The Bay Area 49ers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in the eagerly anticipated 2024 Super Bowl. Excited Seawolves show their support by wearing their favored team’s merchandise. Beyond the game itself, the Super Bowl is a celebration of watch parties, quality time with friends and family, iconic halftime shows, and delicious food.
While not all students are familiar with the Super Bowl, the excitement surrounding the halftime show performed by famous R&B artist Usher remains a common theme.
Klarisza Torres, a fourth-year COMS major, admitted to limited knowledge of the sports game besides Taylor Swift’s romantic connections to one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ top players, Travis Kelcy. Being from the Bay Area, Torres knows the 49ers are playing in the big finale. Despite her indifference towards the sport, Torres plans to attend a party with friends this year. “When there are drinks, snacks, and the halftime show, that’s the fun part,” Torres said. Another reason Torres enjoys the social Super Bowl parties is for the food, expressing a love for “chips, pizza, wings, and all the traditional Super Bowl finger foods.” Torres also mentioned the significance of commercials and expressed excitement about Usher headlining the halftime show, stating, “I love Usher and R&B. I grew up on R&B, so I’m excited, and that’s one of the only reasons I’m going to watch it.”
Not everyone’s preferred team will participate in this year’s Super Bowl. Grace Twilla, a third-year sociology major, is a Cowboys fan due to her family’s likeness to the team. “My family is a Cowboys fan, so I have to vote against the Niners. I guess I’ll be voting for the chiefs to win.” Although Twilla’s team will not play in the final, her family and friends always get together during the Super Bowl for brunch and a snack table. The party comes together by “picking a team we hate more than the other. It’s pretty fun.” Some of Twilla’s must have snacks during the big game are her mom’s homemade soft pretzels and a beer cheese dip. Twilla is especially excited to maybe see Taylor Swift in the audience rooting for her boyfriend, Travis Kelcy, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.
Camryn Ambur, a third-year Hutchins track three major, possesses a limited interest in the sport but is familiar with the Super Bowl through family connections. Expressing a preference for commercials, Ambur plans to spend this year’s Super Bowl watching the Puppy Bowl with roommates instead. “It’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. It’s these little puppies, and they wear jerseys and play games. They don’t know what they’re doing but occasionally get goals, and one team wins,” Ambur said. Her top snack choice for a Super Bowl party is the classic combination of chips and dip, a staple at sporting event parties.
Kelsey Angus, a second-year MBA Master of Business Administration at the University of Michigan, explains her experience at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Angus grew up as a 49ers fan, “So this year feels really special with the Niners having a special team,” especially after having close and nail-biting games leading up to the Super Bowl. Angus notes how exciting the atmosphere is during the Super Bowl weekend. “There’s a lot of fans of every team here right now, not just the Niners, so it’s a really exciting environment to be here.” Angus hosted a watch party for NFC and explained how well football brings people together. “A lot of my friends really didn’t care about the game, but I think it was really special because everyone was coming together to watch the game.” Angus felt that even friends who weren’t interested in the games immersed themselves in the competition and even picked teams to root for. Angus explained how people come to Las Vegas for the events leading up to the Super Bowl and to enjoy the welcoming, friendly atmosphere and not just solely the gameplay. Angus said she is excited to see Usher perform the halftime show, but “I think, more than anything, the game is what I’m here for.”
