Politics
What to watch for in the Super Bowl if you don’t know anything about football
You don’t have to be an American football fan, or even an American for that matter, to have heard about the Super Bowl. For the NFL faithful, the event is a final push toward the end zone following a season-long drive down the gridiron, each yard filled with shot nerves and high blood pressure. But for those who are just joining for the final sprint (and didn’t understand the metaphor in that last sentence), here’s everything you need to know to get caught up to speed.
Who’s playing?
Last year’s Super Bowl winners, the Kansas City Chiefs, will be playing against the Philadelphia Eagles.
If a Chiefs–Eagles Super Bowl sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Just two years ago, the two teams competed in Super Bowl 57, when quarterback Patrick Mahomes helped lead his team to victory.
What’s all this chatter about a ‘three-peat’?
This year, all eyes are on the Chiefs. Not just because Taylor Swift’s boyfriend is on the team (though it helps) but because they have the chance to do something that no team has ever done before: win three straight Super Bowls.
Can they do it? We shall see.
Gamblers are split in the early wagering on the Super Bowl. Sports betting site BetMGM has the Chiefs as the favored winners with odds at -130. The underdog Eagles have their odds at +110.
When is the game, and how can I watch it?
At 6:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 9, the two teams will face off at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The game will air on Fox, but for those without cable, the network will stream the game on Tubi, a free, ad-supported streaming service, for the first time.
How does football work again? What are the rules?
For all its ubiquity in the U.S., football is a surprisingly complicated sport. So let’s stick with the basics and talk through some terms you might hear on the broadcast.
There are two teams, and each one wants to score as many points as possible.
When a team has the ball, they will attempt to either run or throw the football down the 100-yard-long field in hopes of getting it into the end zone, thus scoring a touchdown, which is worth 6 points (a successful extra point kick after the touchdown would make it 7). The other team will seek to stop their opponent by either tackling the player with the ball, knocking the ball to the ground or intercepting the ball.
Teams have sets of offensive and defensive players. When a team has the ball, their offensive players take the field, pushing forward and protecting the player with the ball. The team without the ball has its defensive players take the field, attempting to stop their opponents from advancing. The team with the ball has four chances (called “downs”) to move 10 yards down the field. If they successfully advance 10 yards, the number of downs resets. If they fail, the ball must go to the other team.
There are a lot more details and exceptions, but these fundamental rules should help get you through the game.
Who are some key players to watch?
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, #26, helped lead the Birds to the Super Bowl and had an incredible season. He signed a $37.75 million, three-year contract last March and became the ninth player ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a regular season. He also set an NFL record by completing seven touchdown runs of at least 60 yards in the regular season and playoffs.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, #1, had a great Super Bowl against the Chiefs two years ago, but he lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown in the first half of Kansas City’s 38-35 comeback victory.
But that won’t cut it this time, especially not in Philadelphia.
As for the Chiefs, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, #15, or as his teammates and coaches call him, “Laid-back Pat,” is one of the greatest in the sport. He already has three Super Bowl rings and is chasing a fourth, and is a two-time league MVP who is shattering records every season.
Travis Kelce, #87, has been ranked by AP as the NFL’s top tight end two years in a row. Kelce is Mahomes’ most trusted pass catcher, so you can expect to hear the two players’ names mentioned in tandem a lot on Sunday.
Who are the coaches?
Nick Sirianni took the helm for the Eagles in 2021, his first time serving as head coach. He’s worked to fill the shoes of coach Doug Pederson, who led the team to a Super Bowl victory in 2017.
Sirianni has the highest winning percentage among active NFL coaches and the fifth-best in NFL history. However, he’s often ridiculed for his sideline antics that can overshadow his coaching success.
The Chiefs’ Andy Reid is an NFL stalwart who’s guided the team for over a decade.
Reid is no stranger to the Eagles himself. Before joining the Chiefs, he coached the Eagles for 13 seasons and was the most successful in the team’s history. Go figure.
Despite leading opposing teams, Reid and Sirianni have something in common: At some point, Eagles fans wanted them both fired.
What if football just isn’t my thing?
You don’t have to keep your eye on the ball to enjoy the big game. Here are a few things to watch out for this year:
- Fun ads:Brands are paying big bucks to keep the nostalgia train rolling. Former “When Harry Met Sally” costars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal will reunite for a mayonnaise commercial set in Katz’s Deli, and Chrises Pratt and Hemsworth will use their bromance (last seen on screen in “Avengers: Infinity War”) to promote Meta’s smart Ray Ban sunglasses.
- The halftime show:Seventeen-time Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar will perform at this year’s halftime show, continuing his cultural domination with another victory lap following the release of his chart-topping “GNX” album and decisive triumph over Canadian rapper Drake in last year’s rap beef.
