Are you watching the Superbowl game this Sunday?

In this upcoming Super Bowl, the fan base won’t just be the usual football fans. Whether you like her or not, Taylor Swift has brought more attention to the Super Bowl than most people could ever do in a lifetime. Her fans- nicknamed Swifties– often receive hate from football fans. These football fans have their own reasons, however, such as the belief that Swifties don’t know a whole lot about football – and that they’re only there to support Taylor Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce. Will this spark controversy over Sunday’s big game? 

What does Oakmont think?

Now, moving past the subject of Taylor Swift, we polled Oakmont Regional High School’s students and teachers with questions regarding their predictions for the game. 

Somewhat surprisingly, students seemed to be evenly split on who to root for. According to the STUDENT data, 58% are rooting for the 49ers, and 42% of students are rooting for the Chiefs to win. 

Our FACULTY members at Oakmont were surveyed as well, with 48% rooting for San Francisco and 40% rooting for Kansas City. About 12% said they did not follow sports. 

Students were also asked who they predict will win Super Bowl LVIII.  Approximately 65% think the Chiefs will win, and 35% think the 49ers are going to pull it off. 

59% of the faculty members believe the Chiefs will win, while 29% of them believe the 49ers may win. Wait that doesn’t add up to 100%! Once again, we do know are math –  12% of faculty members surveyed made sure to note that they didn’t care for football. 

Here’s what people believe:

                         Why do so many people root for the Chiefs?  While there is no sure way of telling, we can infer it’s related to popularity. Although many people know Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and the 49ers, they aren’t as present in the media as the Chiefs are. This has its ups and downs for Kansas- as we hear so much about the Chiefs, a lot of people tend to either love or hate them. A lot of New England Football fans despite the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes for daring to challenge the Patriots and Tom Brady’s legacy. For the record, Mahomes isn’t even on par with Brady, as the former New England QB has a whopping 7 rings compared to the 2 Mahomes won (Which is still impressive).

So, where do the people who hate the Chiefs put their love? They put all their trust and faith into Brock Purdy, the quarterback still on his rookie-year contract. 

However, it should be noted that many people look down on him, thinking he was just given his team like a handout. Yeah, you can make this point, but the 49ers wouldn’t be where they are without him (and yes, plenty of his success is thanks to the team as well).

A staple of American culture:

The Super Bowl is a staple in American culture, and has been a household event for decades- families across America tune in every year. For many, the Super Bowl is a reason to spend time with friends, loved ones, and more. Some even consider the Super Bowl to be like an unofficial holiday. 

Beyond the game itself, the Super Bowl reflects American culture. Examples of consumer culture (consumerism) are extremely evident in the sheer number of ads played during the game. 

Super Bowl ad slots are among some of the most expensive in all of television. Companies will invest millions of dollars just for an advertisement about 30 seconds long, as surprising as that sounds. Super Bowl commercials have become so prominent in our culture that people seem to analyze and discuss them as much as the game itself. 

The halftime show is a testament to America’s fascination with celebrity culture. The entertainment industry knows this and takes advantage of it to the best they can- by making the halftime show as captivating as possible. Pop culture, music, and sports are all tied together to capture attention with ease.

As mentioned earlier, Taylor Swift and her Swifties will undoubtedly play a large role in this Super Bowl. Obviously, she won’t be on the field playing for the Chiefs, but the cultural impact she brings will influence how well tickets sell. This is just yet another example of how well the entertainment industry understands the common people, and they’re not afraid to milk the situation as much as possible. 

A short history of the Super Bowl:

The very first Super Bowl occurred in 1967 when two competitive football leagues, the NFL and the AFL, agreed to merge at the end of every season for a championship.

It would be the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs who suggested calling the championship game the Super Bowl. Picking a name for the championship game was very difficult, but 1969 would see the Super Bowl chosen to represent the championship game. 

In 1967, the NFL Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl (called the “AFL-NFL World                   Championship Game” at the time) over the AFL Kansas City Chiefs. The final score of the first Super Bowl ever was 35-10.

Did you know footballs from both the NFL and the AFL were used during the game? For example, the Chiefs would use an AFL football when they were on the attack- but the ball would be changed to an NFL football when the Packers were playing offense. Traditions such as this would fade away as the two leagues fully merged in 1970. This merger (and some more changes along the way) would bring about today’s NFL – the one league with multiple divisions- that we know and love today.

Where can I watch the Super Bowl?

Super Bowl LVIII will be available on CBS this Sunday (the 11th) at 6:30 PM EST. You can also watch the game live on platforms such as YouTube TV, Paramount +, and Fubo.

Quick Quotes from the Writers:

To conclude our article, each one of us writers stated our thoughts on this year’s Super Bowl. The following quotes are our opinions on Super Bowl LVIII:

• L. Matewsky- “If I see Taylor Swift on the jumbotron every time Travis Kelce touches the ball imma lose it.”
• J. Morand- “Chiefs are (sadly) winning- cause the refs practically play for Kansas, and the NFL needs more attention around Taylor Swift. Basically, I think the league is kinda scripted – or biased, at the least. Nah, but for real though – I hope I’m wrong, and it’s really a 49ers victory.”
• C. Catalfamo- “ The 49ers will win the Superbowl!I don’t care what others might say, the 49ers will win.“
• H. Morand- “Watch Taylor Swift break up with Travis the second the Chiefs lose.”