With the Super Bowl concluding on Sunday, February 8, hosted at Levi’s Stadium, millions of football fans witnessed an annual event that combines sports, entertainment, and tradition. “It’s like an American holiday,” said NFL fan Max Bronstein ’28. While in the modern era the championship game is recognized for its electric halftime shows and headline-making commercials, its origins date back to a simple championship created to unite two competing football leagues.
Originally known as the AFL-NFL Championship, the Super Bowl was created as part of a 1966 merger agreement between the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) to have their best teams compete for a world championship. The “Super Bowl” moniker was adopted in 1969’s Super Bowl III between the New York Jets and Baltimore Colts. After the merger, the 10 AFL teams and three NFL teams formed the American Football Conference (AFC), and the remaining 13 NFL teams formed the National Football Conference (NFC). All Super Bowls since 1971’s Super Bowl V have been played between the best teams from the AFC and NFC.
Today, the Super Bowl is among the world’s most-watched single sports games and frequently commands the largest audience among all American broadcasts throughout the year. The only sporting event to register more viewership is the Champions League Final, averaging around 140 million viewers, according to UEFA. In comparison, within the last decade, the Super Bowl has reached more than 95 million viewers, with Super Bowl LIX setting a record of 127,713,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. At the stadium itself, the game is always filled to maximum capacity, with fans coming from all over the world. “There were definitely a lot of fans from everywhere, I saw a lot of unique jerseys,” noted 2022 Super Bowl Attendee Shane Goldberg ’27.
With such immense viewership, the Super Bowl commercials have become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon alongside the game itself. The bizarreness that has come to be associated with the commercials has made watching the game exciting for less enthusiastic football fans. “I used to be one of those fans where I didn’t really like football, I just watched the commercials,” said Eser Tai ’28. National surveys such as the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter judge which advertisement carries the best viewer response. The viewership, as well as the buzz associated with the “Super Bowl commercial,” has made having a commercial increasingly expensive during the Super Bowl. The average expense for a 30 second Super Bowl commercial in 2002 was $2.2 million, according to Statista. As of last year’s Super Bowl (LIX), the average cost was $8 million, demonstrating an exponential increase over the years.
Another one of the most anticipated aspects of the Super Bowl is the halftime performance, one that has evolved from a simple intermission into a global spectacle. The first-ever performances started modestly; for example, the 1967 Super Bowl featured the University of Arizona and Grambling State University bands as the halftime performance. As the game gained viewership, however, performances began to feature globally recognized artists. Some iconic performances include Michael Jackson in 1993, Prince in 2007, Bruno Mars in 2014, and Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent in 2022. The 2022 Super Bowl performance was a recent favorite for Super Bowl fans, especially those who got to experience it live. “I would say it’s probably the best performance of all time for the Super Bowl halftime show,” said Goldberg.
This year, Bad Bunny takes the stage at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, where Super Bowl LX was held. Since the announcement of Bad Bunny’s performance on September 28, 2025, political controversy has arisen. In the past, Bad Bunny has been vocal about his disdain for President Donald Trump. In fact, in 2017, during his performance at the Somos Live Benefit concert, he wore a shirt with the phrase: ¿Tu eres twitero o presidente?” (“Are you a tweeter or president?”). Bad Bunny also opted out of performing in the U.S. for his latest world tour, citing concern over protecting migrant crowdgoers. “ICE could be outside. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,” he stated in a September 2025 interview with i-D magazine. Trump made remarks about the reggaeton star in an interview with Newsmax’s Greg Kelly on October 6, in which he stated, “I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it—it’s, like, crazy.” Some believe, however, that his performance might appeal to greater “worldwide audiences in contrast to previous, more American singers,” said Bad Bunny fan Sydney McFarlane ’27.
The Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13, giving them their second Super Bowl win all time. More than just a sporting event, the game brought entire families together. “Some were there for the football, some were there for the halftime show, and some were there for the commercials; that’s what’s great about the Super Bowl,” said NFL fan Walker Brodsky ’28.