- Taylor Swift: While it’s impossible to know where the superstar will be on any given day, it’s safe to assume she’ll be in New Orleans on Feb. 9 wearing red to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
- Betting on the game:If you’re over 18 and in a state where it’s legal, you can become one of the many millions of Americans who bet on the big game. And if the game itself doesn’t interest you, there are tons of other proposition bets that have nothing to do with football. They could be anything from what color the Gatorade will be when it’s dumped on the winning coach (a long-standing football tradition), to how long the national anthem run time will be and whether Kelce will propose to Swift at the end of the game. (Yes, this is a real thing.)
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
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President Donald Trump said he will announce on Monday that the United States will impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada and Mexico, as well as other import duties later in the week.
“Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a 25% tariff,” he told reporters Sunday on Air Force One as he flew from Florida to New Orleans to attend the Super Bowl. When asked about aluminum, he responded, “aluminum, too” will be subject to the trade penalties.
Trump also reaffirmed that he would announce “reciprocal tariffs” — “probably Tuesday or Wednesday” — meaning that the U.S. would impose import duties on products in cases where another country has levied duties on U.S. goods.
“If they are charging us 130% and we’re charging them nothing, it’s not going to stay that way,” he told reporters.
Trump’s comments are the latest example of his willingness to threaten and in some cases to impose, import taxes. Tariffs are coming much earlier in his presidency than during his previous four years in the White House, when he prioritized tax cuts and deregulation. Trump has alternately said he sees import taxes as tools to force concessions on issues such as immigration, but also as a source of revenue to help close the government’s budget deficit.
Financial markets fell on Friday after Trump first said he would impose the reciprocal tariffs. Stock prices also dropped after a measure of consumer sentiment declined on Friday, largely because many respondents cited tariffs as a growing worry. The survey also found that Americans are expecting inflation to tick up in the coming months because of the duties.
Trump on Sunday did not offer any details about the steel and aluminum duties, or the reciprocal tariffs. Trump previously threatened 25% import taxes on all goods from Canada and Mexico, though he paused them for 30 days barely a week ago. At the same time, he proceeded to add 10% duties on imports from China.
Yet on Friday, he said he would also delay the tariffs on the millions of small packages — often from fast-fashion firms such as Temu and Shein — until customs officials can figure out ways to impose them. The small packages have previously been exempt from tariffs.
Trump’s latest remarks stirred immediate worry from some global trading partners.
South Korea’s acting President, Choi Sang-mok, called a meeting with the country’s top foreign policy and trade officials on Monday to examine how Trump’s proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum would affect its industries.
The office of Choi, who also serves as the country’s finance minister, said officials discussed the potential impact and Seoul’s possible responses, but specific details of the meeting were not disclosed. The stock prices of major South Korean steelmakers, including POSCO and Hyundai Steel, dropped as the market opened on Monday. South Korea shipped about $4.8 billion worth of steel to the United States from January to November last year, which accounted for 14% of its global exports of the products during the period.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
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Politics
Monique Miller latest lawmaker to back ‘America First’ Terry Cronin in HD 32 Special Election
The support comes ahead of an April 1 Primary.
State Rep. Monique Miller knows which Space Coast candidate she wants joining her in the Florida House.
The Palm Bay Republican endorsed Terry Cronin, a dermatologist and owner of the Cronin Skin Cancer Center and one of three Republicans in a Special Election in House District 32. She said Cronin will bring President Donald Trump’s agenda to the Florida House.
“Terry Cronin is the only choice for Trump Republicans who want to see the America First Agenda implemented here in Florida,” Miller said. “As a 52-year resident of Melbourne, no one will fight harder for our Brevard Conservative values than Dr. Terry Cronin. He has my full endorsement.”
Cronin embraced the support.
“I look forward to joining fellow America First Rep. Miller in the Florida House to work on behalf of Brevard County and all Floridians to stand up to special interests and insurance companies, stop the WOKE mob from taking over our schools, and restoring and preserving the health of the Indian River Lagoon.”
The endorsement follows one from state Sen. Randy Fine, a Palm Bay Republican who announced his support of Cronin last week.
The House District 32 seat is up for Special Election due to the resignation of state Rep. Debbie Mayfield, who is vacating her seat to run for Fine’s Senate District 19 post. Fine is leaving the Senate to run for Congress. While Mayfield was disqualified from the race by the State Department, her resignation from the House seat is not revocable.
Cronin is the immediate past president of the American Academy of Dermatology and has lobbied on policy in the field in Washington. He was recently named as an Ambassador to the 26th World Congress of Dermatology.
He also co-founded the Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival in 1999 and remains program chair. The event supports the No Limits Academy.
A Republican Primary in HD 32 will be held on April 1. The winner will advance to a June 10 Special General Election.
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