By Siena Houk and Ema Bojaxhi, Staff Writers
American football is a sport where people join together to watch their favorite teams compete. The Super Bowl is the annual face off between the champions of the National and the American Football Conferences. This year we have seen improvements in some teams and some crazy plays that made the crowd go wild. Maryland’s home team, the Ravens, has been one of the most well known teams for their strategic game plays and solid defensive schemes. The hard work and dedication they put into each and every game is remarkable.
This year the Ravens made it to the AFC semi finals for the first time since 2012. The results were quite disappointing with the score being 17-10, the Ravens taking the latter. Starting off strong for the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes threw a touchdown pass to Travis Kelce in the first quarter. This streak was carried on throughout the game, dominating against the Ravens. Freshman Scott Wallace, explains “I have been a Ravens fan for three years, I saw the game on Sunday and I was sad because we lost.” Like many others, Scott expresses his defeat when the Ravens lost the game.
Freshman Kaliq Fattah had a deeper take on the game as he expresses that he believes “the referees were cheating the game and that we Ravens had many opportunities to get a touchdown. I think that we could have done better as a team.” Several people like Kaliq believe that the referees rigged the game in favor of the Chiefs winning. During the game the audience claimed that when Zay Flowers got up after a tackle he placed his hand on LaJarius Sneed and began celebrating causing the refs to flag him for “taunting.” This upset many fans because they professed it as a harmless action rather than Flowers trying to provoke the opposing team.
However many Chiefs fans were ecstatic to see their favored team take the win in this head to head game. Freshman Luke Abraham conveys, “ I love to see that the Chiefs are winning, I like their gameplay and their effort.” He also states that “Patrick Mahomes is a great quarterback, and I think the team does really well in their gameplay.” Mahomes is a very skilled player that has caught the eye of many. Being one of the key factors to the Chiefs, fans are counting on Mahomes to put his best foot forth.
During the infamous Chiefs vs Ravens game many longtime fans took notice of the fact that incoming “fans” were only interested in watching because of the relationship between the tight end of the Chiefs, Travice Kelce, and the famous musician, Taylor Swift. Yashna Guglani conveys that “ I knew the Chiefs were going to win because Taylor Swift was there.” She goes on to say, “My favorite moment is when Travis Kelce scored a touchdown and Taylor Swift was shown.” Many Taylor fans like her seem to only be interested in Taylor and Travis more than the game itself, which has led many football fans to be upset.
This was a tragic loss for the Ravens, disappointing many fans; however, the upcoming finale of the Super Bowl is pitting the Chiefs against the 49ers. Many prior Ravens supporters have started to root for the 49ers to win in place of their team.
Senior Zeeshan Nazir says, “I am a huge fan of the 49ers. Their game play is amazing and I love how hard working the team is. I believe that we have a shot at winning this Super Bowl.” He also expresses “Don’t get me wrong, the Chiefs also have a shot at winning; however, I feel like they lack the effort put into the game.” As an unremitting 49ers fan, Zeeshan shares his harsh opinions on the Chiefs and his lack of faith in them winning. He then goes on to state that “They are only really good because Patrick Mahomes carries the team.”
Freshman Siona Pandya says, “I have been a 49ers fan my entire life along with my dad.” When asked about her thoughts on the upcoming game she replied “I am kind of scared, it is going to be a tough game. I think the Chiefs will put up a good fight but I have faith in the 49er’s taking the win.”
In the end this match has sparked lots of controversy allowing Ravens fans from all over to express their opinions on the previous loss and Chiefs fans to discuss the win. Overall it stays friendly banter and leaves the audience ready to see who will claim victory by taking home the infamous Vince Lombardi Trophy.