Forget that nettlesome D.C. memo for a moment and lay plans to raid the snack aisle. Maybe try the parsnip chips.

This weekend brings the Super Bowl of pro football, a national moment of togetherness and, yes, a global phenomenon – even if it’s no World Cup of fútbol.

The water-cooler breakdowns of that game will barely have ended when eyes will turn to the Olympics Feb. 9. Stories and substories always abound. (The Monitor’s Christa Case Bryant is en route to South Korea to report some of them.)

At play in both spectacles: modern athletes defying the limitations often associated with aging. Tom Brady – the New England Patriots quarterback, the Roger Federer of football, and the gold-standard player at his position – is, at 40, chasing his sixth ring.

And under the rings at the Winter Games it won’t just be the curling crowd exhibiting maturity. Among 10 likely competitors over 40 are German speedskater Claudia Pechstein and Japanese ski jumper Noriaki Kasai, both 45 and repeat Olympians.

What’s that about? Workout regimens, to be sure. Great gear and new training technology. It’s also a mind-set that puts possibility over a standard prognosis. Says Matt Cassel, Brady’s backup for a few years in the mid-2000s: “You can say what you want, but for him, age doesn’t matter.”

Now to our five stories for today, looking at the reexamination of some norms, outlooks, and practices – and at a Lebanese film that highlights hope for reconciliation.