Tag: Super Bowl

Categories
Football Sports

All eyes on Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII

Graphic by Taylor Reddam

The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will be in familiar territory on Feb. 11.

The defending Super Bowl-champion Chiefs find themselves in the big game for the fourth time in five years. The 49ers will attempt to avenge their 31-20 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV just four years ago.

This was perhaps the toughest road to the Super Bowl the Chiefs have faced with Patrick Mahomes at the helm. Following their 26-7 victory over the feisty Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card Game, the Chiefs met a new challenge unseen in the Mahomes era: road playoff games.

If marching into Buffalo and coming away with a 27-24 victory wasn’t hard enough, the Chiefs headed south to Baltimore to face likely MVP-winner Lamar Jackson and the top-seeded Ravens for a spot in the big dance.

The Chiefs came away with a 17-10 victory and now sit one win away from consecutive Super Bowl victories.

Usually known for explosive offence, it was the Chiefs defence that did the heavy-lifting this postseason. They never eclipsed 27 points on offence, but the defence held top quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson to a combined 657 passing yards and three touchdowns in three postseason games.

If the Chiefs defence is on their game again, then the 49ers will have their hands full as they attempt to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

The 49ers are no slouches themselves. In the past five seasons, they have made the Super Bowl twice and the conference championship game four times.

As the top seed in the postseason, they received a bye to the divisional round, and were guaranteed to play all their playoff games at home leading up to the Super Bowl. But their journey wasn’t a cake walk.

San Francisco’s 24-21 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round required some late-game heroics. Their reward? Facing the upstart Detroit Lions who were riding the highest of highs following their first playoff victories in over 30 years.

Once again, the 49ers scraped by with a 34-31 victory to qualify for the Super Bowl. While quarterback Brock Purdy has put up two solid performances in the postseason, the 49ers offence has lived and died by running back Christian McCaffrey. He led the NFL in regular season rushing by nearly 300 yards. Nobody has been able to stop CMC, and that has only continued into January.

In the 49ers’ two postseason matchups, McCaffrey has amassed 188 rushing yards and a whopping four rushing touchdowns. He will be a problem for the Chiefs’ defence.

Both teams are battle-tested, having fought through several close games to get to this point. They will leave it all on the field at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The Lombardi Trophy awaits.

Categories
Concert Reviews Music

Super Bowl LVII halftime show: Rihanna delivers

Photo credit to Shutterstock

 Rihanna’s performance could have been perfect if only for one extra thing

Everyone tuned in to Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, not necessarily for the football game, but for Rihanna performing at the halftime show.

From the moment I heard she was going to perform, I knew it was going to be good, and so did everybody else. But that also came with high expectations, at least from my end, because well, it’s Rihanna. And after last year’s iconic show with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem, just to mention a few, I was ready to witness another flawless performance.

There were many speculations as to how the show would start, but Rihanna chose to open it with “B*tch Better Have My Money,” as she stood on a moving platform with lights that couldn’t have been any better. It gave everybody chills and set the tone for what would be an amazing show.

Rihanna has so many top hits that people were worried she wouldn’t be able to play their favourite songs, but the list of songs she performed was spot-on: banger after banger.

For me, the “O.M.G. Rihanna is performing and it’s absolutely iconic” moment hit when the intro to “Run This Town” started playing, and her ending the show with “Diamonds” was just the cherry on top.

But as much as I enjoyed her performance, something was lacking: a surprise guest.

There’s no denying that her baby being the surprise guest isn’t adorable, but a guest who could’ve performed with her (Drake, Jay-Z, where you at?) would have been the it factor that would have brought this show to the next level.

So when she transitioned from “Rude Boy” to “Work,” I was disappointed not seeing Drake appear on stage. It was the same when she started singing “Run This Town.” Having Jay-Z perform with her, followed by “Umbrella,” would have made the show as close to perfect as it could’ve been.

In the end, Rihanna still did it all. She sang, danced, performed, and levitated on platforms — all while being pregnant. The backup dancers and outfits really brought the whole thing together.

Overall, it was an enjoyable halftime show that gave everyone chills. And just like she always does, the queen delivered.

Categories
Sports

Super Bowl LVII preview

Graphic by Carleen Loney/ @shloneys

The Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles matchup doesn’t lack storylines

The NFL season has gone by way too quickly, but this also means that we’re in for a treat for this Sunday’s Super Bowl.

