In light of the recent inauguration of President Barack Obama and the upcoming Super Bowl, I found myself wondering: Of my two loves, football and politics, which reigns supreme? And while I had to debate this for a mere, oh, two seconds, I decided that the answer is simple. Here are my top 10 reasons why football is better than politics.

10. No one demands a recount. When it’s over, it’s final. And in the rare case of a tie, football games can go into overtime, but it’s impossible to count more votes that don’t exist.

9. Underdogs truly do have a chance at the prize. I hate to say it, but I don’t see the Green Party winning an election any time soon. However, it was a great day in football history when the obvious underdogs, the New York Giants, defeated the 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Who doesn’t love to root for the underdog?

8. The average presidential campaigning season lasts two years, but a football season lasts only six months. Football goes on just long enough that you can’t wait for next year, but as far as I’m concerned, after the last election, I won’t be looking forward to the next.

7. There is never a call for bipartisanship. Teams are never asked to give up a few points in the name of friendship or cooperation. Players pick a side and fight until there’s a winner.

6. If you don’t like the winner, you don’t have to wait four years for a replacement. In fact, no team has ever won more than two Super Bowls in a row, but we definitely can’t say that about terms for those in Congress.

5. Celebrity endorsements don’t matter. It will never matter if a celebrity likes a certain team because a real fan will like them for how they play the game. There aren’t enough Morgan Freeman voice-overs in the world to make a diehard fan switch sides.

4. Opponents actually get to fight it out. Sometimes, watching a person you don’t like being tackled is just plain fun. I don’t think I’m the only one who would like to see a few politicians hit the turf.

3. There’s not as much as stake. A football game can affect a few careers, but an election can affect an entire nation. Football games are never about the debt ceiling or the recent health care bill because it’s all about the game.

2. The commercials are infinitely better. I would rather watch beer and car commercials than have to listen to annoying political ones any day.

1. You can scream “Kill him! Kill him now!” and not have to face federal charges. The only people you’ll get in trouble with are your neighbors.