There is no bigger sporting event in America—or the Latin community—than the Super Bowl. Whether you like it for the actual game, the commercials, or the halftime show, almost everybody has a reason to watch at least a part of it. In fact, 112 million people tuned in to watch this year’s big game, which took place last Sunday between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Both the Rams and Bengals attracted supporters nationwide who joined the fanbases in hopes of making it to this very game, with many Latin students hopping onto one of the teams’ bandwagons in the process. The Cincinnati Bengals acquired a particularly large following due to the unexpected success of their star quarterback, Joe Burrow. Burrow’s fun style and lovable personality off the field, along with his incredible talent, has persuaded many Latin students to root for the Bengals. The craze over Burrow became so dramatic that Latin held a Joe Burrow Day on the Thursday prior to the Super Bowl. Students dressed like the Bengals phenom and even performed some of his notorious dance moves at Gathering. When asked about the game, students largely sided with Burrow and the Bengals. Sophomore Cole Goodwillie went as far to say, “Joe Sheisty is gonna destroy the Rams.”
In the game, the Rams jumped out to an early lead with Odell Beckham Jr. scoring the first touchdown of the day. However, in the second quarter, Beckam Jr. tore his ACL, which put him out for the remainder of the contest. The Bengals took this as an opportunity and scored 17 points unanswered to take a lead going into the fourth quarter. However, the Rams stormed back in the final minutes as quarterback Matthew Stafford threw the go-ahead touchdown to Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp with barely any time to spare. Defensive star Aaron Donald also came up with two clutch tackles to seal the win for Los Angeles.
While many Latin students were excited to watch Burrow face off with a talented Rams team, others were interested in the Super Bowl for a variety of other reasons including the halftime show, which was headlined by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige. Sophomore Ava Cole said, “I only like the halftime show and the commercials so I watched for that.”
Like Ava, many viewers were most interested in the commercials, which have become a staple of the big game. Junior Anton Schuster said he watches the game for “the puppy bowl, the commercials, and the commercials for the puppy bowl.” These advertisements are well-known for their comedic slogans and celebrity cameos. All of these embellishments of the Super Bowl show that there is truly something for almost everybody to enjoy about the day.
Another popular part of Super Bowl Sunday for Latin students is the social aspect. Many gathered with friends and family to watch the game and socialize. Senior Parker Bigornia said, “I was excited to watch the Super Bowl with my friends and even won some money from them.” Parker is not alone in enjoying this element of the big game, with the day becoming a holiday of sorts for many.
All of these features unite in making the Super Bowl one of the largest events for those in the Latin community. Even if you are not a football fan, there are many different ways to enjoy the game, including the halftime show, the Puppy Bowl, the commercials, or just gathering with friends and family. Whether you have become attached to the Joe Burrow storyline as many others did, watched solely to see which company came up with the funniest ad, or were just excited to be with loved ones, the Super Bowl was and always will be a day that everyone can appreciate.