This year, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will be facing off at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, where the Eagles will have home-field advantage.

After finishing the regular season with a league-wide best 14-3 record each, the Eagles and the Chiefs will go through the ultimate test to determine who truly is the best.

While the Chiefs would normally have the advantage with quarterback Patrick Mahomes against the Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts, this won’t necessarily be the case this time around as Mahomes is still dealing with a high ankle sprain.

The Eagles will have the advantage on the defensive side of the ball in this game. They finished the regular season ranked second in the league, compared to the Chiefs’ defence ranked 11th.

Although everything points to the Eagles winning, I wouldn’t count Mahomes and the Chiefs out. After all, they surprised everyone with their win against the Cincinnati Bengals and could very well do it again.

But this Super Bowl is about more than just that.

With Mahomes and Hurts starting at the quarterback position, this is the first time in NFL history that two Black quarterbacks are starters in the Super Bowl.

So not only will this be a great matchup between two skilled players, but it will also be an opportunity for Black representation at the highest level in football.

Only eight black quarterbacks have made it to the Super Bowl and three have won it: Doug Williams in 1988, Russell Wilson in 2014, and Mahomes in 2020.

So either Hurts will become the fourth to lift the Lombardi Trophy, or Mahomes will be the first Black quarterback to win two Super Bowls. Either way, history will be made.

This will also be the first time we see brothers competing against each other in the Super Bowl: Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles’ centre Jason Kelce. So it will be a big day for the Kelce family.

This game won’t be lacking in talent, storylines, and entertainment — we also can’t forget about Rihanna performing at the halftime show!

In the end, both the Chiefs and the Eagles have shown that they’re worthy of being Super Bowl champs, but my unwarranted prediction is that the Chiefs will win. It will probably be a close game, and it won’t be pretty. But I think if anyone can bring their team to victory, even if injured, it’s Mahomes.

Categories
Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the Super Bowl LV champions

Tom Brady wins his seventh title as the Buccaneers dominate the Chiefs

Following an entertaining Conference Championship weekend, the National Football League (NFL) couldn’t have asked for a better Super Bowl matchup outcome on Feb. 7, as defending champions Kansas City Chiefs faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

What was a highly touted competitive matchup on paper ended up being a one-sided affair, as the Buccaneers won the franchise’s second Super Bowl title in a seemingly effortless 31-9 victory over the favoured Chiefs.

Tampa Bay’s quarterback Tom Brady threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns in an MVP performance that will be immortalized alongside his countless other career accolades. In winning his seventh Super Bowl, the superstar further cemented himself as the most accomplished player to ever grace the sport.

Brady’s seventh ring gives him more titles than any NFL franchise. His previous six were with the New England Patriots, who remain tied for first with the Pittsburgh Steelers with six championships.

Meanwhile, the NFL’s undisputed quarterback of the future Patrick Mahomes struggled all night, throwing for 270 yards and a couple of interceptions. More notably, Mahomes was sacked three times and was held to zero touchdowns for the first time in the 2020–21 season.

Brady will get most of the attention for winning the game for his team as quarterbacks typically do — and rightfully so. However, it was Tampa Bay’s defence, orchestrated by defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, that set the tone of the game early.

Throughout the 2020–21 regular season and playoffs, the Buccaneers struggled at times on offence, but had the benefit of playing alongside a consistent and authoritative defence. As growing pains eventually settled as the weeks went by, everything emphatically culminated on Sunday in their dominating two-way performance against the offensively inclined Chiefs.

The game began and ended at the line of scrimmage, as Kansas City’s offensive line was unquestionably the weakest link in the team’s otherwise potent attack throughout the season. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, one of the Chiefs’ starting guards, was the first player to opt out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19 concerns. Additional injuries to Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz forced the Chiefs to heavily rely on backups and late-season waiver wire acquisitions to protect Mahomes.

On the other end of the field, the Buccaneers’ defence was able to employ a simple yet effective strategy that took the most influential players on the Chiefs’ roster out of the game.

Bowles and the Buccaneers rarely blitzed Mahomes, realizing that the team’s pass rushers and tackles alone could generate pressure with their inherent mismatch. The Buccaneers also had at least two safeties deep downfield for much of the game, making it problematic for Mahomes to connect with his ludicrously fast wide receiver Tyreek Hill while he was constantly showered with double-teams.

