For a decade now they've been gathering at 2 p.m. on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. There's no planning, there's no invite—"Everybody just knows to come," says one of the event's founders. They're inexorably drawn by the twin siren songs of American: beer, and football.
Last year we happily brought you news of the existence of the PBR Bowl, an annual event held by a group of friends in Emerson, Iowa (pop. 430). This year is the tenth edition of the game, but the rules haven't changed since the early days:
• 40 yard field, 20 yards for a first down
• One-hand touch
• All players must have a PBR in hand at all times
• If you drop your beer, chug it and grab another
• First to 70 points wins, unless the beer runs out or everyone gets too tired
• Extra points for beards and mullets
What started as a post-Thanksgiving meal lark—here's a case of PBR, here's a football, let's combine the two—is slowly but inevitably overtaking the NFL to become our nation's most popular sport. This year's event was covered by the local TV news, the Des Moines Register, and a group of film students, one of whom produced the video above. So keep on rocking in the free world, beer football gladiators.