This opinion was written by Matt Brown, John Hilber, Yasmeen Matthews, Janson McNair, Isabella Schreck, Jacob Shondel and Anthony Zacharyasz from KentWired’s editorial board. After reading this article and its companion article, be sure to vote in the poll below so we can settle this debate once and for all.
We know all the hype around this year’s Super Bowl, for some, may come in the form of a potential Taylor Swift appearance, the halftime entertainment or the commercials.
However, a few of us are here for what the evening is actually about: football (and the nice spread during the game, of course).
Four years ago, Kansas City and San Francisco met in Super Bowl LIV, and this will be the eighth rematch in NFL history in the Super Bowl era.
On Feb. 2, 2020, San Francisco held a 20-10 lead with seven minutes remaining in the game; however, the NFL world got a warm welcome to the Mahomes magic.
After scoring 21 unanswered points during the quarter, the Chiefs lifted their second Lombardi trophy, and the then 24-year-old quarterback won his first Super Bowl MVP Award.
We will be able to see if the former dynasty of San Francisco can find life again, or if Kansas City can put the stamp of approval on its most recent dominance.
From 1982 to 1990, the 49ers won four Super Bowls; the Chiefs have won two Super Bowls since 2020.
For a little more background: In 1966, two football leagues, the American Football League and the National Football League, merged together to be solely the National Football League. Then, the league was divided into two conferences: the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference. The final winner of each of these conferences after rounds of playoffs headed to the Super Bowl.
The Green Bay Packers defeated the Chiefs to win the first Super Bowl in 1967. The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers have won the most championships with six each.
Some of the greatest athletes in the world are looking to continue their successes that cannot be overlooked. Stars on both teams, such as Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, are writing an impressive postseason story comparable to Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. For the 49ers, a new wave of young and upcoming stars like Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey are dynamic players that deserve the spotlight.
While we understand and know the appeal of the commercials and the excitement the halftime show brings and the entertainment the reviews bring afterward, the game is the point of the day. It’s not solely a pop culture entertainment program. Though, we will admit, we tune into all the halftime festivities too. We’re pumped to be able to hear Usher perform “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love,” hopefully.
To simply boil down the Super Bowl to something of commercialism and celebrity completely ignores the history of the epic championship and completely gets rid of the focus on the talented athletes and the fans they have to represent.
None of us are closely rooting for either of the teams in this year’s game, but we have been following the seasons to some extent and why stop at the end?
We encourage all of you halftime-show-only enthusiasts to tune into the game before and after the show to catch some real action, and maybe you’ll even win some money in your Super Bowl pool.
Matt Brown, John Hilber, Yasmeen Matthews, Janson McNair, Alton Northup, Isabella Schreck, Jacob Shondel and Anthony Zacharyasz contributed to this editorial. Contact the editorial team at [email protected].