On paper, superstars Hill and tight end Travis Kelce ended the game with decent counting statistics, but failed to make their emblematic game-breaking plays.

Despite the somewhat disappointing lack of competition on the field, Super Bowl LV will go down in history for dispelling out-dated American sports standards and breaking barriers.

Kansas City’s assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust and assistant strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar became the first women to win Super Bowl rings as part of a coaching staff. Meanwhile, no other team in the league has more than one woman coach.

NFL official Sarah Thomas also became the first woman to referee a Super Bowl. On Sunday, the league took a significant step in the right direction towards gender diversity and inclusivity.

In addition, the Weeknd made his fair share of history by becoming the first solo Canadian artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. The Toronto-native, sporting his signature red blazer, performed songs spanning his entire career, ranging from “House of Balloons” from his 2011 debut mixtape, to his 2020 hit, “Blinding Lights.”

Despite several COVID-19-related setbacks, the Weeknd achieved Super Bowl greatness in his memorable and flamboyant performance alongside Thomas, Javadifar, Locust, and the Buccaneers.

Amidst a shower of confetti, Brady was asked during the post-game celebration if he would be returning next season following another unprecedented championship. The 43-year-old, coming off his most lopsided Super Bowl win to date, kept his answer short and sweet.

“I’m coming back, you already know that,” Brady said.

 

Graphic by Taylor Reddam

Categories
Sports

The last stretch of the NFL playoffs

The NFL playoffs have offered fans all kinds of results so far

With the National Football League (NFL) playoffs currently at the Conference Championship stage, we’re quickly approaching Super Bowl LV, which will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida on Feb. 7.

It didn’t take long this year to have some surprising — or, in other words, disappointing — playoff exits.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the favourite teams to win the Super Bowl entering the playoffs, faced their rivals the Cleveland Browns in the wild card round. Contrary to what many expected, the Browns delivered an almost perfect first half, even establishing a new record in NFL history with 28 points in the first quarter.

It was the Browns’ first win in Pittsburgh since 2003, and the team’s first playoff victory since 1994. Unfortunately for them, they lost 22-17 to the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the divisional round.

An exciting divisional round matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints sent the latter of the two teams out of the Super Bowl picture. The Saints, 12-4 in the season, lost 30-20 in what was a game full of turnarounds and key plays.

Less surprisingly, the Baltimore Ravens offered a disappointing performance against the Buffalo Bills. After beating the Tennessee Titans by a touchdown in their wild card game, the Ravens scored just three points against the Bills and lost 17-3.

The conference championship matchups also offered exciting battles between teams that haven’t disappointed so far. All four teams were looking to continue on their good winning streak, but had one last challenge before punching their ticket to the Super Bowl.

The Buccaneers battled against the Green Bay Packers, who registered a better record than the Buccaneers in the regular season. Still, both teams were coming off important wins in the divisional round. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, Buccaneers’ and Packers’ quarterbacks respectively, are both among the NFL’s best players of all time. They were for sure going to give their best against the other. It’s been an exciting offensive game, but the Buccaneers had the best of the Packers 31-26.

On the other side, the Bills, perhaps the most improved team this season, played the Chiefs. Those two franchises have combined for only five losses in 32 games this season. Yet, one of them had to lose. It’s finally the Chiefs’ offence that had the final say, winning 38-24.

With a second consecutive appearance in the Super Bowl final, the Chiefs could be the first team since the 2004–05 Patriots to win back-to-back Super Bowl championships. For the Buccaneers, it will be their second championship game in franchise history. The first time happened to be just before the 2004–05 Patriots, as they won Super Bowl XXXVII.

 

Graphic by Rose-Marie Dion

Categories
Sports

Heading towards a slightly different Super Bowl

COVID-19 restrictions might have their impacts on the upcoming Super Bowl LV

With the current National Football League (NFL) season being played as normally scheduled, the league is preparing its next Super Bowl event, which will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida.

The latest updates say that fans will fill 20 per cent of the stadium’s capacity. However, it’s still early to come to conclusions, as the Super Bowl LV will be played on Feb. 7, 2021. Things might change again for the next edition of the football world’s biggest event, and one of sports’ most-watched annual games.

