FANS: SUPER BOWL ALLOWS WAR DIVERSION

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Persian Gulf War took a back seat Sunday to the Super Bowl.

At Tantrums Pub & Grill in West Park Mall, the talk of the day was football not Scud missiles and the pub's patrons celebrated with food and drink while watching the game on a giant television screen.

"It gives everybody a little break from the war," said Cheryl Bowman, of Cape Girardeau.

While people were in a party mood Sunday, the patriotic feeling sparked by the war in the gulf was very visible.

Some of the approximately 50 people at the establishment stood up when the national anthem was played at the start of Super Bowl XXV.

"It kind of gives you goose bumps," said Bowman after watching Whitney Houston sing the national anthem in front of 74,000 flag-waving fans at Tampa Stadium.

Those interviewed at Tantrums said they felt the National Football League made the right decision to hold the Super Bowl as scheduled, rather than cancel or postpone it because of the war.

"It's an American tradition," said Joyce Rayfield, of Cape Girardeau, as she celebrated with friends.

"They should definitely play the game," noted Mark Goodman of Cape Girardeau, who watched the game with some of his friends.

"They played the World Series during World War II," he pointed out.

Several people, including Goodman, said it appeared that there was less hoopla surrounding the game this year because of the war in the gulf.

"It's appropriate that it's not hyped," he noted.

"That was wild the way they were cheering after the national anthem," Goodman said of the fans attending the Super Bowl game in Tampa, Fla.

"I'm a 49ers fan," admitted Goodman. The San Francisco 49ers lost to the New York Giants in the playoffs.

But Goodman said that didn't put a damper on the event. "I'm out here to have fun," he said as he watched the Giants battle the Buffalo Bills on the big screen TV.

David Limbaugh, a Cape Girardeau city councilman and one of the owners of the pub, said the NFL was right to hold the game despite the fact that the U.S. and other allies are at war against Iraq.

"As President Bush says, `Life goes on,'" said Limbaugh.

"We want to send a message to Saddam Hussein that our ordinary way of life will not be disrupted," he added.

But Limbaugh said he approved of the NFL's decision to cancel its pre-Super-Bowl party in light of the gulf war.

"The Super Bowl epitomizes America," said Limbaugh. "To choose to cancel the Super Bowl would be ultimately a triumph for Saddam Hussein."

Randy LeGrand, of Cape Girardeau, took time out from drinking a beer to talk of the Super Bowl and war.

"I don't think you can shut down the country," he noted. "It's very evident the fans and the players are behind the troops."

LeGrand said U.S. troops stationed in the gulf expressed a desire to watch the Super Bowl. "If it boosts morale a little and gives them something to cheer about, I think it's good."

Bari Neff, of Cape Girardeau, watched the game on the large TV screen. But her parents, from St. Louis, were among the fans in attendance at Tampa Stadium.

Neff said the thought of a possible Iraqi terrorist attack had been on her mind.

"I was a little worried about them," she noted. Security was beefed up for the Super Bowl out of concern about the possibility of such an attack.

Neff said the NFL was right to go ahead with the game. "I say go for it. Do it for the guys (troops) over in Saudi Arabia.

Her husband, Bob, agreed. "If you cancel the Super Bowl, then where do you draw the line? Do you cancel your private parties? Do you cancel Sunday school classes?"