Every year, millions of spectators tune in to sports channels to watch one of America’s most popular sports, football. According to Reuters, Fox had around 99.9 million people tune in to last year’s Super Bowl. This year’s game, Super Bowl LV, will air on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 24, 2021, for a spot in the Super Bowl. Coming into the NFC Conference Championship with their new quarterback, Tom Brady, the Buccaneers gave it their all. Brady was credited with taking the team to the Super Bowl. The game was close, with a score of 31-26 in favor of the Buccaneers. This makes them the first team to play in the Super Bowl in their home stadium, Raymond James Stadium, since 1966.
By the end of Sunday, Jan. 24, the second team to play in the Super Bowl was determined. Last year’s Super Bowl winners, the Kansas City Chiefs, played a great game against the Buffalo Bills. With a score of 38-24, the Kansas City Chiefs claimed their spot in Super Bowl LV.
Aside from football, the Super Bowl is also enjoyed for its performances and commercials. However, this year the NFL had to get creative in order to keep these traditions alive. With COVID-19 still being a threat, the NFL teamed up with popular app TikTok to provide health care workers with a tailgate party and performance before the game. According to the NFL and CBS, 7,500 healthcare workers have been invited to see Miley Cyrus perform live at the tailgate. All healthcare workers in attendance are required to be vaccinated prior to the performance. The pregame event will also have special guests including NFL players and TikTok creators. One of the biggest Super Bowl traditions is the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, which has taken place since 1990. Last year, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira shook the stage, with special guests Bad Bunny and J Balvin also being featured. This year, the NFL has announced that The Weeknd will be the main performer in this year's Pepsi Halftime Show. Typically, performers bring a special guest along, but whether The Weeknd will do so has not been revealed yet. USA Today has stated that the Super Bowl has officially reached the limit of commercials they include yearly in their games. Some companies have even released their commercials early. Among these companies is PepsiCo, which has released commercials for Pepsi, Doritos and Cheetos. Other companies, such as Doordash and Vroom, will also be joining the commercial lineup this year. Hopefully this will add to the entertainment of both the football and commercials. With many surprises to come, the excitement is building as the historic Super Bowl LV gets closer.
By Jessica Dedho-Doradea, Contributing Writer, and Elinor Shelp-Peck, Co-Editor in Chief