Chiefs Win 2023 Super Bowl
It could have been the best game ever. The score was 35-35 with 2 minutes left. That should’ve led to a thrilling finish. But the Chiefs spent those last 2 minutes milking the clock to ensure the Eagles never got a chance to soar again.
This spectacle had Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes taking a knee on one play. And a Chiefs running back flopping down on the 1-yard line to avoid scoring. And all this to keep the clock running. That might’ve been strategic. But it was also cowardly and unsportsmanlike.
And don’t get me started on the boneheaded refs. They seemed all too willing to help the Chiefs execute this strategy. Because only that explains the innocuous holding penalty they called. That Debbie Downer decided the game.
After all, imagine the suspense if they hadn’t made that call. The Chiefs would’ve attempted a field goal to go up 38-35. But the pressure was such that the kicker could’ve missed.
In any event, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts would’ve had a chance to lead the Eagles on a final drive to win, lose, or draw.
Playing it out like that would’ve made this the best game in Super Bowl history. And I’m not saying this just because I was rooting for the Eagles to win…
I have already pooh-pooed all the hype over the Black quarterbacks. Suffice it to know that Blacks should’ve been playing quarterback in this big game long ago. And these two showed why.
Mahomes is now the first player in NFL history to win both regular MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same year.
Anyway, congratulations Chiefs!
Super Bowl National Anthem
I measure each performance against Whitney Houston’s. I’m referring, of course, to the rousing rendition she gave at Super Bowl XXV in 1991. No performer has ever measured up. But country crooner Chris Stapleton came as close as any performer ever has.
The tears streaming down faces all over the stadium attest to this. Philadelphia Eagles coach, Nick Sirianni, was practically drowning in them. That speaks volumes. But who knew country singers had so much soul? Bravo, Chris!
The Halftime Show
I love Rihanna. But she should not have been on that stage.
Even accepting this NFL halftime gig reeked of hypocrisy and betrayal. After all, Rihanna said that performing at the Super Bowl would be “selling out my people.” That’s because doing so would be helping the NFL blackball Colin Kaepernick.
That was 2019. So selling out her people must be okay today. After all, the NFL has yet to resolve its issues with Kaepernick. What’s more, it’s every bit as racist in its hiring practices as it was back then.
Meanwhile, her floating stage and pregnancy were the most notable things about her performance. But we can watch Cirque du Soleil for stunts like that. Besides, her pregnancy had her moving like a dazed and confused Britney Spears on stage.
The truth, of course, is that she couldn’t resist the promotional opportunity. The Super Bowl is must-see TV for 100 million people. That’s why superstar performers, from Cold Play to Beyoncé, do this gig – for free.
But Rihanna didn’t win any new fans or sell more records with this performance. She might’ve lost some fans.
She kept grabbing her crotch and licking her fingers, a la Michael Jackson. I doubt it was finger-licking good – as she simulated. But it was as vulgar as it was absurd to watch a pregnant woman perform like this.
The best Super Bowl commercials
They’ve become so anticlimactic, I am reluctant even to mention them. After all, companies drain them of all suspense by running them on social media before the game. That has been my abiding lament.
But you know the commercials were awful when the one rebranding Christianity was the best of them all. But that was only because it featured Rag ‘N’ Bone Man’s “Human.” His voice is even more soul-stirring than Stapleton’s.
But John Travolta should be ashamed for making a mockery of his talent. He did this by singing his signature song from the musical Grease for a corny T-Mobile commercial.
And whoever greenlit that tacky “Premature Electrification” commercial for Ram should be fired.