Nana Sam, Grade 11, Staff Writer
Once the New Year starts, and the final weeks of January approach, there’s one main event on everyone’s mind. It’s not some flashy award show. It’s the place where music and football meet to make the most unexpectedly entertaining duo America’s ever seen: the Super Bowl. From the creative commercials to the overproduced halftime shows, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at the Superbowl.
However, one of the Super Bowl’s main excitements, prime-time commercials, fell short of the high expectations watchers have for them this year. From Arnold Schwarzenegger to Robert Kennedy Jr’s quirky commercials, they simply were not as entertaining as the Super Bowl commercials we’ve come to know and love.
Former HSAS student Arshia Imtiaz states, “The commercials this year were so lackluster. They were not hitting. They weren't going for the wow factor. They were just there for the sake of being there.” She added, “A lot of people are starting to realize that Super Bowl Commercials aren't as efficient as they once were, so funding for them fell off. As a person who watches the Superbowl just for the commercials, I was very disappointed.”
Even though the commercials were a miss, there were mixed feelings on the half-time show. Usher was the main event and he performed his biggest hit, “Yeah”, while showing off his vocals alongside his other celebrity guests, Alicia Keys, H.E.R, Ludacris and more. During his thirteen minute run-time, he had a myriad of song and outfit changes, but were these changes grand enough to win over the praise of millions of people who had their eyes glued to their devices and their butts on the edge of their seats?
Chesley Chen (‘25) claims, “I feel as if the half-time show was very underwhelming this year. The last good one was JLO and Shakira in my honest opinion. Also, no matter how many times Usher changed his outfits, none of them did anything for me.”
On the other hand, there’s people who actually enjoyed Usher’s halftime performance. Bridget Sam (StonyBrook ‘24) claims, “It could’ve been better, it was just too short. By the time it ended, I felt that I wanted to see more.”
The halftime show wasn’t the only part of the Super Bowl causing a divide amongst fans, as the game separated 49ers fans and Chiefs fans/Swifties. Many Taylor Swift fans came to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce. This relationship has led to an uptick in female viewership of the NFL since the two started dating.
Once the game started, the 49ers were in the lead and it seemed the victors were already decided for this game. This turned around after Chiefs Mecole Hardman Jr. scored the touchdown that ended a nail- biting overtime game. It became an underdog story for the books. Formerly confident 49ers’ fans were devastated by this loss. Chiefs fans were more than ecstatic with the results. Kelce and Swift celebrated with a televised kiss after the win. Even after she’s done greater things than dating the boy on the football team, the win felt like a fairytale happy ending.
Overall, Super Bowl 2024 had its highs and lows. Even though there was a severance between viewers of the famous Bowl, we can all agree that this Super Bowl was filled with excitement.