be active, yes, but my kids barely know the difference between soccer, football, and basketball. The only sport I watch with any regularity is tennis, neither of which my kids show much aptitude in playing—though that hardly matters for fandom. But I was interested in the act of watching these annual program fiestas with our kids, who are now cognizant enough of what’s going on to understand they are watching Special Programming. This is TV that only happens at a specific time on a specific day. Baffling! These are programs to be watched with friends, where you can talk and debate while they’re happening. These are the events where the moms bring out the Martinelli’s sparkling and let you eat Twizzlers and cake, during which you can root for one side, or one movie, or one actress. They are occurrences of winning and losing and cheering where nobody’s feelings actually get hurt, especially if you go in with as little investment as we did.
Ada, like many 8 year olds watching the The Game, only knew about the Super Bowl as the televised event where Taylor Swift may or may not show up to watch her boyfriend. She didn’t—and doesn’t—know the rules of the game, didn’t know the teams, knows nothing of the general reputation of football, the problematic head injuries, anyone who actually plays football, or even, until that day, know what Travis Kelce looked like. Upon seeing him for the first time, and then when he aggressively confronted his coach, big beard dripping with sweat, she remarked that “he’s just not….what I expected” — a diplomatic statement of gross disappointment that her favorite pop star was kissing him.
The Super Bowl was also resonant for Julian, who has unexpectedly become a true Usher stan, asking to hear “Yeah” and “Confessions” daily if not multiple times a day. “I want to be two people for next Halloween: Charlie Brown in the morning and Usher in the afternoon,” he’s shared, unaware of the hilarious contrast between the two figures on all accounts. He listens to Usher in the car. He listens to Usher while he plays chess. He wants to listen to Usher at bedtime. He recollects nothing about the game itself, but is enamored with Usher. “Next time Usher does the halftime show, I want to be there,” he said, dreamily, last weekend, with no idea there will never be a next time.
When a picture of Usher on the red carpet popped up on Oscar Sunday, it only solidified things. Usher was at the Super Bowl and the Oscars (or at least a high profile Oscars party). Ken—Ryan Gosling—was also at the Oscars. Gosling, Margot Robbie, and America Ferrara, from “Barbie”—the only movie nominated for an Oscar my kids had watched (outside of the Animated Features category) repeatedly showed up on screen as the camera panned their way during the show. Hayao Miyazaki, one of their life heroes, won an Oscar for “The Boy and the Heron,” and even though he didn’t show up to receive it, and they were actually rooting for “Nimona,” to know and have seen the movie was a moment. To a six and eight year old it was a vortex of incredible and mind-blowing collisions of their very limited set of cultural reference points and it was capital E, Exciting.
There are so few moments of fairly inconsequential shared cultural spectacle left, and even fewer opportunities for kids to partake. I think the adult version of this takes place on the internet more frequently with scenarios like #kategate, escapist theorizing where who is “right” and what is actually happening basically doesn’t matter, but engaging in the dialogue is also the sport of it. Kids pre-social media are outside the awareness and the conversational realm of this communal commentary. The Oscars and the Super Bowl are a little toe dip on what it’s like to speculate and imagine and recognize and root for something, and the kids can go to bed halfway through, feeling like they got to be part of a moment.
Recommendations:
(A very short list because I’m working too much right now)
To play: Backgammon! This is the new nightly game in our house and both kids picked it up quickly. It’s the perfect balance of strategy and luck.
To watch: The multimedia comedy show, My Favorite Shapes (HBO) by Julio Torres, from 2019. It’s both bizarro and understated and yet…very unexpected in a multitude of ways. Related, this fun conversation between Emma Stone and Julio Torres on the A24 podcast. Excited to see his new movie, “Problemista.”
To listen: How We Think about the 2024 Election. Journalist Evan Osnos in conversation with Sam Fragoso on the Talk Easy podcast.
To visit: The Harlem Renaissance show at the Met, which I hadn’t been to in years.
To wear: My kids are very into Snoopy/Charlie Brown and the Parks ProjectxPeanuts collab has some cute kids’ t-shirts. Seaesta Surf also has a great Peanuts collab swimwear collection.
On my want-to-read list: Memory Piece by Lisa Ko, about 3 Asian-American friends, which starts in the 80s when they’re teenager and follows their relationships (and lives) far into adulthood.
Rec of the week: What shoes do people wear between winter and summer? I only have Blundstones for winter and Birkenstocks for summer (LOL). I walk a lot, and don’t wear heels!
Thanks for all your questions on the AMA last week. <3
Birkenstocks with socks LOL
Love reading your newsletter! Shoes - I looove my Gola sneakers, they are so comfortable and look cute, too. The ones I have are similar to this: https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/gola-elan-sneakers?color=040&inventoryCountry=US&countryCode=US&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=US%20-%20Shopping%20-%20PMAX%20-%20Apparel%20-%20Apparel%20-%20Backorder%2FBack-In-Stock&utm_content=&utm_term=&creative=&device=c&matchtype=&network=x&utm_kxconfid=vx6rd81ts&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwte-vBhBFEiwAQSv_xZk9rU_-02U2eGuPwwGbT59b-6hWNGrae3RaxPe1HIuB1FIeLDR2cxoCkHMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&type=STANDARD&quantity=1