Across the board, Super Bowl LIX was a huge victory: for Eagles fans, for underdog supporters, for Kendrick worshippers, for Americans.Â
The Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs were hosted by the city of New Orleans this past Sunday, marking an epic rematch of the 2023 Super Bowl where Mahomes and the Chiefs beat Hurts and the Eagles 38-35. The broadcast began with the opening ceremony, including the coin toss, introduction of the referees, and, most notably, a humble introduction of New Orleans Saints defensive end and Walter Payton Award nominee Cam Jordan. He kicked off the Super Bowl by acknowledging the various unfortunate events that have burdened our country since the start of 2025, including the January 1st truck attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, the floods in North Carolina, the Los Angeles fires, and the mid-air plane crash in D.C. Beginning Americaâs biggest night in sports with recognition of the current chaos of the country and those who have been immediately impacted by these circumstances was an effortless yet classy move. This sensitized the viewers to the fact that the Super Bowl is much bigger than just a football game, but rather is a way to unite Americans amongst such great divides.Â
Regarding the actual football game itself, the Eagles took control immediately out of the gate. The score became irrelevant as soon as birthday boy and Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean had a 38-yard pick-six in the first half, sending Philadelphia fans over-the-moon. In the interest of the reader, after nearly four hours of airtime, the Eagles annihilated the Chiefs 40-22. I guess Jalen Hurts being the first NFL player to have an all-women team (career strategist, content creator, etc.) truly paid off for him and the entire Eagles squad.Â
Now, more importantly, the halftime show was absolutely spectacular.Â
If youâve read any of my articles, you know that Kendrick Lamar is my #1 artist, and SZA is in my Top 5 on Spotify year and year again. Iâve seen them both in concert separately, and I will see them on their 2025 Grand National Tour in May. And, somehow, their performance still left my jaw on the floor.Â
Mirroring the dynamics of the Grammys on Sunday, February 2nd, where Kendrick Lamar was preaching his Gospel while Taylor Swift watched from the audience, Swiftâs presence at the Super Bowl was notably limited on-screen. She appeared only briefly on television, and when the cameras did catch her, Eagles fans made their disapproval known with audible boos. Meanwhile, some Swifties are speculating that Taylorâs choice to wear white was a subtle hint at an engagement. If that was the case, there certainly wasnât enough airtime (or Travis Kelce touchdowns) for that to happen in New Orleans on Sunday.Â
Nonetheless, I certainly appreciated KDot commanding Americaâs attention for the evening to shed light on larger societal issues. His performance provided powerful commentary on the nationâs current state, strategically incorporating red, white, and blue to pose a deeper question: âWhat the hell are we doing?â Lamar offered his own input, as well, stating, âThe revolution will be televised. You picked the right time, but the wrong guy.â His clear intent was not to showcase his vocal prowess or out-of-this world musical intelligence or elaborate theatrics, but rather to emphasize that this is about something far greater than music. It was a striking statement of collective power, juxtaposing the uncertainty and turmoil surrounding the new presidential administration.Â
Yet again, Kendrick proved that he is in a league of his own. I completely forgot that âNot Like Usâ is a diss track at the Drake drama until Mr. Moraleâs little smirk at âHey Drake / I hear you like âem young.â That face will forever be etched to my brain. Further, the coordinated choreography and poignant message against anti-Black violence and hate overshadowed the appearances of the star-studded line-up of SZA (Drakeâs ex), Serena Williams (also Drakeâs ex), record-producer Mustard (not Drake’s ex), and actor Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam.Â
Contrasting the halftime show, the ads were god-awful. I fully jumped when Mountain Dewâs commercial was aired, featuring singer-songwriter Seal and, well, seals. It seemed like Artificial Intelligence was used for all the wrong reasons. Then, there was the Angel Soft toilet paper commercial, where viewers were given 30 seconds to use the bathroom. Unless people arenât washing their hands (um, ew), it was a completely unreasonable assumption that we could return to the couch in less than half a minute. The worst one was the Dunkinâ commercial during the first quarter, featuring former Patriots coach and 72 year-old Bill Belichick and his 24 year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson. This was a hard watch because Hudson is socially two degrees away from me (my intern friend from Boston went to school with her . . . the world is so small). Not my circus, not my monkeys for that nearly half a century age gap, but do they need to be featured in a Dunkinâ commercial together?
Overall, the Super Bowl was a great use of my time this past Sunday â Kendrick Lamar yet again proving that he dominates the rap industry, concerningly unusual commercial breaks, a football win for everywhere but Kansas City, and the choreographed allegorical union of the American people against The Establishment, whatever that is these days.