Denver threw a parade last Tuesday to celebrate the Broncos’ first Super Bowl win in 17 years. 1 million people showed up. On a Tuesday. The lightrails were overflowing with fans dressed in orange and blue, students couldn’t go to class as every parking lot within a 5 mile distance was packed, horns were blaring consistently, orange and blue stripes were painted down Broadway, kids climbed on traffic light posts and trees to get a good view, and the coveted, shiny Lombardi trophy made a debut.

I’m just going to say it: I don’t like football. I have tried time and again to be involved in the game, to cheer when someone intercepts the ball and to learn the rules and intricacies of muscular men running back and forth across a field trying to knock each other down or catch a ball. It’s not that I don’t understand it, it’s just that I can’t seem to get excited over it.

So why is the Super Bowl important to those of us who don’t need to cheer over Peyton Manning’s 200th win or debate whether or not Cam Newton was acting childish after losing?

The man sitting across from me on my Monday morning train ride (the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday) talked on his cell phone for most of the journey. I was reading the entire time, but as I began packing up my things, the man smiled at me and pulled up a picture of his 2-month-old grandson. He was all pink cheeks and blue eyes, dressed in an orange and blue Broncos beanie and sweater. I walked off the train with a smile plastered on my face. I like babies as much as the next person, but this man, so involved in his own world and me so involved in mine, was not only proud of his beautiful grandson, but also he was proud of the Broncos, and of his city, and he just had to share it. For the rest of the day, I felt connected to a community that is otherwise invisible. Maybe there is something to be said about sports bringing people together after all. Cities feel lighter after winning a sports game, people smile more often and you can form an instant bond with anyone wearing a Broncos jersey by saying “Go Broncos!”

In a world where most struggle to find happiness, meaning and pride, football connects people to one another -- fans, non-fans, winners and losers alike. The Broncos won and Denver, as a city, could not be brighter, but it’s about more than feeling proud of your city or your team. We are all fighting to stay connected in today’s modern world, but the Super Bowl, for one reason or another, has the power to gather people from all 50 states and several continents and from all walks of life into bars, living rooms, viewing parties, etc. to watch one game together. It’s about people all experiencing one moment together.

This year, the Super Bowl was estimated to have raked in 167 million viewers who watched all or part of the game, which makes Super Bowl 50 the most-watched broadcast in TV history, according to CNN. Even if you didn’t watch the game, or if you detest the sight of a football, the Super Bowl is an event that typically filters through nearly every social media avenue, every media broadcast and every small-talk conversation. It’s something that people love to talk about, which makes it relevant to daily life, whether you watched the game or not. This big win made Denver proud; it united our city, and there’s a good chance that even if football isn’t your thing, seeing someone in orange and blue face paint, smiling from ear-to-ear because of how proud they are, might make you a little bit happy too.