Super Bowl XLVII: Brother vs brother

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If you’re a sports fan, it doesn’t get any better than Super Bowl Sunday. If you’re not, there’s no reason you can’t take advantage of a winter’s day imbibing with everyone else. Here’s all you need to know about Super Bowl XLVII.

On Feb. 3, the San Francisco 49ers take on the Baltimore Ravens in a matchup that pits two brothers against each other for unheard of bragging rights. Yes, actual brothers (John and Jim Harbaugh) will be coaching against one another, and you can bet the CBS crew will play up the 'Bro Bowl' angle more than any other storyline.

Gone are Tom Brady (sorry ladies) and Peyton Manning (sorry Dad). Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco is the man who eliminated both of them, not surprisingly in a contract year. Baltimore has one of the best linebackers ever in Ray Lewis, and he’s gone all kinds of crazy in what will be his last season in the NFL. Lewis has polarized fans with his emotional, often religious, displays — regularly crying through anthems and raising his jersey to reveal a Psalms 91 shirt underneath —, but he’s inarguably still the leader of the Ravens’ defence.

On the other side of the ball, Colin Kaepernick is making just his twelfth career start, but is already being referred to by Niner nation as the revolution. It may be early in his career, but no quarterback has ever rushed for more yards in a game (dude ran for 181 just four weeks ago) and he has a rocket launcher for an arm. He’ll have a variety of targets to choose from down field, but look for him to use 14-year veteran Randy Moss more than he has so far this postseason. He’ll be in single coverage all day and he’s a first-ballot hall of famer.

Need more than analysis to watch the game? Okay, how do I say this... IT’S THE SUPER BOWL! There’s a reason why people refer to the Oscars as the Super Bowl of award shows, why election night is the Super Bowl of the political season, why the winners go to Disneyland — the happiest place on earth — to celebrate the accomplishment. It’s self-explanatory.

It’s also all-inclusive.

The Super Bowl is the biggest game of the year, no doubt, but there’s also no bigger stage for music (halftime), advertising (commercials), or gambling (my personal favourite). You can bet on everything from the coin toss (take tails) to which team will kick the longest field goal (Baltimore is a gift at 2-1).

It should also be noted that beyond the game, the glitz, and the hype, the Super Bowl is one of our few socially shared experiences of the year. And unlike Christmas, you can spend it with whomever you like.

So rejoice! Get together with friends and family. Have a homemade chilli cook-off, or save on Super Bowl specials at your favorite pub. Whether you care about the game or not, relax and enjoy an afternoon with your favourite people, all doing the same thing. It doesn’t happen as often as you think.

If you still don’t have plans for the game, here are some can’t-miss spots to watch:

• The Commodore (the official Super Bowl party. NFL cheerleaders in attendance. NFL players too.)

• The Dover (they’ll be rocking on Denman)

• London Pub (shout out to my hood — they don’t disappoint)

• Your friend-with-the-biggest-house’s house (BYOB)

• Your house (control the remote in case Janet Jackson shows up). Kickoff is at 6:30pm ET

You can follow Desmond O'Brien on Twitter @desmondobrien.