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.
For those who had been watching on Sunday evening — after all you had been! — all this. However there was lots occurring, possibly even in your front room. So right here are some things that 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 digicam 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 sector,” Eagles offensive deal with Jordan Mailata stated final week. With Sirianni, he stated, “ when he’s completely satisfied, when he’s indignant.”
And 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 staff and the followers’ tomahawk chop hand gesture as a result of they see them as disrespectful to Native People, however the traditions dwell on.
Damar Hamlin’s Collapse
The Buffalo Payments security went into cardiac arrest throughout an N.F.L. recreation in Cincinnati on Jan. 2. He was launched from the hospital on Jan. 11.
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 advertisements for 2 alcohol manufacturers, Rémy Martin cognac and Michelob Extremely beer.
The Rémy Martin advert solid Williams as a coach exhorting a soccer staff (and, for some cause, dancers and kitchen staff) to “battle our means again into the sunshine one inch at a time.”
Within the Michelob Extremely industrial, 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 had been bestowed through the Tremendous Bowl broadcast that it will have been simple to overlook a minimum of 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 Yr 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 most recent 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 advertisements had been so ubiquitous that the Tremendous Bowl grew to become often known as the Crypto Bowl, with Coinbase, Crypto.com, eToro and FTX — bear in mind the hard-to-impress Larry David? — all shopping for spots.
At the moment, FTX is bankrupt; its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, is awaiting trial on fees 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’d 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, notably on the painted logos.
At halftime, the Corridor of Fame quarterback and Fox commentator Terry Bradshaw identified that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had become longer cleats. “This area 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 achieved 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 critical consideration to by no means enjoying a essential recreation in Glendale once more.”
All of which should have been unsettling for George Toma, 94, often known as the God of Sod, who helped put together the sector, as he has achieved for all 57 Tremendous Bowls.
7. Gronk’s Discipline Aim Try
Rob Gronkowski’s try and kick a area aim in a promotion for the sportsbook FanDuel, mercilessly promoted through the two weeks earlier than the sport, unfolded with all of the narrative stress of a name from a telemarketer. An onscreen label stated the 30-second industrial was dwell, however it didn’t look dwell, and it was exhausting to inform whether or not Gronkowski, the retired N.F.L. tight finish, made the kick, regardless that he collapsed in a pantomime of disappointment and FanDuel later said 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, provided that she gave the impression to be hovering a number of tales above the sector. Yikes, what if she danced too near the sting, particularly provided that she gave the impression 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 appeared, in images, like a sturdy carabiner. And doesn’t that appear like a security harness beneath her crimson jacket?
9. Travis Kelce Yelling
Really, when you watched the postgame celebration, you couldn’t have missed this. Kelce, Kansas Metropolis’s star tight finish, answered each interview query as if he had been a Marine recruit responding to a drill sergeant.
“Not one in all you all stated the Chiefs had been going to take it dwelling this yr,” he hollered, probably on the Fox announcers who unanimously picked Philadelphia. “Not one!”
10. Your Household
It was a high-scoring recreation that went all the way down to the wire. Be sincere — do you even know the place they had been?