Before the 59th Super Bowl had even aired, many sports media outlets gave viewers the idea that the Kansas City Chiefs would win their matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chiefs won the last two Super Bowls, even if they were by small margins. They first won 38-35 over the Eagles in Super Bowl 57, and a 25-22 overtime win against the 49ers in Super Bowl 58.
Sports media outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports and Fox Sports all ran stories on the potential three-peat and led most discussion about the game around the Chiefs pre-determined victory.
However, the Eagles dominated during the game, defeating the Chiefs by almost 20 and finishing the game 40-22.
Players and fans of the game were equally shocked by the results. USA Today used the word ‘brutal’ to describe the game while Yahoo used ‘ruins.’
Fans called the game humiliating for the Chiefs while former player turned analyst Tom Brady named Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts as his ‘LFG Player of the Game.’
The narrative that sports media pushed so heavily was destroyed in the first Eagles drive with Hurts scoring six on the Eagles famous tush-push move, where the linemen push Hurts into the end zone at the one-yard line.
After that, it only got worse for the Chiefs with a Jake Elliot field goal, a Cooper Dejean interception and touchdown putting the Eagles up 17-0 on the defending champions.
While the Chiefs would end up fighting back, the Eagles would almost double their score, even without much work from projected game MVP Saquan Barkley.
Barkley rushed for over 2,000 yards this season and tore through many teams, being the likely MVP due to the Chiefs’ poor rushing defense. However, he was kept quiet with only 97 yards on the ground.
I see the reason for all the hype and disappointment during and after the game being sports betting.
The Chiefs were favored at -1.5 over the Eagles, making them the favorites to win.
Sports betting has ruined my personal enjoyment of many sports.
No matter where you look, what sports or leagues you follow, or even how you view sporting information, it is hard not to stumble across a partnership between a sportsbook and sports network.
I feel like the narrative of sports also feeds into this. To me, it reads like an elaborate scheme to profit off the skills of these athletes.
When you turn on the TV or open social media and you’re shown that the Chiefs can win three Super Bowls in a row, it makes you feel a sense of investment in the game, especially if you’re a fan of the team being discussed.
While not a sports-better myself, my father is a frequent of many apps such as DraftKings, leading to him asking for help with his parleys and bets no matter what the sport. As many do, he easily falls into the pit of hype for large matches such as the Super Bowl and almost always is willing to put down money.
Sports-betting has recently become the most profitable form of gambling due to large games such as the Super Bowl, World Series and March Madness tournament.
The subliminal messages in the narrative of sports media are ruining multiple sports.
Without sports media and the narratives that are created, betting on sports wouldn’t be as large as it is today.