For Many, Bowl Sunday Was All Work and No Play-by-Play

It’s America’s unofficial January holiday.

But unlike New Year’s Day or the Fourth of July, everything stays open on Super Bowl Sunday.

Hundreds of Ventura County workers missed friends’ get-togethers Sunday afternoon but still caught pieces of the game when they could as the Denver Broncos vanquished the Atlanta Falcons in Miami, winning their second consecutive Super Bowl.

“I’d rather watch it at home with friends, but we get the best TVs for the Super Bowl so we have the best picture,” said Dave Chevalier, a TV salesman at Good Guys in Ventura.

Chevalier put new price tags on the televisions, dozens of which were tuned to the big game, as the Broncos scored their initial touchdown in the first quarter. Because business is traditionally slow while the Super Bowl is in progress, the appliance store had a skeleton staff working Sunday.

Steps away, Darrin Jeffrey planned for a long afternoon as his workload dropped considerably. The car radio installer usually puts in 15 new systems a day, but on Sunday, he had fewer than five.

“It’s kind of slow, probably because of the Super Bowl,” the Camarillo resident said.

Clark Trimble took a break from helping customers at Good Guys and sat down on a white leather recliner chair to watch a few minutes at the beginning of the game.

“It’s slowed down, thank God,” Trimble said. “We wouldn’t be able to watch the game, otherwise.”

Ventura County firefighters took calls and watched the game in their stations, said dispatcher Tracy Valencia. Fortunately, the afternoon was pretty quiet, she said.

“I don’t think anybody leaves the house until at least halftime,” Valencia said.

In Oxnard, police officers had a more difficult time keeping up with the action. Although the department stayed busy, several officers managed to listen to the play-by-play on the radio, said Sgt. Tim Combs.

“Evidently, the public hasn’t realized that some people want to watch the game,” Combs said. “The calls keep coming in.”

Valerie Moussou of Ventura said she didn’t care whether she saw the game or not. Instead, she spent the afternoon at the beach with her daughter and friends. The small group, including a few men, rode their bicycles up the coast and then soaked in the sunshine.

“Even if we weren’t hanging out with our kids, we wouldn’t be watching,” Moussou said. “It’s too nice.”

But nothing, not even his sister going into labor, was going to keep Joe Bristow of Fillmore from the Super Bowl. The 22-year-old watched the game in the maternity waiting room at Ventura County Medical Center.

“It was due Feb. 13,” Bristow said of his sister Melissa’s baby. “The fact that I’m watching the Super Bowl here is pretty surprising.”

But Bristow and other family members in the small visitors area said they didn’t mind missing the traditional parties.

“All I need is a TV,” Bristow said. “I wish there was a beer.”

But Ventura police say the fewer people drinking, the better. There are usually more domestic conflicts and drunk driving incidents on Super Bowl Sunday than on other Sundays, said Sgt. Randy Jones.

“Unfortunately, people tend to imbibe during the day,” Jones said. “Normally, we have a busy evening with intoxicated drivers trying to make it home.”

Times Community News reporter Anna Gorman contributed to this story.