John Madden once said the biggest difference in sports is between the winner and loser of the Super Bowl. When comparing America’s biggest sporting events, the largest difference is between the Super Bowl and anything else trying to be close.
Sting called it “Americana at its most kitsch.” Paul McCartney said, “There’s nothing bigger than being asked to perform at the Super Bowl.” Legendary New York ad executive Jerry Della Femina — the inspiration for the show “Mad Men” — called it “Judgment Day,” adding, “[P]oliticians have Election Day and Hollywood has the Oscars. Advertising has the Super Bowl.” Before the Nielsen ratings, the most-watched television event in history was thought to be the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Now, the top 10 shows in history — and 19 of the top 20 — are all Super Bowls. The NFL hopes this year’s game can break last year’s massive record of 123.4 million average viewers. But it may take some serious hype and luck, with last year’s Super Bowl surpassing the previous season’s record by an impressive 7.4 percent.
That number was partly boosted by simulcasts on streaming platforms, but the biggest factor was that the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers went into overtime, giving the Super Bowl broadcasts extra time to draw in a larger audience. A league source told that while the NFL has been cautious about predicting the size of this year’s audience (partly because last season’s viewership spike was unexpected).
“If there’s a new [viewership] record, will probably have a lot to do with it,” the source said. “I think there are some people [in the league office] that are eager to see how that goes and what can be learned from it. I imagine there is some anticipation at Fox, too.”
The source added that NBC executives will be watching closely and “hoping for a monster” viewership number, since it has next year’s main Super Bowl broadcast and will be adjusting advertising rates based on this year’s results.
“This is going to be interesting when it comes to ratings for a number of reasons,” the league source said, adding that the league’s belief that its media rights are currently “undervalued” will continue to be backed by increasing Super Bowl viewership.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how Super Bowl LIX draws viewers in beyond just the football game. It’s already clear the event will have no shortage of exciting — and possibly conflicting — attractions. Among them…
Donald Trump’s attendance
Trump’s decision to become the first sitting U.S. President to attend a Super Bowl has made headlines since it was announced earlier this week. After exchanging criticism with Trump during his last time in office, the NFL office and team owners have tried to balance social justice efforts while avoiding getting pulled into political debates, especially around the national anthem protests.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Monday that the league would continue working on diversity in its hiring, which goes against the anti-DEI stance Trump has held since returning to the White House.
But after Goodell’s statement, the NFL unexpectedly decided to change one of the end zone messages — from “end racism” to “choose love” — after Trump’s attendance was confirmed. The change raised some questions, even though the league said it wanted to use a more “uplifting” message instead of the “end racism” message that had been in the Super Bowl end zones since 2021.
The move has brought extra attention to how the league will handle the spotlight Trump brings to the game, which will add intrigue to the broadcast. No one knows yet exactly how Trump will be involved in the game or what his role will be before or after the game.
Taylor Swift’s attendance
In contrast to Trump’s attendance, Swift’s presence at the game is expected to add another layer of excitement, as she is likely to cheer on Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce from a Super Bowl skybox. Their relationship has even created prop bets at various sportsbooks, such as whether they’ll share a post-Super Bowl kiss or if Kelce will propose.
This will bring a lot of Swift fans to the game but also annoy those who just want to focus on the football game without the celebrity drama. Either way, Swift’s presence will be a big part of Sunday, especially considering she endorsed Kamala Harris in the election, which adds an awkward dynamic with Trump’s presence. Expect plenty of camera shots of Swift and Trump during the broadcast.
Will Kendrick Lamar perform ‘Not Like Us?’
The highly popular California rapper Kendrick Lamar has generated a lot of excitement as the halftime performer. But it’s raised a lot of curiosity about whether he’ll perform his diss track “Not Like Us,” which took shots at Drake in a rap feud, led to a defamation lawsuit, and even became popular at some Democratic rallies during the presidential election.
Did we mention Trump will be at the game while Lamar performs? No one knows yet if Lamar will include the song in his halftime show, and many wonder how the lyrics might be adjusted, as some of them would likely be muted during a broadcast. When asked about playing the song, Lamar avoided directly answering the question. This uncertainty adds to the intrigue and will likely draw in a larger viewing audience.
