By PATRICK CAHILL
Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers drew over 102 million viewers on Sunday, marking the first time in five years that the viewership trended upward.
Of the 102 million viewers, 99.9 million tuned into FOX while the other 2 million used streaming outlets for FOX Sports, NFL, and Verizon or tuned into the Spanish-language channel, FOX Deportes. Overall, it was the 10th most-watched Super Bowl in history.
The game was close throughout, each team trading leads back and forth throughout the majority of the game. The Kansas City Chiefs eventually rallied back from 10 points down in the 4th quarter, winning the game 31-20 behind a three touchdown performance from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who went on to win Super Bowl LIV MVP. The 10-point comeback from the Chiefs was tied for the second largest comeback in Super Bowl history.
“I know I had a greater interest in the game solely because the Patriots weren’t playing,” said University of Rhode Island student Tommy Dougherty, 22. “It makes it a lot more interesting when you have different teams in it every year and you get to see new teams try and win a championship. This matchup was perfect because neither team had won a Super Bowl in over 20 years.”
With their victory, the Chiefs snapped a 50-year Super Bowl championship drought, the second longest gap between titles in NFL history. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl drought increases to 26 years as the team last won a championship in 1994.
Halftime Performance
Not only were fans pleased with the matchup of teams, but the Super Bowl halftime show generated tons of positive reaction as well. Arguably the biggest highlight of the night, Shakira, 43, and Jennifer Lopez, 50, put on an amazing show showing off their incredible on-stage talent, especially given their ages.
“That was by far the best halftime performance that I’ve ever seen,” said University of Miami student, Brian Rosen, 22. “I thought both Shakira and JLo did an amazing job both as singers and performers. The level of agility they have at their age to perform to that level, it’s unbelievable.”
Many fans agreed, saying Shakira and Lopez did a great job not only with their individual performances, but also with spreading a message about the latino culture as well as the ongoing immigration crisis.
This! ? JLo puts kids in cages center stage at the biggest show in the world as she sings ‘Let’s Get Loud’
As her daughter emerges to sing ‘Born in the USA’, she appears draped in the Puerto Rican & American flag.
Brilliant & Powerful#SuperBowlLIV#HalftimeShow#DontLookAway pic.twitter.com/SAMWTPiixu
— Minh Ngo (@minhtngo) February 3, 2020
Shakira really slayed the stage ??? #HalftimeShowpic.twitter.com/4XmEmL4f92
— blythe (@_swiftblythes) February 3, 2020
The halftime show in itself generated over 103 million total viewers.
“They really showed what the culture of Miami is about,” said Rosen. “Latino music is our culture, and I’m glad they were able to broadcast that on the biggest stage to millions of people around the world.”
You did a really nice job connecting the game with the halftime show in order to relate to the broadcast as a whole. I would love for you to add more detail about particular highlights from the game before you shift your focus to the halftime show. Overall, this was a solid piece.