As Chamblee football fans are gearing up for Super Bowl LIX, mixed feelings surround the big game. While some are excited for the Chiefs to face the Eagles, others fear the matchup will ruin their game-day experience.
“I’ll probably sit on my couch and cry that the Eagles and Chiefs made it to the Super Bowl. Why did it have to be that matchup?” said Sam Dunham (‘25).
Regardless of the teams, many students view the Super Bowl as an unparalleled event in American culture.
“The Super Bowl is the single greatest thing in US history,” said Elijah Boelhouwer (‘27).
Many students share the idea that football is an important part of America, and often outshines other sports.
“It’s a great American pastime, and I love it. Wait, that’s baseball, but nobody cares about baseball.” said Will Scruggs (‘27).
Many fans at Chamblee have Super Bowl traditions that they look forward to each year, including indulging in their favorite game-day snacks.
“Some of my neighbors always have a get-together party that we go to; they have a bunch of food so I’ll go watch it over there,” said Ben Amaya (‘25).
Super Bowl parties are a common trend, and in the case of a few students, can even outweigh the excitement of a birthday party.
“It was actually my birthday, but I didn’t celebrate my birthday that day. I went to a Super Bowl party at my family friend’s house. We go every year, it’s our annual party,” said Stella Barton (‘26).
Others believe that the source of their Super Bowl excitement is how captivating the game itself is.
“I feel like the game itself is usually pretty interesting. The last couple of Super Bowls have not been too bad. They were right down to the wire,” said Amaya. “The Super Bowl food is always good too. I like eating the food.”
Students at Chamblee generally seem to have very negative opinions on both the Eagles and the Chiefs, and are uninterested in the outcome of the game.”
“I don’t really care, because I don’t like either of the teams. I hate them,” said Scruggs.
Some students say the Chiefs remind them of the New England Patriots, who went to 9 Super Bowls with quarterback Tom Brady.
“I don’t like watching the Chiefs win so much. It’s the same reason I didn’t like the Patriots,” said Dunham.
Other students also compared the Chiefs to the Patriots, which led to them slightly leaning toward the Eagles.
“I just really don’t like the Chiefs. They’re just so obnoxious. They’re in the Super Bowl every year. They’re the new Patriots,” said Amaya. “I also feel like there’s no fan base that deserves a Super Bowl less than the Eagles. I guess I gotta go for the Eagles though, because I’m just done with the Chiefs,”
Many students find themselves cheering for the Eagles out of resentment of the Chiefs’ consistent success.
“To be honest, I’m kind of rooting for a meteor. But all jokes aside, I’m probably rooting for the Eagles. I just hate to see a Chief’s three-peat or Taylor Swift on the screen 20 times.” said Dunham.
Regardless of their opinion of either team, many fans have expressed their support and high hopes for the Eagles running back, Saquon Barkley.
“If there’s one good thing to come out of an Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl, it’s seeing Saquon Barkley finally succeed. He’s been in a really bad franchise for a long time,” said Dunham.
Many fans at Chamblee have a lot of support for individual players, rather than the teams that they’re on. Among them, Barkley and the Chiefs wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins.
“I only want Saquon [Barkley] and D[eAndre] Hop[kins] to win a ring, but they’re on different teams,” said Boelhouwer.
When it comes to predictions for the game, students believe that despite Barkley’s talent, the Eagles won’t be able to beat the Chiefs and their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
“Saquon has been so good for the Eagles, and he’s having a career year.” said Amaya, “I think the Eagles really do have a good chance to win, but it’s kind of hard to gamble against Patrick Mahomes. So, honestly, even though I hate to say it, I think the Chiefs probably have a better chance to win.”
Many students were surprised by the final score of the game, 22-40, Eagles, since the Chiefs were the most likely to win.
“I honestly thought it was going to be close. I thought the Chiefs were going to win, because I feel like Taylor Swift has the NFL rigged, but I’m glad that the Eagles pulled through. Honestly, it was a bit of a blowout.” said Barton.
Another exciting aspect of the Super Bowl is the halftime show. This year, Kendrick Lamar will perform, and SZA has been confirmed to be his special guest.
“I’m excited to watch Kendrick Lamar and SZA. I think it’s going to be a great show,” said Amaya.
Fans are looking forward to Lamar performing his hit diss track “Not Like Us” at the show; some think there is a possibility that he will perform it multiple times as he did at his Juneteenth concert in LA.
“The most exciting thing about Super Bowl Sunday will probably be Kendrick Lamar performing Not Like Us five times in a row,” said Scruggs.
On the other hand, some fans are dreading the halftime show, and are viewing it as an annoyance.
“If I have to hear Not Like Us for 20 minutes and then come back to watch more of Taylor Swift and the Chiefs, it’s not going to be a fun time,” said Dunham.
Some fans believe that there is a possibility that Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, will make an appearance alongside Lamar during the halftime show.
“Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar are gonna perform together!” said Boelhouwer.
