Despite history on the line, expert says fans may feel Super Bowl fatigue

When the Kansas City Chiefs meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans Sunday, February 9, they will be aiming for a historic three-peat. While seven prior teams (and six different franchises) have won back-to-back Lombardi Trophies, the Chiefs can be the first ever to claim three straight. And yet, even as interest in the team and the NFL spiked last year, especially with the introduction of Taylor Swift fans to the game, that enthusiasm may be waning.

Virginia Tech sports media expert and former ESPN analyst Anthony Amey has already encountered this with his students, who seem to be responding to the overexposure of Kansas City’s celebrities. “They are tired of the Chiefs, they are exhausted that it’s the same matchup from two years ago, and they are fatigued with seeing Patrick Mahomes in commercials, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift storylines, and seeing Swift shown in the luxury suite after everything positive that Kansas City does during the course of games,” said Amey.

Amey also believes there is a general, familiar fatigue among sports fans, the same way as we’ve seen in the past with dynasties this century like the New England Patriots, as well as the Golden State Warriors in the NBA. Still, he’s surprised at how quickly — and how much — sentiment has turned negative.

“Perhaps it says as much about society as a whole than we care to consider and admit:  We lose interest quickly these days,” said Amey. “Unfortunately, we may also be losing our ability to embrace the historical element that is before us, which would be a shame if interest in change prevents us from realizing the opportunity we might have to tell stories to future generations about what we’ve witnessed.”

On a positive note, Amey is happy to see one long-time popular topic of discussion go by the wayside — the fact that both starting quarterbacks are Black.

“It is still notable, since Black quarterbacks for so long were denied the chance to legitimately man the position,” said Amey. “But it is refreshing that it is no longer a hot-button issue since people, at this point, don’t think twice about a Black player leading their favorite teams and the very best teams in the league.”

About Amey

Anthony Amey is an assistant professor of practice for sports media and analytics in the School of Communication. Amey covered some of the top athletes and sports figures in the country during his more than 25 years as a television sports reporter, including as an anchor for ESPN.

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