Last Sunday, Feb. 8, marked the 60th Super Bowl, inspiring much excitement, anticipation and anxiety among students across Villanova’s campus. Fans of the teams in play, the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, prepared to cheer like their lives depended on it once the 6:30 p.m. kickoff rolled around.
At this time last year, the campus was alight with an even stronger, unavoidable energy. With the Philadelphia Eagles long out of the running this year, one couldn’t help but feel like a majority of Villanovans had lost their skin in the game. Plans were still made, but quieter and less enthusiastically than last February.
However, that does not mean there weren’t strong feelings spreading through campus. As a northeastern school, Villanova has more than its fair share of students hailing from New England. Many of these students are, of course, diehard Patriots fans. After an incredibly impressive season, and a beloved young quarterback, propelled the team back into serious Super Bowl contention, these fans began making their loyalties even more proudly known than before.
In terms of their opposition, the Seahawks cannot boast of many fans on the Villanova campus, but those that are here are just as committed as their rivals. Both fanbases entered the game entirely confident in their respective team’s abilities.
Ultimately, the Seahawks prevailed. In a 29-13 win over the Patriots over four pretty painful quarters of football, Super Bowl LX returned to the West Coast.
“Growing up I was able to witness the first Super Bowl that we won, but because I was practically a child I didn’t understand the significance of it,” junior Owen Conrad said. “Through the last decade of ups and downs, finally getting to this point meant a lot more, let alone winning the whole thing. On top of that going into the year with much lower expectations made the win feel that much better.”
For many students, whether or not they claim one of the teams playing that year, the Super Bowl is a great excuse to plan a hangout with friends, make themed snacks and engage in good-natured teasing over sports loyalties.
“It was super fun to hang out with my friends and root for my favorite team,” junior Caitlyn Knowles said. “People hate on the Patriots a lot but I grew up watching them play every weekend and [the fanbase] brings a sense of community to where I’m from that I think is really special. I’m sad that they ended up losing, but I know they’ll be back soon enough.”
Another major draw to watching the Super Bowl, especially for the non-football fans among us, is obviously the Halftime Show. This year’s performance by Bad Bunny was highly anticipated, and he did not disappoint.
“[I thought] the half-time performance sent the perfect message to our society considering everything going on,” junior Lillian Cruz-Garcia shared. “The ending touched my heart because he brought recognition to so many people through waving their flags. He showed what the true American dream means.”
Latino students in particular were ecstatic to see representation at this level during one of the biggest sporting events of the year.
“Seeing Bad Bunny perform at the Super Bowl was a tribute to Hispanic culture and I couldn’t have loved it more,” sophomore Alondra Calva-Giron said. “As a Latina, I recognized the love letter he created through music and dance that brought unity together, emphasizing how love is above everything. It is more important now than ever to be reminded that what is more powerful than hate is love.”
The Bad Bunny mini-concert will certainly be remembered for years to come, the game itself though may very well fade into obscurity, especially on this campus compared to the Eagles win of last year. But nevertheless, the Super Bowl is an occasion to look forward to every year. And, on a campus with so many students from all over the country, someone is bound to have a stake in The Big Game.
