Super Bowl LVIII, the first to take place in Las Vegas, was an instant classic. The back-and-forth game had impassioned fans and casual viewers alike on the edge of their seats for all of the second half and overtime. The Kansas City Chiefs’ 25–22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers capped off a season that saw the team overcome offensive struggles and rely on their playoff experience to turn their season around and end the year as champions.  

Andrea: For someone who watches football once in a blue moon, I can say that the Super Bowl is the only football game I’ve watched consistently the past few years. For this year’s Super Bowl, I attended a small gathering hosted at my friends’ house off-campus. We had a table with various snacks such as chips and salsa, veggies, hummus, and even Boursin. Fourth-year Audrey Koren made some pupusas with tomato sauce and coleslaw and fourth-year Caroline Lee provided my favorite drink of all time, Capri-Suns. 

I rooted for the 49ers because the Niners and the Seattle Seahawks are the closest we’ll ever get to a Portland football team. Brock Purdy, also known as Mr. Irrelevant, was the last pick of the NFL draft in 2022 and became the starting quarterback for the 49ers. Purdy was the underdog in this situation, and who doesn’t love rooting for the underdog? Toward the end, everyone was on the edge of their seats. With most of the group having 7 a.m. lift the next day, the prolonged OT game made us more anxious. 

The halftime show was pretty decent. Every guest brought out was wonderful, and I’m glad H.E.R. got the recognition she deserved because the majority of people don’t know she was a child prodigy. What was really impressive was the fact that Usher, who is 45 years old, sang, danced, and roller-skated all at once. 

As of recently, I’ve become more invested in the Super Bowl conspiracy theories rather than the Super Bowl itself. I don’t really believe in them, but I think they’re super funny. One of them is regarding the Super Bowl logo. Some people genuinely believe the Super Bowl is rigged because in the past, the logo was made one to two years ahead of the playoff games. The Super Bowl LVI logo featured red and yellow, and the Cincinnati Bengals (red) and Los Angeles Chargers (yellow) played each other that year. Last year, the Super Bowl LVII logo featured red and green, which happen to be the colors of the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. People were expecting the 49ers to play the Baltimore Ravens due to the LVIII color being red and purple, but it was a last-minute switch due to the attention Taylor Swift would attract viewing the Super Bowl. However, NFL players such as Patrick Mahomes have spoken out about the preposterousness of the theory. 

James: The Super Bowl is one of my favorite events every year because it guarantees that I will be with many of my friends in one spot, something that doesn’t happen often given our busy schedules as students, athletes, and student workers. Last year, my friends and I had a big watch party in the lobby of Barrows Hall, where many of us lived. We ordered pizza, brought various appetizers, and had a great time watching the Chiefs win (again) and Rihanna perform.

Since we are all more spread out with our living situations this year, I knew we wouldn’t be able to replicate the large party we had last year. However, my friends, second-years and lacrosse teammates Mya Valdez and Lauren Deardorf, hosted a get-together in their quad. We watched the game on their projector and shared food, laughs, and stories. Although I, a long-time Travis Kelce fan, was thoroughly outnumbered by friends who were pulling for the Niners, our friendly, slightly aggressive banter made the game even more fun. 

Before I went to their quad, I watched the first half and halftime show with the men’s tennis team in the main lounge of Bailey House. Although we were the only people watching the beginning of the game there, more people began to trickle in until we had about 25 people in the lounge. Seeing multiple friend groups all sharing a space to watch some of the game — and mainly the halftime show — reminded me why I love the Super Bowl. There are very few national events that can gather people together like the big game, and although I wish events like this would happen more often, I appreciate that the Super Bowl’s ability to do so is what makes it so special.