Jill Biden embodied the Eagles’ quiet strength and effortless grace
In a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, the Philadelphia Eagles soared over the Kansas City Chiefs, defeating them in vengeful fashion 40-22. Frankly, this game made me wish the NFL had a mercy rule. Because the Eagles made all the hype about a Chiefs historic three-peat feat look like a pipe dream.
I readily admit that I’m a Johnny-come-lately Eagles fan. I found refuge with them after the meddling antics of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones drove me away. So I couldn’t be happier watching the Eagles claim Super Bowl glory while the Cowboys remain mired in a 25-year playoff drought.
Former first lady Jill Biden isn’t just a football fan — she’s a Philly girl through and through. So, of course, she was there, cheering on her team. (Meanwhile, Scranton Joe no longer has to pretend he’s game-ready for events like this. So he stayed home.)
Taylor spotting and Trump crashing
On the other hand, President Trump’s attendance was as odd as it was unwelcome. For every other president, the traditional pre-game interview was intrusion enough. Not to mention that he has no real connection to either team.
But Trump was probably jealous of the airtime he knew Taylor Swift would get during this “most-watched TV event of all time.” Never mind that many viewers tuned in just to see if Taylor’s Chiefs boyfriend, Travis Kelce, would propose or if Kendrick Lamar would drop his Drake diss track “Not Like Us.” Kelce didn’t; Kendrick did (sort of…).
For what it’s worth, Kelce is contemplating retirement. He should because this was probably the worst season of his career. But he should think again if he thinks Taylor is looking forward to this. Because without the aura of the Chiefs, that would make him even less appealing to Taylor than Harry without the aura of the royal family has become to Meghan. Besides, given how often Taylor changes celebrity boyfriends, Kelce’s shelf life is about due.
In any event, Trump failed in his bid to upstage her with more TV time. Instead, he became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl — not out of love for the game, but out of sheer narcissism and a pathological need to be the center of attention.
That said, even casual fans know Trump hyped Mahomes and the Chiefs as practically ordained by God to win. But he did so only because Mahomes’s wife is an oxymoronic MAGA cheerleader who sees Trump as the second coming. And, as everyone knows, flattery will get you everywhere with this narcissistic oaf.
That’s why, given his hype, Trump must find this loss egg-on-face humiliating — especially knowing the glee the Bidens are enjoying at his expense. Jesse Owens famously led Black athletes in puncturing Adolf Hitler’s delusions of White supremacy at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
Arguably, not since then have Black athletes humiliated a racist leader the way Hurts led the Eagles in humiliating Trump in this Super Bowl. Trump reportedly slinked out of the stadium in the third quarter with his team trailing 34-6. He then tried to detract from his humiliation by “truthing” about abolishing pennies.
Commercials and Halftime Show
The NFL hyped Kendrick’s halftime show almost as much as the game itself. Remarkably, his performance was even more thrilling. Granted, given the Chiefs’ lackluster performance, that’s not saying much. Truth be told, I expected the Kendrick vs. Drake manufactured beef would make it too uncomfortable to enjoy his show. After all, they’re aping the real one that ended with Tupac and Biggie dead. Of course, “Uncle Sam” makes everything cool…
By the way, Jay-Z now runs these halftime shows. So no hip-hop fan should ever forgive him for snubbing Lil Wayne — a New Orleans native son — to tap Kendrick, who’s “straight outta Compton,” for this gig.
Meanwhile, the commercials have become so anticlimactic that I’m reluctant to even mention them. After all, running previews in a loop now saps them of all suspense by game time. I’ve lamented this for years. Besides, nothing is more boring than watching “old” celebrities moonlighting as begrudging grifters.
Even so, companies are rushing to tell Trump that DEI is dead. But it’s noteworthy that their commercials kept telling us DEI is alive and well.
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