On February 9, 2025, over 125 million Americans sat down to watch the biggest sporting event in the country, the Super Bowl. This year’s Super Bowl featured the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
With Jalen Hurts leading the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes leading the Chiefs, the Eagles secured a 40-22 victory over the Chiefs, marking their second Super Bowl victory in Eagles history.
Students from Athens Drive Magnet High School shared their thoughts on the game, halftime performance, and commercials, giving their perspective on the Super Bowl experience.
Game Recap
Going into the game, Super Bowl 59 was predicted to be a close match, with the Chiefs slightly in favor. Kansas City was coming into the game with a regular season record of 15-2 and Philadelphia had a regular season record of 14-3.
The Chiefs were headed into the game with the goal of securing an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat, having won both Super Bowls in the past two years. However, once the game began, it was clear that the Eagles were prepared to put an end to that aspiration.
In the end, the Eagles beat the Chiefs 40 to 22 and the quarterback for Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts, was named MVP after setting the Super Bowl record for QB rushing yards.
When asked about the game, students at Athens Drive shared their thoughts and opinions.
Andrew Moore, Varsity football player, said, “I was cheering for Philly because I love the way their team plays, it’s fun to watch and great to see their teamwork.”
Additionally, Junior Brodie Fulgham responded, “I was cheering for the Eagles because the Eagles have a lot of players from Alabama and I’m a huge Bama fan. Roll Tide!”
“I was cheering for the Eagles because my neighbor is a big Philly fan and the past few years I’ve become a big fan because of him,” said Evie Goodman, Flag Football player.
Halftime Show
This year’s halftime show was headlined by Kendrick Lamar, with SZA joining him as a special guest. Additionally, actor Samuel L. Jackson and former tennis player Serena Williams made appearances with Jackson portraying Uncle Sam and Williams as a prominent background dancer.
The halftime performance has been a huge topic of conversation as many believe it was meant to be a powerful message.
While there are many different views around what the symbolism used in the performance specifically means, the overall idea is clear; racial inequality is largely prevalent in our country today.
Additionally, there were a lot of references, insults and critical remarks towards Lamar’s rival, Drake. Overall, there was a relatively balanced reaction to the performance with some people loving it and others claiming it was the worst Super Bowl performance ever.
For students at Athens Drive, reactions were also varied.
“I thought [the halftime show] was okay, but I thought it was really overhyped,” said Fulgham. “It wasn’t as good as I thought it would be.”
However, Moore and Goodman had a different view.
“I think the show was super entertaining. It had great celebrity features with deep, cool underlying meanings,” said Moore. “I loved the halftime show!” Goodman said.
Commercials
The Super Bowl is arguably as famous for its commercials as the game itself.
With a 30-second commercial costing around $8 million, brands that can afford it put in a lot of effort making them and take advantage of the huge audience to launch cinematic-level commercials.
According to the Super Bowl Ad Meter survey by USA Today, Budweiser won with its “First Delivery” commercial. 2nd place was awarded to Lay’s with their commercial titled “The Little Farmer” and Michelob Ultra achieved 3rd place with their commercial, “The ULTRA Hustle.”
Additionally, some other notable commercials included Uber Eats “Century of Cravings,” featuring actor Matthew McConaughey humorously investigating the origin of football and the conspiracy that it was created to make us hungry.
Also, Mountain Dew’s “Kiss from a Lime” features pop artist Seal turning into an actual seal and singing a funny parody of his hit song, “Kiss from a Rose” on Baja Beach to promote Mountain Dew’s Baja Blast Tropical Lime flavor.
When asked about the commercials, Athens students had their own favorites.
“I liked the Kanye commercial when he got his new teeth at the dentist. That was a good one,” said Fulgham.
Meanwhile, Moore enjoyed the “Big Men on Cul-De-Sac” ad by Bud Light. “Shane Gillis and Post Malone are always funny.”
Conclusion
The 2025 Super Bowl brought it all. An exciting matchup, fun game, electrifying halftime show, and commercials that were both heartwarming and humorous.
For the students of Athens Drive, it was nothing short of entertaining, bringing exactly what was expected and more.
Whether it was rooting for a team, laughing at amusing commercials, or watching an intriguing halftime show, the Super Bowl remains a cultural event that brings together fans from all different backgrounds.
