A Historic Super Bowl

The historical significance of the 2023 Super Bowl and who do students want to win

Amara Brooks / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

This year’s 2023 Super Bowl LVII is already breaking historical barriers, as the first Super Bowl with two Black starting quarterbacks (QBs). This year, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will face off in Arizona at the State Farm Stadium on Feb.12.

The game will feature starting QBs Jalen Hurts for the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes for the Kansas City Chiefs. 

In a press conference after his American Football Conference Championship game, Mahomes spoke about the importance of this historic match up. 

“To be on the world stage and have two Black quarterbacks starting in the Super Bowl, I think it’s special,” Mahomes said. “I’ve learned more and more about the history of the Black quarterback since I’ve been in this league, and the guys that came before me and Jalen set the stage for this. And now, I’m just glad that we can set the stage for kids that are coming up now.”

Mahomes shared that his space in this year’s Super Bowl will allow other young Black quarterbacks the opportunity to make further progress in the future. In the past, there have only been three Black quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl. Mahomes was one when he defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, 2020. 

The previous two were Russel Wilson with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014 and Doug Williams with the now Washington Commanders in 1988. 

According to Statista’s report titled “Share of Players in the NFL in 2021, by ethnicity,” 58% of the players in the NFL are Black or African American. However, the quarterback position is one with little diversity, as most quarterbacks in the NFL are white. Many Black players in the sport are often “typecast” to certain positions, the quarterback spot not being one of them.  Black quarterbacks are  rarely given the chance. Currently, out of 32 NFL teams, there are  11 Black starting quarterbacks in the league. 

Rashaan Ward, USD senior and wide receiver on the football team shared his thoughts on the Super Bowl matchup.

“I’m taking the Eagles. I like Jalen Hurts a lot and my uncle used to play for the Eagles, so I have to root for them,” Ward said. “I feel like Black quarterbacks don’t get the credit they deserve, and now there is a shift in changing the views on a Black player being a quarterback. Times are changing.”

Now, both quarterbacks are in the running for this year’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. 

The Philadelphia Eagles finished the regular season with a 14-3 record. Hurts, who had an impressive season with the Eagles went undefeated until week 10, when they picked up their first loss of the season to the Washington Commanders. Hurts’ presence on the team is undeniable, as the Eagles lost both games that Hurts missed due to a sprained right shoulder injury at the end of the regular season. Hurts’ shoulder didn’t slow the QB down when he had one of the four rushing touchdowns that allowed the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship. 

Patrick Mahomes, who is similarly going into the game with an injury, has been dealing with a high ankle sprain, which has made viewers skeptical of the QB’s mobility. Mahomes proved that the ankle sprain would not be a problem in his win against the Cincinnati Bengals to advance to the Championship game. This will mark the third time in five years that the Chiefs have made it to the Super Bowl. The Chiefs also finished the regular season with a 14-3 record. 

USD senior Wisdom Choice described her thoughts on the upcoming game and the importance these quarterbacks, especially Patrick Mahomes play for current athletes.

“[He’s] coming from a small town and a second tier school in Texas, as a non player it’s exciting to see a Black man coming from his background and offer other Black men that inspiration that they can make it out of tough situations,” Choice explained. “Him and Jalen have opposing playing styles so it’ll be a fun game to watch. Mahomes is more quick responding than Jalen so I’m interested in how that dynamic will play out.”

This year’s Super Bowl is also making headlines as nine-time Grammy winner Rihanna will be performing at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show. This show marks the first time the singer has performed since her 2018 Grammy performance of “Wild Thoughts.” The singer has been on a lengthy hiatus after her 2016 album ‘ANTI.’ However, since the announcement of her Super Bowl performance it appears she’s returning to music. In Nov. 2022 the singer started her return by joining the soundtrack of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’’ with the song “Lift Me Up.”

Jane Riehs, a USD sophomore, shared that she is tuning in just for the Super Bowl Halftime Show. 

“I am really excited to see her perform, when she was first announced I was shocked.” Riehs exclaimed. “I am definitely going to watch the halftime show; I don’t know about the football part though.” 

The NFL predicted that this game will be viewed by an estimated 208 million people. This report comes after last year’s Super Bowl LVI was watched by approximately two-thirds of the US population. The game will be screened  on campus in Frank’s Lounge, where students can gather together to watch with others from the USD community.