The NFL announced on Nov. 12 that singer The Weeknd will lead its halftime show. The announcement didn’t include anything about additional singers or pandemic restrictions, but that makes it obvious that this year’s halftime show will be challenging with social distancing rules, especially if fans are around.

The Super Bowl has never faced a similar situation before, having to make its halftime show interesting without singers and dancers getting in contact with each other.

The two teams that will play the Super Bowl also won’t be known until just two weeks before the event, meaning supporters of the two finalist teams will only be able to buy their tickets and travel to Tampa Bay a few days before the game.

It will probably be hard to control such travel from fans, and make sure that all pandemic restrictions are being respected during this big event.

What’s certain is that the upcoming Super Bowl LV will be different, regardless of the teams playing and the final score. People probably won’t remember it for its noisy atmosphere, and sadly not for the traditional pregame tailgate parties, as there always are before NFL games. However, if the league manages to make the event happen properly and safely, it should still be considered a huge success.

 

Graphic by Rose-Marie Dion

Categories
Sports

Colour commentary: Previewing Super Bowl 53

Sports Editor Nicholas Di Giovanni gives his take on his latest in sports with his weekly Colour Commentary

Rams won’t stop Brady and will have to rely on offence

It’s pretty incredible to think quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick are taking the New England Patriots to Super Bowl 53, their ninth together.

Just like when they started together in 2001 and won three Super Bowls in four years, they’ll be playing in their third-straight title game when they take on the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta on Feb. 3.

The 41-year-old Brady and the Patriots have had an underdog attitude all season. I would think they’re the favourites for this Super Bowl, even though the Rams’s 13-3 record is better than the Patriots’s 11-5 record from the regular season.

In the playoffs, and especially in one-and-done title games like this, experience plays a pivotal role. Brady is older than L.A.’s head coach, Sean McVay, who turned 33 on Jan. 24, and 17 years separates Brady and his quarterback counterpart, Jared Goff. Not to mention, Brady and the Patriots have won five championships together, while the Rams have two playoff wins since McVay took over as head coach in 2017.

The Rams proved those numbers mean nothing in the NFC Championship against the New Orleans Saints. Up against 40-year-old Drew Brees and Sean Payton, who also won a title together in 2009, the Rams delivered an upset on the road—albeit a controversial one, but let’s not open that can of worms.

In last year’s Super Bowl, we saw how much the Philadelphia Eagles were underdogs against the Patriots. Even though Brady threw for over 500 yards and three touchdowns, the Eagles simply outscored them and won 41-33. If the Rams want to win this year, they just need to score a lot of points.

Even with a strong defence that features defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, the Rams likely won’t stop Brady. If L.A. needs to rely on their defence, they won’t win this game.

Instead, Goff is going to have to step up and make big plays. McVay also has to use this season’s third-leading rusher, Todd Gurley, more than he did against the Saints and at the same time give touches to back-up running back C.J. Anderson, whose experience winning a Super Bowl in 2016 may be invaluable to a young team.

For the Patriots to win, they just have to stick to their game plan. They know whatever they do works, because it’s brought them to four Super Bowls in the past five years. The Patriots had the 11th-best run defence this season, so if they can shut down the Rams’s running game, Brady and Belichick will be collecting their sixth ring together.

Prediction: 31-27 New England Patriots. Eight people from our staff predicted the Patriots to win Super Bowl 53, with three choosing the Rams.

Categories
Sports

The Concordian staff previews Super Bowl 52

By Zeze Le Lin

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick aim for their sixth championship together on Feb. 4

The number-one teams in the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC) are set to battle in this year’s Super Bowl in Minneapolis, Minn. The New England Patriots will aim to win a second-straight Super Bowl, and their third in the last four years. Their only roadblock is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Concordian staff previews the big game.

What the Patriots need to do to win

By Matthew Coyte, Assistant Sports Editor

The New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl (shocker). After winning against the Tennessee Titans 34-14 without much difficulty, and then beating the Jacksonville Jaguars in a thrilling 24-20 AFC Championship game, the Patriots will look to capture the sixth title of quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick’s regime against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Patriots have been able to systematically beat every challenge tossed at them. No receivers to start the year? No problem. Brady getting 12 stitches on his throwing hand prior to the AFC Championship? He threw for 290 yards.

