By Sam Hahn

Every year, millions of fans gather around their TVs to watch the largest sporting event in the United States. The matchup between two teams, who battled all year long to get to this moment. The Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl is the most anticipated football game of the year. The winners of the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC), come together for the final game of the season to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL).

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Photo credit: Mike Quach via Wikimedia Commons.

Before 1966, there were two professional football leagues, the NFL and the AFL (American Football League). The AFL was formed in 1959 by a group of investors to create a competitor league to the NFL, because they were frustrated by the NFL’s refusal to expand. In 1966, the two leagues agreed to come together for a final game between their respective champions. This game was played between the NFL’s Green Bay Packers and the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. The Los Angeles Coliseum was the home of this historic first championship game, which was then named the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The next year the name “Super Bowl” was implemented by the owner of the AFL jokingly, with plans on changing the name eventually. In 1970, the two leagues merged, and the name stuck,

Usher on stage at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. Photo credit: @nfl via Instagram.

Over the decades, the Super Bowl has become an unofficial national holiday. As friends and family gather together to watch the game, they take the chance to celebrate and eat. Each year on average, the viewer of the game will consume 2,400 calories during the game, and approximately 30 millions pounds of snacks are eaten worldwide. The Super Bowl could also be classified as a showcase of pop culture icons. The halftime show used to be a modest performance but has transformed into a spectacle featuring popular musicians and performers. Some performances from the past have included Rihanna, Prince, Eminem, Maroon 5, and Justin Timberlake. Halftime shows started out small, until Michael Jackson stole the show in 1993, and big productions became the norm.

One of the most popular Super Bowl traditions are the commercials. Although these commercials are great for marketing, they come at a steep price. For the most recent Super Bowl, the price of a single thirty-second commercial slot was $7 million. Companies do not shy away from these prices and take advantage to advertise their brand.

Patrick Mahomes during warmups. Photo credit: @nfl via Instagram.

This year, Super Bowl LVIII was played between the defending champion, Chiefs, led by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and the dominant San Francisco 49ers, stacked from offense to defense with some of the NFL’s superstars. Leading up to the Super Bowl, the Chiefs were 11-6 in the regular season, while the 49ers were 12-5. Considering the similar records, the question was, who is going to come out on top?

In the past few years, the Chiefs have become one of the NFL’s superteams. Led by Mahomes, the team has seemed unstoppable. Mahomes was born in Tyler, Texas, and is the son of former Major League Baseball pitcher, Patrick Mahomes, Sr., so Mahomes grew up playing both football and baseball. Mahomes was drafted as the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft and has continued to make history on the turf. Having two Super Bowl wins, Mahomes is a dominant force in the NFL. However, the 49ers were equipped with some of the NFL’s most dominant players also.

Brock Purdy during warmups. Photo credit: @nfl via Instagram.

The last time the 49ers were in the Super Bowl was in 2020, also against the Chiefs, where they lost 31-20. The 49ers seem to have redeveloped their team and are now led by multiple star players. Quarterback Brock Purdy played at Iowa State and was the last pick in the NFL draft, but despite all odds rose to fame by becoming one of the league’s best talents. Christian McCaffrey is one of the best running back in the NFL, and Deebo Samuel is a wide receiver that most defenses fail to cover.

Going into the game, the 49ers were favored to win, but the game was a true toss-up. Predictions of the game were all over the place, and sportswriters at The Athletic noted that “most of the staff expects a close game” and would be too close to pick a winner. 

With all of the predictions and controversy leading up to the game, the only people who could determine the outcome were the players. The Chiefs won the coin toss but deferred the ball and gave it to the 49ers. The 49ers remained in possession of the ball until a fumble four minutes into the first quarter. The Chiefs remained in control of the ball until four minutes left, when they turned it over. The 49ers ended the quarter with the ball, making it the first scoreless first quarter in Super Bowl history.

Twelve seconds into the second quarter, 49ers kicker Jake Moody made a 55-yard field goal, breaking the Super Bowl record for longest successful field goal. The Chiefs tried to reciprocate the energy and put points on the board, but a fumble by running back Isaiah Pacheco ruined those hopes and gave the ball back to the 49ers. The game was in the 49ers hands until a heart-breaking injury. With nine minutes left in the 2nd quarter, 49ers defensive star Dre Greenlaw, tore his achilles while running out onto the field. This was a devastating blow for the 49ers. The 49ers went on to score a touchdown, making the score 10-0. The Chiefs were able to make a field goal, making the score 10-3 going into the second half. 

Both teams were looking to grab the momentum first in the second half. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made a 57-yard long field goal late in the 3rd quarter to break Moody’s new record. After turnovers by both teams, the Chiefs’ wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling scored a touchdown, giving the Chiefs their first lead of the game. Starting the 4th quarter, the 49ers were the first to score but missed the extra point, bringing the score to 16-13. In a four-minute drive, the Chiefs drove up the field to score a field goal, tying up the game. The 49ers went on to score a field goal, giving the Chiefs one last drive to determine if they would be victorious. The Chiefs were able to get to the 11 yard line but settled for a field goal, sending the game into overtime for only the second time in NFL history.

The Lombardi Trophy. Photo credit: @chiefs via Instagram.

The 49ers won the coin toss and received the ball. A touchdown for the 49ers would give them the victory. They drove down the field, making great plays, and ended up scoring a field goal. The Chiefs gained possession of the ball; a field goal would continue the game, and a touchdown would give the Chiefs the win. The Chiefs were making steady ground, being persistent and doing what they had been all season. It was 2nd down, with 7 yards to go, and Mahomes found Mecole Hardman in the end zone, winning the Chiefs the Super Bowl, and they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the second year in a row.

This Super Bowl was an intense game. Multiple Super Bowl records were broken, and some of the best players in NFL history were on the field. Multiple future Hall of Fame players combined with some of the future stars of the NFL, and Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time.

Featured image credit: @nfl via instagram.