Super Bowl LVII: New Dynasty, Important Firsts, Commercials and Best Pregnancy Announcement Ever
By • February 13, 2023 0 1330
One of the country’s favorite pastimes, Super Bowl Sunday, has come and gone yet again. Over 100 million tuned in to one of the few broadcasts one must watch live in these modern times of DVR and streaming services. The Philadelphia Eagles were back in the big game for the first time since 2017 and the Kansas City Chiefs were returning as well for the third time in four years. The Chiefs ultimately took home the W, defeating the Eagles 38-35, a thrilling game until the bitter end.
A New Dynasty
A new Brady and Gronk have been crowned in Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. The two hoisted the Lombardi trophy once again Sunday evening for the second time in four years.
Typically, the actual Super Bowl game can be a bit of a snooze, with one team outplaying the other. Yesterday’s game proved to be quite different! It was a back-and-forth the entire time, with the Eagles seeming to be winning in the first half but after halftime, Mahomes (with injured ankle) and his men outscored the Eagles 24-11.
There was of course some controversy — a late call against Philly’s James Bradberry for holding the Chief’s receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster infuriated Eagles fans, as it looked like the Chiefs were going to have to settle for a field goal (and the Eagles would get the ball back with almost two minutes left in game time).
A flag for the holding gave the Chiefs a first down and the opportunity to maintain possession and drain more time from the clock, resulting in a field goal to win in the final seconds of the game.
Important Firsts
Super Bowl LVII was not without some important firsts to mention. It was the first Super Bowl with two Black starting quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. It was the first Super Bowl that featured two brothers pitted against each other: Travis Kelce of the Chiefs and Jason Kelce, a center for the Eagles. Their mother Donna sported quite the outfit to support both boys—you can find more of that here!
Women also made some important headlines. Autumn Lockwood was the first Black woman to coach in a Super Bowl as an assistant performance coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and Nicole Lynn will be the first Black female agent to represent an NFL quarterback (Jalen Hurts).
In the Game of Commercials, Gen X, Millennials Win
As an older millennial whose first VHS tape she bought at age 10 (with her hard-earned baby-sitting money) was “Clueless,” seeing Alicia Silverstone return for a Rakuten ad made me smile. Uber Eats’ commercial starring Diddy reworking some ‘90s and early ‘00s one-hit wonders had my husband and me doing the Night at the Roxbury dance yet again! There was also a great Caddyshack parody with Serena Williams and Michael Keaton returned as Batman.
Commercials also picked up on Millennials’ love of their pets. I am still not recovered from a Farmer’s Dog Food commercial with a 60-second look into the life of a dog, ending with the phrase “Nothing matters more than years together.” As a couple who unexpectedly lost our Frenchie Tito last September at age four, it was an emotional shot to the heart.
Amazon had a bit more of a playful take on dog ownership. Their commercial showed a dog who lives with a busy family, often left home alone while parents worked and children attended school and other activities. Every time they’d come home, he’d tear up the house. It’s worth a watch to see the twist ending — it brought a smile to our faces.
The Best Pregnancy Announcement Ever
As someone whose post-college years were dotted with songs from Rihanna’s 2007 “Good Girl Gone Bad” album, I was excited to see her big comeback. RiRi’s 13-minute set was a medley of her greatest hits — it was like she hit play on her Spotify catalog (and I loved it!). She sang elevated from an often-precarious looking platform that rose up and down, making me realize she obviously isn’t afraid of heights!
All the while, she was surrounded by dancers clad in white jacket and track pants outfits making for an impressive aesthetic against Rihanna’s bright red pantsuit and long coat combo. What was perhaps the most exciting part of the concert was the fact that Rihanna later announced she was pregnant with her second child. Many speculated, as she did give her belly a telltale rub during part of the set. This marked perhaps another first for the Super Bowl: the first pregnant woman to headline the Super Bowl.
While fans loved the show, once they found out she was pregnant, many were disappointed as they realized we may be waiting a bit longer for a new Rihanna album. Rihanna has a 9-month-old son with rapper A$AP Rocky.
