Super Bowl season is upon us yet again! Through all of the ups and downs that happen in a year, we have finally made it. 

I am a huge fan of baseball at all levels but there is something different about the game of football. In most other sports, there is a series of games to determine the winner, but in football, it is one game where the winner takes all. The suspense and intensity in football is unlike any other sport, which is the main reason I truly can’t wait for this year’s matchup. 

This is not your typical Super Bowl.  We get to see two teams that have not made the big dance in a very long time, while one (the Los Angeles Rams) has home field advantage, which is crazy. 

With how big the Super Bowl has become, it’s almost like a holiday. Baseball has been known as America’s pastime for many years, but the pendulum is starting to sway in favor of football with good reason. 

For Christmas, Thanksgiving and other holidays, people create traditions, and we are starting to see that trend on Super Bowl Sundays. Specialty foods and the gathering of friends and family go along with the game, making it much more than just a one-day event. Spending time with friends and family is always a plus in my book, and I am looking forward to grilling burgers and bratwurst along with all of the other snack foods we will have. 

I think the entire Super Bowl experience is fantastic and enjoy the creativity that goes into not just a football game, but all of the activities throughout the day. To me, it’s almost like waking up on Christmas morning with excitement. So even if my team is not playing in the big game, I am always looking forward to who will be crowned champion. 

This year’s matchup is between the Cincinnati Bengals and the LA Rams. Although I am a Green Bay Packers fan, I am especially excited for this Super Bowl because of the matchup. Nowadays, some championships can be redundant, as with Alabama and Clemson in college football or Tom Brady winning his way to another Super Bowl appearance. But not this year.

These are two very talented teams consisting of some of the biggest names in the football today. Joe Burrow, the quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, has been an incredible player to watch all season and brings a lot of publicity to his team on and off the field. His new- school swag mixed with great performances all year have made him a young star on the biggest stage of football. I would like to see him win this year’s Super Bowl, which would make him a national champion and world champion within just a few seasons.

Burrow led the LSU Tigers to the college National Championship and won it all in 2019. His backstory of not being named the starter and always having to work hard is an inspiration to me and many other young fans. Burrow is a prime example of the never-give-up saying because now he has a chance to be named the No. 1 quarterback in football if the Bengals get the job done on Sunday. He has been given the nickname of “Joey Cool,” which is awesome to me and many other fans of the game. Burrow is only 25 years old and doing things veteran quarterbacks aren’t.   

In a roundabout way, I am also secretly rooting for Matt Stafford, who is the quarterback of the LA Rams. When Stafford played for the Detroit Lions, I really did not like him because he is a very talented quarterback who always had a chance to beat the Packers in their conference. Now that he is in another conference, I can admit that I am a fan of the way he carries himself on and off the field. He has shown great leadership all year and proved his critics wrong by making it to the Super Bowl.

Odell Beckham Jr., a wide receiver for the LA Rams, is another fantastic player who has faced adversity this season. He was traded halfway through the season to the Rams and never looked back. Beckham is an electric football player and brings excitement to everything he does, which makes me very excited to watch him play Sunday.  

The commercials should be interesting this year, which is another major part of the Super Bowl experience.  While I know some will pull on your heartstrings, I especially like the funnier commercials.   There could be some very good messages conveyed using such a major platform, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with.

It truly amazes me how much money these companies actually have because for 2022, according to the Sporting News, a 30-second advertisement is going for a smooth $6.5 million. This statistic baffles me but I hope each company gets their money’s worth and provides us with a good show.  

Growing up as an athlete, I love the game of football and have an appreciation for the athletes and all of their hard work. I enjoy the entire event because the two teams had a long road to get to where they are now and deserve all of the attention. Football is a very tough sport and to be one of the last teams standing after a very long season is something to be proud of.

Although I have respect for everyone who will be playing Sunday, I hope the Bengals pull it out and are crowned champions, and that is my pick.