Who will and won’t be at Super Bowl LV
Steve and Mona Bates at the AFC championship game on January 12, 2020, where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans 34-20. Steve Bates/courtesy
The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off on Feb. 7 in Super Bowl LV at the Raymond James Stadium in Florida. Tampa Bay defeated the Green Bay Packers last Sunday with a 31-26 win to clinch their coveted spot in the biggest game of the football season. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 38-24 and are favored to win this year’s Super Bowl with a 16-3 prediction.
The Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the 2002 season, and the Chiefs will try to win their second championship after the 2019 season. Last year 62,417 people attended, with a limited projection of 22,000 this year. Only 14,500 tickets will be sold, along with 7,500 vaccinated health care workers.
In a tweet on Jan. 31, Tampa Bay posted a video of their home stadium where they hope to win.
Home for #SBLV pic.twitter.com/D4A7eBMz70
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 31, 2021
But what about those famous Super Bowl ads from Budweiser. Top advertisers like Anheuser-Busch, Coke, and Pepsi will opt out of most of their ad time for the COVID-19-era Super Bowl. Only four minutes will be dedicated to beverages consumed among its younger audiences, such as Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade and Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer.
Major companies have suffered economic losses due to the pandemic and are making the choice to spend millions of dollars for the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative. Airtime that traditionally would feature the Anheuser Clydesdales and other sponsor characters will go towards coronavirus awareness and public safety.
“We have a pandemic that is casting a pall over just about everything,” said Paul Argenti, Dartmouth College professor of corporate communication in a statement to The Associated Press. “It’s hard to feel the exuberance and excitement people normally would.”
Springfield, Missouri is a heavily-laden fan base for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Steve and Mona Bates of Springfield, MO are avid Chiefs enthusiasts and are excited to watch the Chiefs in the playoffs.
“I remember watching the first Super Bowl as an 11-year-old kid where the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in that game,” Bates said. “I’ve been to a few of their games and they are always exciting. My love for the Chiefs is a lot stronger when they are winning.”
Mona Bates has been married to Steve Bates for over 30 years and have always watched the Chiefs’ games together.
“We went to the AFC championship game last year against the Texans,” Bates said. “It was freezing cold. I went to the bathroom and we were losing, came back and we were winning.”
Heidi Crace, a case manager at a faith-based recovery home in Springfield, MO has lived there all of her life and plans to watch the game with her “girls” on Super Sunday at their facility.
“Best quarterback, best offense, best tight-end and best wide receiver,” Crace said. “Nuff said.”
Crace’s partner, Dan Morgan, claims to be a huge Chiefs’ admirer. He and Heidi have been engaged for the last 2 years and will both be working on the big day.
“We are watching a dynasty in the making,” Morgan said.
Harry Allen Potts has posted each Chiefs’ victory on his Facebook page. Potts has devoted his life to young adults in baseball and football leagues as a coach and mentor.
“If the Chiefs defense can slow down Brady, they should win,” Potts said.
Tickets to the Super Bowl range between $6,000 as the cheapest and $85,000 for a lower-level seat near midfield.
The majority of viewers will be watching from the comfort of their own homes and the Clydesdales of Budweiser will surely be missed.
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye is a Canadian artist who will perform the halftime show. He has won three Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards and nine Billboard Music Awards.
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