A Flyer’s Guide to Super Bowl LX
Photo via NFL Instagram
Michael Oliss | News Editor
Note: This is an opinion piece that does not reflect the views of anyone at Flyer News
The Bowl
The Super Bowl is a uniquely American moment that captures the hearts, minds, and eyes of the nation every year. The final game of the NFL season is a cultural feast of sports, music, friendship, family, and entertainment. Last year’s Super Bowl — which resulted in the utter humiliation of the Chiefs at the hands of the victorious Eagles — had around 127 million viewers, making it the most-watched television event in American history. It is such a big deal that some Americans get excited about anything Super Bowl — even the advertisements.
The Teams
It’s a battle of the underdogs when the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots square off Sunday in the Super Bowl. Despite featuring zero players from the last time they met, ESPN insists this is a “rematch” of Super Bowl 49 when the Patriots beat the Seahawks 28 to 24. The Seahawks began this season with +6000 odds to reach the Super Bowl, according to Pro Football Reference. The Patriots faced even steeper odds at +8000, with only 10 teams considered less likely to make it all the way. The Seahawks are currently 4.5-point favorites to win the big game, meaning bettors expect a close game. Then again, they said that last year, and that was more of a one-sided massacre than a competitive football game.
The Stars
Unfortunately, no one famous will be in this year’s Super Bowl, as last year’s biggest stars, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, both suddenly became what ESPN calls “washed.” Instead of Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, we’re forced to watch Drake Maye’s Patriots and Sam Darnold’s Seahawks. Maye, in his second season in the league, will be looking to throw to dynamic wide receiver Stefon Diggs, while Darnold will throw to the league’s best receiver by total yardage — and by no other metric — Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Good news for horrible people: Super Bowl 60 is likely shaping up to be a defensive dogfight. Based on average points allowed per game, Seattle and New England rank #1 and #2, respectively. However, New England allowed only seven points in their Conference Championship victory over the Denver Broncos. Seattle, on the other hand, allowed 27 points to the Los Angeles Rams in a four-point victory. The likely champion of SB 60 will come down to which team’s mediocre quarterback can overcome the defensive onslaught waiting for them every down.
How to Watch
The teams face off in Levi’s Stadium, the home field of the San Francisco 49ers. Those unlucky few who can’t make it to Santa Clara can watch the Super Bowl at 6:30 p.m. on NBC and stream it on something called Peacock, but you don’t have to stay home. Watch parties are everywhere in the Dayton region. Head to Johnny D’s Bar, El Asadero, Full Circle Brew Garden, Peach’s Grill, Milano’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, or a number of local restaurants and clubs to get your fill of drink, food, and football.
The Halftime Show
This year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show is hosted by Bad Bunny, who is not a real bunny. The human musician’s real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, which is much harder to find rhymes for. The band Green Day is also expected to make a special appearance this Sunday, more than 30 years after their biggest hit “Basket Case” was released in 1994. Apparently, the Beatles and Michael Jackson were both unavailable. At this rate, Taylor Swift may finally perform at Super Bowl 90 as her boyfriend Arch Manning takes the field for the Vancouver Bengals.
The Commercials
Haters will say being excited about Super Bowl ads is like getting hyped to wait in line at Disney, but that’s a lie. It’s more like when you’re a kid on a road trip: you can either look out the window and count cars, or you can die of boredom. This year, commercial fans are excited to watch thirty seconds of a Geico ad and then wonder if it was all AI. Personally, I’ll be taping the Super Bowl and watching it the next morning, fast-forwarding the boring game parts to get an unfiltered look at the commercials.
The Drinks
The University of Dayton is a dry campus. No, really. I swear.
Concussions and CTE
It’s cool. Don’t worry about it. Just watch the players smash their heads against each other, yelling things like, “Yeah, nice hit!” or “Knock him out!” This is another thing that really brings out the haters. Oh, a million children are diagnosed with concussions every year, largely due to football? And, the NFL spent billions of dollars misinforming the public about football’s safety after they knew the game was permanently rearranging human brains? Yeah, whatever. Pass the cheese dip, nerd.
Trump and the NFL
Last year, as the Eagles mercilessly pummeled the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, Donald Trump became the first sitting president in US history to be at the Super Bowl. This year, Trump floated the idea of boycotting the Super Bowl. One of his many reasons for displeasure at the game is the halftime performers — Green Day’s selection in particular. Trump told the New York Post, “I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice.” As a Green Day fan and person who doesn’t follow the news, this must be the worst thing Trump has ever said on tape. On the brighter side, Trump has generously offered to allow ICE agents the opportunity to watch the game as long as they pretend to be working.
The End
When the game is done and the season is over, it’ll feel like it went by too fast. You may feel like you blinked and football season flashed by. It’s hard to believe it’ll be another four years until the Super Bowl returns. America will wait patiently, watching children run full-speed into each other for entertainment, laughing at silly health insurance commercials, and misunderstanding the lyrics of “American Idiot.”