“Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup broke viewership records, becoming the most watched telecast in U.S. TV history. An average of more than 123 million people tuned in over the duration of the game,” NPR writer, Eric Deggans, said in his article “Sunday’s Super Bowl was the most watched telecast in U.S. TV history”.
“It’s [the] one thing that can bring all sides of the US together,” junior Emmery Wells said. This event, the Super Bowl, is one of the most significant and widely viewed events in football.
2024 made way for the 58th Super Bowl, pitting the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers. This year’s matchup was interesting for a variety of reasons, both old and new. “Obviously everyone knows Taylor Swift is going to be there, but I also think it’s exciting that Patrick Mahomes has the chance to win his 3rd Super Bowl in 5 years,” sophomore RJ Fallows said.
“Coming back from COVID people are starting to get into sports again, so it just feels a lot bigger this year,” senior Noel Mayer said.
The Chiefs have gained an unexpected fanbase of “Swifties” due to the recently revealed relationship between the number one tight end, Travis Kelce, and 14 time Grammy winner Taylor Swift, one of the most influential artists of our time.
“She makes so much music of different genres that there’s a song for each and every person,” Wells said. When Swifties rumors of Swift’s relationship with Kelce started, all fans eagerly waited for confirmation. On her Eras Tour, she confirmed it by working the lyric “Karma is the guy on the chief, coming straight home to me,” into one of her hit songs “Karma.”
Freshman Makinley Peirce, a self-proclaimed “Die-hard Swiftie” was overjoyed when she heard the news. “I was so excited because of how well it confirmed the rumors,” Makiney explained. “It was really cool, and a great way to do it.”
At WAHS, hundreds of students support different teams from all over the US. People can like their teams for various reasons, such as location, family preferences, and what they see in the media.
Freshman Tylee Carlson has been an avid Buffalo Bills fan all her life. “My dad grew up in Buffalo,” she said. For this year’s Super Bowl, she was rooting for the 49ers.
While freshman Braylon Hyer is a Baltimore Ravens fan. “Many people call me a bandwagon because I just started liking them this year, but I liked [the team] before the season started,” Hyer said. He was rooting for the 49ers this year as well.
The start of the Super Bowl was anybody’s game. At the end of the first quarter it was 0-0, but that didn’t last for long. By the end of the second quarter, the 49ers were up 10-3.
Though the first half of the game was very tense for both parties, everyone could agree that Usher’s halftime performance was one of the best in years. It had special appearances from artists such as Alicia Keys, H.E.R., will.i.am, Ludacris, and Lil Jon.
The second half was a back and forth game between the two teams. The Chiefs caught up to the 49ers, but the 49ers did not allow them to take the lead for too long. This continued until the scores were tied 19 -19 at the last second. The Chiefs scored a field goal in the last minute of the game, ensuring they would go into overtime.
After winning the coin flip, the 49ers chose to have possession of the ball. They were unable to score a touchdown but got a field goal, putting up 22-19. At this point in the game, all signs pointed to the 49ers winning, but in the last few minutes, the Chiefs got possession of the ball, knowing that in order to win, they had to get a touchdown. With 1:30 on the clock, they were put in a similar situation that they were in at the end of the fourth quarter. With less than seven seconds left, Patrick Mahomes threw the ball to Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who secured a touchdown. This set the final score to 22-25, ensuring the Chiefs their second Super Bowl win in a row.
The outcome of the game came as a surprise to most people watching it. It was a game that went against all odds and was a cat and mouse chase. Super Bowl LVlll marks a new era. After the game, Mahomes told the world that “It’s the start of a dynasty, but we aren’t done.”
