Were you invited to a Super Bowl party but don’t know who’s playing? Maybe your best friend is a huge fan of the Baltimore… Bills? Don’t know who Patrick Mahomes is and at this point you’re too afraid to ask? Look no further, this is the article for you. 

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest television events of the year. It’s the one day when it seems like everyone, even those who don’t care about football the other 364 days, suddenly come out with very strong opinions about what a bunch of millionaire men do or don’t do with a ball. I’m not here to turn you into a die-hard fan. If you’re tired of “Superb Owl” jokes, or saying you only watch for the commercials, or having nothing to talk to your friends about until the halftime show, then I’m here to help. 

These tips are applicable to most sports, but particularly to team sports, and can be adapted at your own discretion. Here are my top five things to say while watching a sporting event to convince others that you totally understand what’s going on: 

1. “Consistency”
How to use it:
“So long as we stay consistent…”
“If we can just stay consistent…”
“I’ve been saying it all season. It’s in the consistency.”
When to use it: When the conversation turns to discussing performance or strategy, also known as couch coaching or armchair quarterbacking. It’s particularly useful when the team your friends are cheering for messes up. This kind of talk is typically critical, but this is a good and versatile phrase to use. It’s also unique enough that you shouldn’t be suspected of simply parroting buzzwords. 

2. “Stay healthy”
How to use it:
“The players need to stay healthy.”
“We need to play smart and not get hurt.”
“There’s been a lot of injuries this season.”
Keep your tone light while still sounding like what you’re saying means something. Don’t be so serious as to let them think that you have strong feelings about a particular player or incident.
When to use it: Like talking about consistency, this is a good neutral option. You can throw this one out during small talk pretty much anytime. During a game, you can say this whenever someone on your team gets hurt. 

3. “Let’s hold on to it”
How to use it:
“Let’s see if we can hold on to the lead.”
“We need to hold on to the lead.”
“Alright, in the lead, let’s hold on to it.”
When to use it: This one requires you to be sure that the team you (or your friends) want to win is the one currently winning. Toss this out during the celebration moment after they’ve taken a lead, or when the other team scores and gets close to overtaking your team. This is a good one to use when your team is winning near the end of the game. 

4. “Big plays”
How to use it:
“Let’s see some big plays out there.”
“We’re playing too much small ball.”
“We need a big play. Make something happen.”
Repeatable. 
When to use it: When things are getting boring and your team isn’t doing great. At some point past the halfway mark, there’s bound to be a lull in the proceedings. This is a good thing to say to kindly pump some energy back into the room. You can also use this one anytime your team hasn’t done anything exciting in a while, especially when losing. Some games are just bad to watch, and this is a nice, optimistic contribution. 

5. Pick a non-score number on the screen and say it like it means something. 
How to use it: 
“Only eight minutes left!”
“Fourth-and-5.”
“52 passing yards already?”
Repeatable.
When to use it: This tip requires you to pay attention a bit to the function of the scoreboard. The score should be easy to find. Don’t say that one. There might also be a small number that keeps counting down separate from the game clock that starts at either 40 or 25. Don’t say that one either unless it’s about to hit zero. For all other numbers, you’re probably safe. The game time is a good one because it’s easy to find on the screen and will make it look like you’re staying invested in following the game. If you still aren’t sure, take note of what numbers everyone else is saying and use those. 

6. Extra: Just ask questions 
How to use it:
We all love to talk about the stuff we like. Sports fans love to talk about sports. Odds are that whoever you’re watching with won’t care if you don’t know a touchback from a technical foul, and if they do, they probably won’t be fun to watch a game with anyway.

Let yourself be curious, but don’t expect them to walk you through every single second. Ask about words you don’t understand, rules that you can’t figure out, or what a statistic is measuring. Try guessing what the referee is going to call or complain if they make a call against your team. Throw in your two cents about the slow-motion replay. 

Whatever you do, remember that at the end of the day, it’s just a game and games are supposed to be fun. Get out there and have a good time!

Although these pay-to-win games have been around since the early 2000s, the West has only recently experienced the phenomenon that is gacha games.

Gacha is a genre of video game that uses in-game currency to gamble for in-game prizes. While most gacha games nowadays are free-to-play, options to buy in-game currency with real money are heavily promoted during the gameplay.

In these games, randomized machines are used to pull prizes of varying rarity. There is a small chance to get 5-star legendary prizes – the rarest of all possibilities – but players will always get something in return. 

Each gacha game is different allowing players to get different prizes, which can range from playable characters to game experience points. For example, the popular gacha game Genshin Impact merges open-world fantasy gameplay with an unlockable character and weapon system, finding players inclined to collect and unlock everything. Many of the most popular games in media right now are gacha games, including Raid: Shadow Legends and Cookie Run Kingdom.

There are many reasons why these games are popular, including their consistent updates, free cost and enjoyable experience. The ability for a player to collect many different items is also a point of interest.  In a lot of the games, players can earn rewards just for logging in and doing daily tasks.

In many countries, gacha games are outlawed due to the loot-box-esque nature of the genre. While there isn’t a clear motion to ban gacha games from app stores in the United States, some argue that the gambling aspect of the games may be unfair or too addicting – especially for children.

Despite the unassuming nature of gacha games, their market-like aspect may not be in the best interest of those who are susceptible to gambling or impulsive spending.

CUA will be continuing with some of Jewell’s favorite events like Lighting of the Quad, CUA winter and spring formals and CUAt the Movies. All of the dates for these events will be sent out in emails, so keep an eye out for the invitations.

Lighting of the Quad is a long standing tradition that involves a lot of cookies, Christmas lights and candles. Jewell students gather on the quad to watch the buildings they walk past every day be decorated with twinkling lights. During this time, the quad is always full of shivering students with big smiles.

Winter and spring formals bring the entire campus together to enjoy food, dancing and Jewell community. They always take place in a location that students love and allow the student body to take a much needed break to have fun.

CUAt the Movies is an event that allows Jewell students to put the books down for about two hours and go choose a movie to watch for free at the local movie theater.

Along with CUA’s traditional events, Hague and Quiroga are adding new events to the 2016-2017 calendar. The first CUAt the Drive-In is scheduled for the weekend of homecoming. It will be similar to CUAt the Movies, but students will be able to enjoy the fall weather and community with fellow students.

Later in the semester, CUA is excited to present an “Escape Room” event. Escape Room is a game where each team gets locked in a room, assigned a task and then must solve their way out of the room. It’s challenging, but always ends with exciting stories and lots of laughs. Finally, CUA is planning an event called “Late Night Odyssey Climb” with s’mores.

Another change this year is the time of CUA events. CUA is making an effort to schedule more events on Saturday night in order to provide students that are around campus on the weekend to have fun things to do. A lot of CUA events are on Wed night or on the weekend.

Hague and Quiroga are excited to have the students of Jewell participate in CUA this year. If you would like to help, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities, especially when events like Lighting of the Quad and Jewellstock draw closer. This year looks like it will be filled with exciting events, so keep your eyes open for the CUA emails!

All photos taken by Chandler Eaton.