With Super Bowl Sunday only a week away, Americans are more than excited to see this 57th annual football final. Meanwhile, across the pond, more than a few Britts are understandably confused by the game they refuse to call Football. So here is everything you need to know to enjoy this year’s Super Bowl— or at least pretend to…
- A basic rule book
Here is everything you need to know. Each team is comprised of up to 55 players, and their main goal is to make it into the end-zone. Unlike English football, or soccer, they take turns trying to get there, switching between two sides of the team, offense and defense. Only one part of a team is on the field at any given time. So, let’s say the Bengals are on Offense, the Chiefs will only have defense players on the field. A coin toss at the start of the game will determine who occupies which position first. So, after a patriotic performance of the national anthem and a dramatic kick-off, the game has officially begun. As, I mentioned the goal is to make it into the end zone in a certain amount of plays, if this is done the scoring team gets 6 points. Once they make it into the end-zone they also get a kick, which grants them an extra point. So a successful turn would mean 7 points for the offensive team. Now, let’s say things aren’t going so well and the offensive team knows they won’t make it to the end-zone in time, they can go for a field goal instead, which grants 3 points. It’s best to think of football as a game of chess. It’s not as fast-paced as other sports, and it can be hard to not get frustrated when the gameplay stops every other minute. But each play is a well-thought-out move, which is then countered. So to better understand we have to briefly go over the players and the purpose they serve. The most important, is of course the quarterback who calls the plays and starts the game. There is only one on each team and they play for the offense, so there is only one on the field at a time. Let’s say the 49s are on offense, their offensive players will line up with the QB at the back. The offensive center, tosses the ball to the QB, and now it’s up to him to start the play, and this is where the other players come into play. Most times he will throw it to one of his receivers, and they do their best to get the ball as far as possible without being tackled. Another popular play is for the QB to run the ball, and hope the defense doesn’t catch on right away. Of course, there are many iterations of plays, and so much more to learn, but these are the two things you’ll be seeing a lot of next Sunday. And then there are the defensive players. Let’s say the Eagles are on defense, they have one job, which is to stop whoever has that ball. Well, technically two jobs. The other thing the defense can do is an interception. If a member of the defense can catch that ball, they run like hell because they’ve just turned into the offense. It sounds a bit complicated but it’s all pretty simple. Two teams, divided into offense and defense. If the Bengals were on offense, only their offensive players are on the field, along with the other team’s defense, no one else. Each team has a QB, who calls the plays and throws the balls (or runs them). Everyone is aiming for the end zone, or trying to keep each other out of there. Easy as pie
2. The teams and what to know
Now that we know the rules, let’s get to know our teams a little better. The last 4 teams in the running were the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cincinnati Bengals, The Philadelphia Eagles and the SanFran 49s. Last Sunday they battled it out to find out who would play the Super Bowl. So let’s get to know our finalists. The Chiefs, are actually Missouri’s football team and not Kansas’. To non-Americans this might be confusing, but Kansas City is in the state of Missouri. The Chiefs have won two Super Bowls in the past, in 2020, and 1970. So playing this year’s Super Bowl would be huge for the team. The Cincinnati Bengals were at last year’s Super Bowl where they lost to LA Rams, they have yet to win a Super Bowl. Recently they have garnered TikTok fame over the popularity of their young QB Joe Burrow. The Eagles have played in a total of 3 Super Bowls, winning 1. Their most recent Super Bowl was in 2018, when they famously beat the New England Patriots. Finally, the 49s have the most Super Bowl appearances out of all the finalists. If they made it to this Sunday’s game it would be their 8th Super Bowl. They have 6 wins so far, making them the most successful team on roster. So, who actually made the cut? (Drumroll please). The Philadelphia Eagles, will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 57th Super Bowl. So far bets favor the Eagles, but it’s important to know that with football everything can change within a season and past wins are no guarantee.
3. Why should you watch the Super Bowl?
So, if you’re still not connived to watch this year’s Super Bowl let me tell you what more it has to offer. First of all, this year’s half-time show will feature Rihanna, which is sure to be amazing. Second, there are the snacks that come with any Super Bowl watch. If you’re planning on watching the game, make sure you have enough food to feed a small army. Last, but definitely not least, there are the Super Bowl ads which never disappoint. I personally would opt to miss a bit of game play over one of these ads. I hope I’ve won you over on the beauty of our great American sport, it truly does have so much to offer.