Neglect Thanksgiving. Tremendous Bowl Sunday is America’s true unleashing of its nationwide id, the day the nation gorges itself on beer and rooster wings, patriotism, popular culture, hero worship, machismo, fireworks, sanctioned violence and consumerist craving.
When you have been watching on Sunday evening — in fact you have been! — you already know all this. However there was so much happening, perhaps even in your front room. So right here are some things which may have escaped your consideration as you waited for after which rocked to Rihanna.
1. Nick Sirianni’s Tears
Because the nation music star Chris Stapleton sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Eagles Coach Nick Sirianni wept quietly into his beard. A Fox digital camera lingered on Sirianni for 10 seconds earlier than chopping away. Firstly of the third quarter, Fox included Sirianni’s tears in a first-half spotlight reel.
“I don’t actually thoughts that. I wouldn’t like a coach who didn’t put on his feelings out on the sphere,” Eagles offensive sort out Jordan Mailata stated final week. With Sirianni, he stated, “you already know when he’s completely happy, you already know when he’s indignant.”
And you already know when he’s listening to the nationwide anthem.
2. Kansas Metropolis Followers Being Kansas Metropolis Followers
On the finish of the anthem, Kansas Metropolis followers on the recreation in Arizona upheld an Arrowhead Stadium custom by singing “and the house of the Chiefs” as an alternative of “and the house of the courageous.” Earlier than the sport, about 50 individuals protested the title of the group and the followers’ tomahawk chop hand gesture as a result of they see them as disrespectful to Native Individuals, however the traditions reside on.
3. Serena Williams Promoting Drinks
Williams, who stated final August that she was “evolving away from tennis,” continued to evolve as a pitchwoman, showing in adverts for 2 alcohol manufacturers, Rémy Martin cognac and Michelob Extremely beer.
The Rémy Martin advert forged Williams as a coach exhorting a soccer group (and, for some motive, dancers and kitchen staff) to “struggle our means again into the sunshine one inch at a time.”
Within the Michelob Extremely business, a riff on the movie “Caddyshack,” Williams sinks a putt to win a match in opposition to the actor Brian Cox, who stands in for Ted Knight, who performed Choose Smails within the movie.
4. One of many Many Tributes
So many honors have been bestowed in the course of the Tremendous Bowl broadcast that it could have been straightforward to overlook not less than one in all them.
There have been tributes to America, to the emergency medical staff who saved Payments security Damar Hamlin, to Damar Hamlin, to the previous N.F.L. working again Walter Payton, to Andrew Whitworth (final yr’s winner of the Walter Payton Man of the 12 months Award), to Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (this yr’s winner), to the previous N.F.L. linebacker Pat Tillman (who was killed whereas serving with the Military Rangers in Afghanistan), to the Tillman students (veterans who obtain scholarships from Tillman’s basis), to the newest class of Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame inductees, and to Julia Crossley, 12, a sixth-grader from Arizona who was chosen because the N.F.L. Play 60 Tremendous Child. Amongst others.
5. Cryptocurrency Adverts
You missed them as a result of they didn’t air. Final yr, crypto adverts have been so ubiquitous that the Tremendous Bowl grew to become often known as the Crypto Bowl, with Coinbase, Crypto.com, eToro and FTX — keep in mind the hard-to-impress Larry David? — all shopping for spots.
Right now, FTX is bankrupt; its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, is awaiting trial on expenses that he presided over the theft of billions in buyer deposits; a number of different exchanges have gone bankrupt; and $2 trillion in property have been vaporized.
Can we curiosity you in some cognac?
6. Gamers Slipping
You’ll have been forgiven, at sure moments, for mistaking the sport for the N.H.L. Winter Traditional. Gamers on each groups misplaced their footing on the grass in State Farm Stadium, significantly on the painted logos.
At halftime, the Corridor of Fame quarterback and Fox commentator Terry Bradshaw identified that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had became longer cleats. “This subject is slippery,” Bradshaw stated. After Rihanna’s halftime efficiency, a legion of groundskeepers labored to fill the divots left by the stage.
Within the third quarter, the Eagles’ Jake Elliott slipped whereas kicking off, simply as Kansas Metropolis kicker Harrison Butker had completed within the first recreation of the season on the similar stadium. Butker missed 4 video games with an damage.
Deadspin posted an article saying, “the N.C.A.A. and N.F.L. ought to give severe consideration to by no means taking part in a essential recreation in Glendale once more.”
All of which will need to have been unsettling for George Toma, 94, often known as the God of Sod, who helped put together the sphere, as he has completed for all 57 Tremendous Bowls.
7. Gronk’s Discipline Objective Try
Rob Gronkowski’s try and kick a subject purpose in a promotion for the sportsbook FanDuel, mercilessly promoted in the course of the two weeks earlier than the sport, unfolded with all of the narrative rigidity of a name from a telemarketer. An onscreen label stated the 30-second business was reside, however it didn’t look reside, and it was arduous to inform whether or not Gronkowski, the retired N.F.L. tight finish, made the kick, although he collapsed in a pantomime of disappointment and FanDuel later stated he missed it.
8. Rihanna’s Tether
Rihanna floated into the stadium atop a glowing platform suspended by cables. It was a magical — and barely scary — entrance, on condition that she seemed to be hovering a number of tales above the sphere. Yikes, what if she danced too near the sting, particularly on condition that she seemed to be (and was later confirmed to be) pregnant?
However to not fear: Like a window washer on a scaffold, Rihanna was secured by a cable with what regarded, in images, like a sturdy carabiner. And doesn’t that appear like a security harness beneath her pink jacket?
9. Travis Kelce Yelling
Truly, if you happen to watched the postgame celebration, you couldn’t have missed this. Kelce, Kansas Metropolis’s star tight finish, answered each interview query as if he have been a Marine recruit responding to a drill sergeant.
“Not one in all you all stated the Chiefs have been going to take it residence this yr,” he hollered, presumably on the Fox announcers who unanimously picked Philadelphia. “Not one!”
