Everything You Need To Know About the Super Bowl (That Has Nothing To Do With the Actual Game)
NowThis has you covered with a roundup of everything else, from commercials to history-making firsts, to make sure you’re ready for next Sunday.
We’re a little more than a week out from Super Bowl LVII, and it’s time to start prepping — but not with football stats or player bios. Instead, NowThis has you covered with a roundup of everything else, from commercials to history-making firsts, to make sure you’re ready for next Sunday.
Some of the biggest companies in the world are paying as much as $7 million per ad spot to get your attention during the breaks in the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. Many big movie trailers — including those of “Fast X,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “John Wick: Chapter 4” — are rumored to be premiering during the game. Some other high-profile commercials that have been teased are a Squarespace ad featuring Adam Driver,; M&M making the switch from its spokescandies to Maya Rudolph; and dueling Pepsi Zero Sugar spots featuring Ben Stiller and Steve Martin.
Speaking of Pepsi, this Super Bowl will be the first time in 11 years that the soft drink company isn’t putting its name on the halftime show. Instead, the NFL has turned to Apple Music to sponsor this year’s performance, which features a much anticipated return to music by Rihanna. She hasn’t performed publicly since the 2018 Grammys, and her last album, “Anti,” was released more than 7 years ago.
In that time, Rihanna’s been busy becoming a billionaire and mother. As for her upcoming performance, there’s a lot of speculation about potential surprise guests. According to one Vogue article, Jay-Z, Britney Spears, and Eminem are all possibilities, with HOV and Calvin Harris listed as the odds-on favorites to appear alongside the superstar.
The pregame show will also be packed with musical guests, including Chris Stapleton singing the national anthem; Babyface performing “America the Beautiful;” and Sheryl Lee Ralph from “Abbot Elementary” treating us to “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a centuries-old hymn referred to as “the Black National Anthem.”
Super Bowl LVII itself is also slated to have some groundbreaking moments. The game will be the first in NFL history to feature 2 Black quarterbacks facing off on opposing teams. It’ll also be the first time a pair of siblings compete on opposite sides, with Travis Kelce playing tight end for the Chiefs and his brother Jason Kelce playing center for the Eagles. Their mother, Donna Kelce, said she’s not picking sides and is rooting for the offense, in general. A number of viral interviews quickly turned Donna into a fan favorite, and there’s even an online petition to have her perform the opening coin toss that’s amassed almost 40,000 signatures.
One of the most remarkable stories from this NFL season is the recovery of the Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin, who received life-saving CPR on the field after suffering a cardiac arrest during a regular season game on Jan 2. The NFL and American Heart Association are teaming up to provide free CPR training in the week leading up to the Super Bowl. The collaboration is part of the NFL Experience at the Phoenix Convention Center, which isn’t far from Glendale’s State Farm Stadium, where the game itself is being held.