Front Page Talking Points

FOR THE WEEK OF JAN. 27, 2020

Super Bowl brings Kansas City-San Francisco showdown -- and an 'ad bowl'

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1.gifRead a Super Bowl preview and tell what you learn.

2.gifLook for coverage of the commercials. Are you eager to see a certain ad?

3.gifIf you're a fan, read about who's favored or factors that matter. Do you agree?

Even if you're not a football fanatic, it'll be hard not to catch at least a bit of Super Bowl fever this week. The Big Game is Sunday, Feb. 2, between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers – teams that haven’t competed before for the National Football League championship. Super Bowl LIV (54 in Roman numerals) is at the Miami Dolphins' home field -- Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. – and starting quarterbacks are Jimmy Garoppolo for the 49ers and Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) on Fox Sports. Here's what's at stake, besides fans' pride and a city's bragging rights: The winning team gets a sterling silver football on a stand, called the Vince Lombardi Trophy. (He was a player, coach and NFL executive). Each player receives $118,000.

Two other stars on the field, with no helmets or uniforms, are halftime performers Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Shakira calls the gig "a true American Dream" for a pair of Latina entertainers. "I can't wait to show what us girls can do on the world's biggest stage," says the singer from Colombia in South America. Lopez was raised in the Bronx by Puerto Rican parents. The mid-game entertainment is produced by rapper Jay-Z.

An off-field tradition also will earn lots of attention, news coverage and next-day chatter. Dozens of the telecast's 77 commercials will be ultra-clever spots created for Sunday's huge global audience, which passed 98 million last time. Some advertisers pay up to $5.6 million for a 30-second spot, the network says. Some ads this year already create buzz, thanks to previews on social media and YouTube. Among them are a Pepsi ad with Missy Elliott and Grammy-winning artist H.E.R. Also, Little Caesars makes its Super Bowl debut with a 30-second spot highlighting a new pizza-delivery partnership with DoorDash, and Doritos presents Lil Nas X ("Old Time Road") on horseback playing music as he heads to "The Cool Ranch," an Old West setting inspired by the chip flavor of the same name. County music star Bill Ray Cyrus also appears.

Sports celebrity trivia: Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana played for both teams during his NFL career. "You heard from me first. I guarantee my team will win the Super Bowl," he jokes.

San Francisco team name: 49er (or Forty-Niner) is a nickname for miners and others who took part in the 1849 California Gold Rush, mostly north of San Francisco.

Familiar setting: It's the sixth Super Bowl at the Miami-area stadium named for the chain of Hard Rock cafes and hotels.

Front Page Talking Points is written by Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2024

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Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.