I really can't think what to say about the Hop this year. It was surprisingly unsurprising. But then again, could you expect any more? For many reasons, the Sophomore Hop and other "special dances" are probably "events" best compared to the Super Bowl.

First of all, I never know when either are going to occur. "Oh, it's next week? Really?" I mean obviously I know that the "special dances" are all in the spring, and that the Super Bowl is in January. But besides that, I never really follow either of them enough to know when they are before they are right upon us. I guess it just doesn't really matter to me.

Which leads us to our next point. When it's around the time for either the Super Bowl or a dance to happen, everyone goes crazy. I hear people all excited about this and that. It is discussed by everyone to no end. However, I'm never as excited as everyone else. People ask me who I want to win in the big game, and I ask, "Who's playing again?" People ask me what I'm going to where to the big dance, and I ask, "You mean I can't just wear jeans?" There's always a certain amount of frenzy before a dance or the Super Bowl, and I'm never a part of any of it.

But the most obvious reason that the Super Bowl and "special dances" are so similar is that they're never as good as everyone expects them to be. For months, people get themselves all excited about it. The 'pregame shows' for the dances are just as long and complicated (and altogether boring) as those for the Super Bowl. But when you get past all the fancy computer graphics, fancy haircuts, overdone musical intros, and overdone makeup jobs, the prom is just another dance, and the Super Bowl is just another game. Besides all the hype and the increase in attendence, they both are simply yet another version of something we've all experienced a million times. The "special dances" don't have anything special about them, as far as the actual dancing goes, and there aren't any special rules for the Super Bowl. Usually the Super Bowl is a 35-3 blowout, and the dance is a tiring chore. Both are huge disappointments to all the people who for some reason expected them to be good.

The biggest reason the Super Bowl is like the "special dances" is simple. Despite the shortcomings of them both, despite the fact that they are both expensive, despite the fact that they never really live up to everything that's expected of them and disappoint a large percentage of the population, they are tradition. There are always a few people who say that they enjoyed the 50-6 game, and there are always a few people who say that they had fun despite the bad lighting and horrendous DJ. No matter what, they're coming back next year, and there's nothing any of us can do to stop them.