In the other city that never sleeps, Las Vegas hosted an event that could have gone all night. Taylor Swift flew all the way from Tokyo as if she were Santa Claus or an Amazon package being tracked to be with the one she loves in his shining moment. Usher performed a stellar show worthy of the Strip with guests such as Alicia Keys, H.E.R. and Ludacris. And the football game was pretty good, too.
The Kansas City Chiefs needed overtime to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22, and claim the Vince Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champions for the fourth time in franchise history (three in this decade), and second in a row--not done since the New England Patriots in the 2000s. Patrick Mahomes, the QB who threw to Mecole Hardman in the end zone for the winning score near the end of OT, won his third Super Bowl MVP. And America got to see Taylor and Travis Kelce of the Chiefs in locked embrace as the confetti flew. Storybook finish.
The Chiefs as AFC West champions made their way through the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens to win the conference title. The 49ers as NFC West champions defeated the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions for their conference title.
Back to Taylor 'n Travis for a moment. We think it's great that the biggest pop star so far in the 2020s was able to make the time to cheer on her boyfriend from her suite at football stadiums in spite of her busy schedule. The NFL, which hardly needed the exposure, seems grateful for all the Swifties who came aboard to discover for themselves what football is about. Like any relationship, though, you have to wonder how long Taylor 'n Travis is going to continue. If they don't, will all those Swifties find something else to do besides watching football? How will the NFL survive without them?
Other Super highs and lows:
- It's been reported that 126 million of you watched the big game on CBS. That's a big relief to a TV industry awaiting the return of its scripted shows after a long autumn of delays caused by striking writers and actors.
- CBS analyst Tony Romo, whose booth performance has been dissed by fans and critics alike, managed to make it through the game without saying something stupid.
- Beyonce tried to break the internet--again in a Verizon ad. Arnold Scwarzenegger plays a State Farm insurance agent turned action hero. More talking infants. And Jesus apparently had a foot fetish. Otherwise, the commercials were not great this year.
