February, inside its short calendar weeks, houses one of the most electric events of the year, even if sports don’t magnetize your attention. This, dare I say, “national holiday” has been an event that is talked about year round in anticipation of the big game. It is finally time, where sports fanatics and all Americans alike, can watch football on the biggest stage.

After a long season, football has finally dwindled down from the August preseason to the game all teams hope to reach in their career: the Super Bowl. In case you haven’t heard a single mention of football all year, with the exception of your dad yelling at the TV some Sunday morning, this year’s teams that face off are the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams. A cherry on top for one of these teams is that the Super Bowl actually takes place in LA, home of the Rams. This big game has been a long season in the making for this duo.

After having the worst record of the NFL in 2019, the Bengals were gifted the 1st overall pick in the draft where their franchise was salvaged by quarterback Joe Burrow. Last year, their growth as a team was stagnitized by a gruesome ACL tear for their star quarterback. This year, they have turned the tables conquering the opponents in their path of the Raiders, Titans, and Chiefs. They finished 4th in the AFC division, defying the odds to make it to the championship game. The underdog mentality defines this group of athletes.

On the other side of the ball, is the superstar woven roster of the Los Angeles Rams. Pulling off a blockbuster trade this offseason, the Rams forgoed two first round picks for their current star quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions. They also pulled off an unlikely trade for former Super Bowl MVP. The Rams also have gone all in to this season by the acquisitions of Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller via trade and star wideout Odell Beckham Jr., who agreed to join the team after clearing league waivers. The Rams also finished 4th in their respective NFC conference and have used their star power to elevate them over the strong competition. At their hand, down have gone the Cardinals, Buccaneers, and 49ers, all for the Rams to headline at home in Super Bowl LVI (56 if Roman Numerals are your most searched subject on this Super Sunday).

If football hasn’t been a part of your life these past six months, maybe you should just sit down and enjoy this special game for the captivating commercials and famed Halftime show. The halftime show, one of my favorite events, should begin around 8pm EST and should last between 20 to 30 minutes. Headlining the super game are Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. These iconic performers will undoubtedly seek to entertain all crowds in their allotted time. Music, dance choreography, and captivating crowds will hopefully fulfill this prolonged event for you and maybe even get a few catchy songs stuck in your head for the second half. Football doesn’t have to be the reason this day is super, music is there to do the trick this year.

Commercials are also super entertaining during this game. For once, when the TV cuts to a commercial break, people actually turn their head toward the TV, rather than away. Companies spend their highest budgets on these commercials, in the hopes that the most diverse crowd will tune in. This is an almost guarantee that the commercials will be funny, incredibly dumb, or ironically football themed. New movie trailers or first looks at products might even grace the screen on this day because of its reputation of canceling other Sunday events, sitting people in front of the couch, and gaining an afternoon of viewership.

Finally, if you are a football fan you know the Bengals will be in black and the Rams in white for the last game of the 2021 NFL season. The implications for each team’s win is a steep sliding scale that can change the course of the future football seasons. 

If the Bengals take home the Lombardi Trophy, they quickly rise to powerhouse status. Not only did they establish that they have a legit QB who bounced back from his injuries in his 2nd year and won the big game, but their young team will sustain this success. 

If the Rams take home it all, they would’ve successfully acclaimed one of the most rewarding trades of the past decade. Their team is centered on the “Win Now” motto as they have forfeited the majority of their draft picks in the hopes of known talent winning them games. This would mean that this style of general management would continue, for better or worse for the future of this league. Ultimately, with the stamp of success by the championed Rams, other teams would take notice and spend-happy teams would be on the uptrend for more winning seasons.

To give the final rundown of the biggest sporting event America invests in, the Super Bowl, is upon us. Weekend activities are traded in for a day full of parties with tailgating snacks, BBQ, yard games, and football jerseys. Whether you know all about this game or absolutely nothing, this game is still worth the watch. Commercials and the hyped up Halftime Show are prized for the once a year football fans to enjoy. And the game between the underdog Bengals and the at-home Rams has league wide implications that will all be settled after four quality quarters of football on February 13th. 

Whether you celebrate with too many football team colored cupcakes or by tossing the ball around with your brother, this American specialty defines our culture and has something to offer all categories of fans.