Super Bowl 2013: An Interview with Eric Kramer

Feb 2, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; General view of “Welcome to Super Bowl XLVII” sign outside of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in advance of Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

We got to talk to Eric Kramer about the up coming Super Bowl. You probably know him for his role as Little John in Robin Hood: Men in Tights or his role as the Dad in Good Luck Charlie. Younger generations might know his as “Bear” the gay man who is Stifler’s opponent in the dance off in American Wedding.

What you might not know is that he is a life long Detroit Lions fan having been born in Michigan. He left Michigan following his father to Canada, where he played in the Canadian Football League.

Despite his natural athletic genes, Kramer didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps and left sports to pursue drama as a kid.

“He was a terrific basketball player, but then he got accepted into the drama department of the University of Alberta in Edmonton and I said, ‘What in the world would you learn there?'” Kramer’s father said, via the Toronto Sun. “The acting thing concerned me, yes, but he wanted to do it.”

But he still remains a footall fan, and a tortured one at that. Is it hard to watch the Super Bowl as a Detroit Lion fan?

“Every single year… And I’ve been around a while,” Kramer said. “Usually the sting of another lost season is gone by then and replaced with the possibility of winning a Super Bowl pool…”

Well the Lions have drafted well and have a good core group of guys in Stafford, Suh and Johnson. Is that giving you hope that one day your team will make it to Super Bowl Sunday?

“I think what makes it hard on the fans is knowing there is great talent on their team,” Kramer said. “There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle however.”

Do you think growing up so close to the game, watching your Dad play professionally, make you more of a fan than the average kid.

“There was a weird period of my life when I was a kid where you just assumed every father could play pro ball,” Kramer said. “It was just what my dad did… it wasn’t until I got older that I came to appreciate just how special that was… And how lucky I was to see it from the inside.”

Did he enjoy watching football with you, or was he not interested in between his own regiment of practices and games?

“My dad went to great lengths to include me in as much of the game as he could,” Kramer said. “From charity events to speaking engagements to community work to just watching it on the couch at home… He loved what he did and you can still hear it in his voice when he tells war stories of back in the day.”

Well Canadian Football is slightly different than the NFL, do you still watch CFL games and do you like it more than the NFL?

“Not as much CFL because of availability,” Kramer said. “Used to love CFL because it was more wide open, and now with the changing rules in the NFL, the same thing is happening here.”

Hard question I know as a Lions fan, but since you watched the CFL closely do you think your teams’ rivals the Chicago Bears can be successful with a head coach from the CFL in Montreal Coach Marc Trestman ?

“They play football in Chicago?… Sorry… That answer seemed much funnier in my head,” Kramer joked. “To be honest, I love the way the Bears play football… And I don’t think talent knows borders or favors countries.”

So Super Bowl Sunday is upon us, what are your Super Bowl plans, do you have any Super Bowl watching traditions?

“Good food, drinks and friends have always been a winning game plan.”

Well people tune in for the half-time shows and the commercials as well. Do you look more forward to the commercials or half-time show?

“Well, the half-time show made me a Prince fan a few years back, but honestly… I’m just there to watch the game,” Kramer said. “Just tell me when they’re going to kick off.”

We can’t let you get out of here with out making a Super Bowl prediction, so who do you have: Ravens or 49ers?

“RAVENS… For no other reason than I think it’s all coming together at the right time,” Kramer said. “And I have this feeling one brother knows the other a little better.”

There you have it, Mr. Eric Kramer is pulling for the Ravens to win the Super Bowl. If you have kids, get them to watch Mr. Kramer on Good Luck Charlie.