LAS VEGAS — Super Bowl opening night was held inside Allegiant Stadium, the home of the Las Vegas Raiders. Yet, for this week, the shrine to the Silver and Black was adorned in different shades of red. While the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to battle for the biggest prize in American sports, the players spoke to the media for one hour each.
Travis Kelce admitted he’s feeling the pressure after his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, brought home a Grammy for Album of the Year.
“She’s unbelievable, she’s rewriting the history books herself,” Travis Kelce said Monday night at Allegiant Stadium. “I told her I’ll have to hold up my end of the bargain and bring home some hardware, too.”
During media night, the captains of both teams participated in a cross talk, Kelce embraced the fact the Niner Gang booed him mercilessly.
“Y’all are firing me up, you’re making me want to play right now, baby. I love the boos more than I love the cheers, baby. Keep ’em coming Niners gang, keep ’em coming.”
During the captains meeting, Purdy took this question from NFL Network host Scott Hanson: “It’s late in the fourth quarter, are you prepared to disappoint Taylor Swift?”
Purdy smiled and responded: “Yes. I’ll leave it at that.”
Travis Kelce addresses his haircut once and for all
One more thing: Kelce took issue with an article by The New York Times which attributed the popular fade haircut solely to him. The headline read “Barbers, in America and abroad, are being inundated with requests for ‘the Travis Kelce.’”
During Super Bowl opening night, Kelce said those allegations are “absolutely ridiculous.”
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Kelce said. “And to do it on February 1st, to throw me to the wolves like that that? That was messed up man. I didn’t want anything to do with that. I got good fade if you need it though. It’s a two on top, a high to mid fade with a taper in the back.”
But since this story is about the Super Bowl, there are more announcements!
The NFL does the Samba in Brazil
NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell held a press conference before Opening Night. He announced the Philadelphia Eagles will play in Sao Paolo, Brazil on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, the first time the NFL has played a game on Friday night of Week 1 in over 50 years (Cardinals at Rams, Sept. 18, 1970).
“This landmark first international game in South America demonstrates the ongoing expansion of our global footprint,” Goodell said in a press release. “Playing on Friday night of Week 1 is a unique way to highlight our international growth and ambitions.”
The Eagles will be the “home” team in Brazil, but no one knows who they will play on opening weekend. One team that could be a possibility is the Dallas Cowboys.
The first NFL game played outside the United States happened in 2007 when the Giants faced the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in London. Since then, the NFL has played regular season games in Mexico and Germany, as well as London.
“The Eagles organization is honored to have been selected to play in the first-ever National Football League game in South America,” said Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles chairman and chief executive officer, in a release. “With the global growth of our sport being a top priority to our league, we embrace the opportunity to grow our fanbase around the world and bring Eagles football to the 38 million sports fans in Brazil. As one of the world’s most culturally diverse nations, Brazil is an international melting pot, and we look forward to experiencing its warm, vibrant and welcoming environment later this year.”
NFL Commissioner says streaming will continue
During his press conference, Goddell addressed the viability of broadcasting NFL games exclusively on streaming platforms. He said “we have to fish where the fish are” and that the viewing figures “showed that our fans are on these platforms”. His beliefs are buoyed by the fact the AFC Wild Card matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs attracting close to 28 million viewers on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.
“One of the secrets of our success is we are really committed to broadcast television,” Goodell continued. “Ninety per cent of our games are on broadcast television. I think it’s the reason why you will see over 200 million people watch this game here in the United States, because it’s on broadcast television and the broadest possible platform.
The evolution of streaming may have alienated older viewers. But, Goodell said the average age of the viewer on Peacock was ten years younger than the audience on linear television. Plus, The NFL’s Thursday Night Football (TNF) viewership grew by 24 percent during its second season on Amazon Prime Video. An average of 11.86 million viewers watched the games that were exclusively braodcast on Prime Video.
When asked if the NFL would consider exclusively streaming the Super Bowl, Goddell essentially said ‘not during my time.’
“We’ll see Super Bowl continue to be on the broadest possible platform, and I think we’ll continue to see the NFL on the broadest possible platform,” said Goodell. 23 million people watched that NFL wild-card game.”