Super Bowl XLVIII is over. After weeks of hype, Shermania, discussions of Peyton's legacy, endless speculation around the weather, the score and other minutiae, the unexpected happened -- a blowout game that no one foresaw.
But what happens now for fellow pigskin enthusiasts who may experience severe withdrawal from watching football after the big game?
For avid sports fans, the long months of February, March and April can seem bleak, especially if you are not a huge basketball or ice hockey fan. Sure, there is March Madness, but that's only a few short weeks of fun.
Pitches and catchers do report to spring training for Major League Baseball this month, but the start of that season is still almost two months away.
If you're wondering how you are going to survive until the new football season, here are five ways to beat the post-Super-Bowl blues:
1. Get out of town: If you live in one of the 48 states that has had snowfall this winter, you may want to plan a trip somewhere warm -- preferably where they have drinks with umbrellas in them. Chances are a change of scenery will do your mood wonders. Alternatively, if the weather has snowed you in, plan a catch-up party with your friends (see below).
2. Take up a new hobby: Knitting, basket weaving, or a book club (Peyton and Eli Manning have written a children's book) are all fun ways to pass the time the next few months.
3. Curl up with curling: The Olympics are here! If long ski jumping is your thing, this year is the first where women will be competing.
4. Catch up with your non-football friends: Remember those friends that you neglected all season? Finally keep those plans you have been canceling every Sunday, Thursday and Monday nights.
5. Rejoin your life: Pay bills, do some early spring cleaning or work on projects you've put off for the past five months while you've followed every sports blog, website, Twitter/Instagram post and television program dedicated to feed your football addiction.
Or you can do what I do and constantly refresh the NFL.com website for any new news or important dates. For instance, the Scouting Combine is Feb. 19 to 25. Only a couple of weeks away, and the NFL draft is set for May 8 to 10. In fact, the Philadelphia Eagles' training camp is 210 days away. But who's counting?
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