No matter the score, it seems when the fourth quarter hits, the Patriots hit another gear. Even with tight end Rob Gronkowski possibly injured, the team is finally healthy after struggling with injuries early in the season. You do not want to play against a healthy Patriots team. They also have the league’s best coach in Belichick. That doesn’t hurt.

The Eagles are a good team, but the Patriots are the Empire. Brady is Darth Vader, Belichick is the Emperor, but the Eagles are no Luke Skywalker. The Patriots will win as long as Brady doesn’t break both his arms and legs, and the reign of terror will continue.

What the Eagles need to do to win

By Nicholas Di Giovanni, Sports Editor

Eagles quarterback Nick Foles is not as bad as everyone thought. When their starter and potential MVP candidate Carson Wentz tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in week 14, nobody thought the Eagles had a chance.

However, Foles took over from Wentz and played as if nothing changed. In the two playoff games, he has a 77.8 per cent passing completion, and has thrown for nearly 600 yards with three touchdowns. Not to mention Foles completely tore apart the Minnesota Vikings defence in the Eagles 38-7 win in the NFC Championship.

Wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor personify the Eagles chant, “Fly Eagles Fly,” as they look like they fly on the field. With talented running backs in LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi, their offence is a two-headed monster that could do serious damage.

Even though their defence, led by defensive lineman Fletcher Cox, linebacker Mychal Kendricks and safety Malcolm Jenkins, is capable of stopping good offences, they won’t be able to stop Brady, the quarterback who can pick apart any defence. If the Eagles want to win, their offence will need to do most of the work.

Predictions
By Alexander Cole, Managing Editor

Okay, well we all know that no matter how close a team gets to beating the Patriots, they will inevitably choke and practically give the game away at the last minute. It happened at last year’s Super Bowl, so I’m convinced it will happen again. Will this be any different? It won’t be.

The Patriots will start with the ball, and Brady and his injured throwing hand will struggle out of the gate. The Eagles, who have played solid defence all season, will take advantage of this. After the first quarter, Foles will have made some nice throws, and will have thrown for a touchdown. The score: 10-0 Eagles.

Throughout the second quarter, the Patriots will continue to struggle, but so will the Eagles. Neither team will really get many scoring opportunities, and the first half will end 13-7 for the Eagles.

In the third quarter, the Eagles will get a touchdown, and with a quarter to play, it’s 20-7 for Philadelphia.

Then to the dismay of literally every football fan ever, Brady will wake up with 10 minutes to go, and score two unanswered touchdowns, including one with a minute left to play. He wins his sixth Super Bowl, and I cry myself to sleep.

Staff Predictions

Calvin Cashen: 26-21 Patriots

Alexander Cole: 21-20 Patriots

Matthew Coyte: 30-21 Patriots

Nicholas Di Giovanni: 27-25 Eagles

Orenzo Porporino: 24-17 Eagles

Candice Pye: 26-21 Patriots

Katya Teague: 21-20 Eagles

Main graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

Categories
Opinions

Money, Money, Money (and maybe some football)

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons Finance Images

The Super Bowl is just a lame excuse for capitalism to flourish

The air reeks of fried foods, cheap cologne and fermented ale.

The room is filled with muscled bros zealously watching the television, as if their lives depend on the outcome of this game. Their few female companions at the bar look utterly bored and disenchanted with their surroundings.

Meanwhile I am quietly perched in the back of the bar, quietly observing this very bizarre phenomenon.

Yes my dearest friends, I am referring to the Super Bowl. The one day each year when North Americans can justify a massive junk food binge whilst watching giant brutes running to and fro chasing a small rubbery brown ball.

Crass comments aside, it is my belief that the Super Bowl is merely an embodiment of consumerism and corporate greed. A dark and hollow characteristic that seemingly runs rampant throughout the Western world today.

It’s a known fact that the game generates a ton of money every year, but upon closer research I discovered the numbers were astronomical.

The Advertising

Nielsen records reveal that the televised broadcast is viewed by more than 100 million people across the globe every year, with advertisers eager to purchase airtime to plug their products.

