The San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs will face off to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the Super Bowl LVII Feb. 11.
The reasons behind why people enjoy the Super Bowl are extensive. Some people will be enjoying Super Bowl Sunday because they want a certain team to win. Others will watch because Usher is performing in the halftime show, and then some people will enjoy themselves in the kitchen where all the food is, chatting up a storm with friends and family.
Each year has a different outcome, and whether participants are into football or not, the buzz and excitement is all anyone can talk about for the days before and after the Super Bowl.
Predictions
Most sources say the 49ers have a predicted 57.5% to win against the Chiefs. With their 12-5 record this season, the odds are in their favor. However, with the Chiefs having Quarterback Patrick Mahomes on their team and his performance record of doing well under pressure, he has good odds to help bring the team to victory.
Ken Beazer, executive director of athletics, said he is against the Chiefs and cannot cheer for them, so by default, he is more for the 49ers.
The reactions from fans are mixed as to who they want to win. These thoughts are based on previous games and not wanting either the Chiefs or the 49ers to make it to the Super Bowl.
Ryan Sharp, a junior marketing major from University Place, Washington, said, “I personally want the Chiefs to win since my Dad’s side of the family is from Kansas, so if the Seahawks lose, we start rooting for them [the Chiefs], so it is pretty exciting right now.”
Fans have already begun placing their bets on which team will win. A Caesars Sportsbook bettor from Michigan placed a $1 million bet that the 49ers would win. He also bet $100,000 that the coin toss would land on tails.
Traditions
From eating food to betting on what team will win, there are many traditions surrounding the Super Bowl.
Watching the halftime show, eating food and enjoying the commercials is just as big of a deal for some viewers as it is to watch the actual game. It is a social event that starts the year for millions of people, whether they like football or not.
Usher is due to have a 13-minute performance during the halftime show. He said that those minutes “mean everything” and that performing at the Super Bowl has “been on his bucket list for a long time.”
While some enjoy the halftime show, others find it less appealing as Athletics Sports Psychologist Ron Chamberlain said, “The halftime show is something that I usually just mute on the TV while I eat food and be social.”
In a survey done with 2,000 adults, the top 56% of people watch the Super Bowl for “football food.” With the top foods for this game being chicken wings, pizza and potato chips, this easy-to-make and quick-to-grab meal is the funnest part for a lot of viewers, especially for those who are invested in the outcome of the game.
Pricing
With roughly 70,000 people attending the game in person each year, ticket prices are always increasing. Tickets to this year’s Super Bowl at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas range from about $7,000 to over $35,000. Even with those who don’t attend the game in person, the average person is estimated to spend around $115 on food or on ways to make the event more memorable.
Since the Super Bowl is being held in Vegas, the city is estimated to have an economic impact of more than $500 million.
Chamberlain said, “It’s [the Super Bowl] such a spectacle, in addition to a football game.”
The Super Bowl is a football game, but it is also a performance. They have the halftime show as well as all of the commercials and sponsors. These athletes are under a lot of pressure to win the game, but so are the performers to give a good show.
Audiences of over 113 million will be waiting to see what this spectacle brings whether that be the outcome of the game, a Taylor Swift appearance or good food.
Sharp said, “Every Super Bowl has something different to love most about it, which makes it a very special event.”
