Super Bowl week has finally arrived! Everywhere you go, you see it: restaurants have special promos and deals, there are non-stop commercials about it, and people on social media just won’t shut up about it. If you are not a sports fan, or at least not an American Football fan, I am here to educate you and get you in the spirit of one of the best events in this country:
First of all, what is it?
The SuperBowl is the annual final championship game of the National Football League. The NFL consists of 32 teams that are divided into two conferences, the American Football Conference(AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Teams play the regular season from August until December. By the end of the season, the best 7 teams of each conference compete against each other in their respective conference until there are two teams left standing. So in summary, the Super Bowl is the final game between the best team in the AFC and the best team in the NFC
Who’s playing?
This year it’s going to be Tampa Bay Buccaneers, representing the NFC, against the Kansas City Chiefs, representing the AFC.
When and Where is it?
The Super Bowl is always on the first Sunday of February, so this year it’s going to be Sunday, February 7th at 6:30PM EST. The location of it varies every year, and this year they’ll be playing at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Who’s performing at the halftime show?
Another great thing about the Super Bowl is the halftime show. Each year, the NFL tries to hire big-time singers to perform during halftime. In past years, Beyonce, Shakira, J-Lo, Maroon 5, Bad Bunny, Michael Jackson, and Paul Mccartney have performed. This year, The Weeknd will be performing, however, there have always been surprise appearances by other singers so I’m not sure what to expect.
How to watch?
The NFL has many partnerships with different channels such as CBS, FOX, and NBC, and they tend to rotate the Super Bowl broadcasting rights. This year, CBS will be hosting it and it’ll be the 21st time CBS has shown the Super Bowl, by far the most among networks.
Who will be crowned champion?
As I stated above, the Super Bowl is a game between the two best teams in the NFL. This year we have a classic matchup between Tom Brady (the Buccaneers quarterback) and Patrick Mahomes (the Chiefs quarterback). Old vs new. The GOAT vs MVP. Personally, I am divided on who I want to win. On one hand, being a Patriots fan myself, it’s kind of satisfying being able to see the iconic duo of Brady and Gronk together again. However, on the other hand, It’s kind of hard to see them play for another team, and I am a huge fan of Patrick Mahomes. He is the reason I ended up in the top three of my league two years in a row for my Fantasy League. The two teams met earlier in the season on Nov. 29, and the Chiefs beat the Bucs 27-24, but the Bucs have not lost since. The Chiefs have made big plays throughout the season that secured their wins and as their matchup against the Bills showed in the AFC championship game, they will and can always come back. The Bucs have strengthened both, their defense and their offense, and Brady has helped reborn the franchise. So, in my opinion, it could go either way.
Watch party recommendations:
One thing that makes the Super Bowl even better, is getting together with your friends, ordering some delicious food, and enjoying the game together. Because of COVID, this year will be different— but it doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. If you are willing to host I suggest you invite up to 5 people who you know have been careful and have been following the CDC guidelines, use one of the many delivery systems that follow those same guidelines to order some food (Here is a list of restaurants that are having special deals for the Super Bowl), and enjoy the game!
This Super Bowl is going to be interesting. With Patrick on the rise to become one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history and Brady reaching the end of his amazing career, this could be the moment where the torch will be passed down. Then again, we all know how Tom thinks, and mentioned many times he still has a lot to prove, so this game will be everything but boring.