To air a 30-second ad during the prestigious game, the cost starts at a cool $5 million according to superbowl-ads.com. And these ads have helped fill the coffers of multinational corporations that receive an immense boost from the lucrative event.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons Finance Images

The Globe and Mail article revealed just how beneficial these marketing attempts can be, especially for the company GoDaddy. The web hosting company experienced an increase in market share ever since it started to air commercials at the prestigious sporting event. Although the ads cannot account completely for the entire increase in market share, GoDaddy’s presence has definitely seen a significant surge.  

To add fuel to the fire, data from statista.com reveals Super Bowl 50 will generate US$15.53 billion in terms of consumer related spending. This amount is more than three times greater than the amount of foreign aid Canada gave to states in 2014 according to the Canadian International Development Platform .

So essentially the focus is not even on the game itself, with the businessmen foaming at the mouth like rabid animals at the potential money to be made.

The Music

Let’s not forget about the halftime show, for capitalism trickles down into every facet of the Super Bowl. Whoever performs at the halftime is guaranteed to have success in terms of record sales and touring revenue.

After Bruno Mars’ performance in 2014, his album shifted 81,000 units in the week after his halftime show, according to Billboard. Madonna even marketed an entire album around her halftime routine, with her music video “Give Me All Your Luvin,’” featuring many football references in the lead up to the big show.

The best case though is Beyoncé’s show three years ago.

Yes we love queen Bey and she might very well be a deity, but her 2013 show had the dollars signs written all over it.

Contrary to past performers, Beyoncé at the time didn’t have a new album to promote but instead used the halftime slot to promote a new tour, which began two months after the Super Bowl in 2013. The Mrs. Carter World Tour went on to gross more than US$200 million and was one of the most successful tours of the decade according to idolator.com.

No doubt this year’s performers Coldplay will see the same trend for their upcoming tour.

In the end, few people really care about the actual football game. The Super Bowl merely highlights consumer exploitation and the fact that we live in a world that focuses on profits before people.

Capitalism is deeply rooted within our society and it’s a shame that we can no longer see that this event is just another excuse to extort money.

Categories
Opinions

Super Bowl: king of sports

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

The Super Bowl is one of the most epic sporting events and has a vibrant and dramatic history to match. The first Super Bowl was held on Jan. 15, 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs and ended with a 35-10 victory for Green Bay. A total of 61,949 fans were in attendance at that game in Los Angeles, out of a possible 100,000 seats at the Memorial Coliseum.

Even in the very first Super Bowl, the theatrical element was present. In fact, the hero of that game was a wide receiver named Max McGee, who expected to watch the game from the sidelines. When starter Boyd Dowler separated his shoulder on the second drive, McGee was forced to step up. McGee went out the night before and was in no shape to play football the following day, let alone in a championship game.

“I waddled in about 7:30 in the morning and I could barely stand up for the kickoff,” he told the press after the game. He was confident that he wouldn’t be playing, but the only thing that could have put him in the game—an injury—happened. He borrowed a helmet from one of his teammates, having left his in the locker room, and walked on the field. Early in his performance, he caught a 37-yard touchdown pass and went on to make seven catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns. He made more catches in that Super Bowl game than he did the entire previous season, in which he only had four receptions. Talk about dramatic.

The spectacular element to the Super Bowl has yet to fail us and this year will be no exception. The two teams that squared off for the title on Sunday were the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. Each team is coached by a Harbaugh. Two brothers will go head to head, in the ultimate sibling rivalry. The fact that this narrative has been a dominant one around the game is no surprise. This is the first time in 47 Super Bowls that a brotherly confrontation will take place. While the 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh has been known to shy away from the media and avoid answering questions about the upcoming game, John enjoys speaking with the media and joking about how his parents always liked Jim more. Despite their different personalities, one thing remains certain; both will do whatever it takes to come out on top. Their constant devotion to their respective teams came first on Sunday over any brotherly connection they have. It was a game that will be remembered for the rivalry and skill of all involved, with Baltimore taking an early lead and holding off a genuine effort from San Francisco in the second half to take the game 34-31.

Even if you are not the biggest football fan, you will probably be surrounded by friends and family watching with a beer in hand and nacho dip close by. Because it’s the Super Bowl. It’s one of the greatest sporting events in the history of sports and its flare for the dramatic makes it even better. The enormous melting pot of passion, emotion, skill and devotion make it impossible to miss that fateful day comes and so it will be for years to come.

Exit mobile version