Super Bowl LIX: recapped
My dad and I had the experience of a lifetime when we went to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, a fight between the Eagles and the Chiefs. From the moment we arrived at the airport on Thursday, the excitement was through the roof. As soon as we got to our gate, it was obvious that everyone was an Eagles fan. Almost everyone was in Eagles gear and there were many chants of “E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!” The energy did not stop there—on the plane, the same chants happened which created an electric atmosphere before we had even taken off.
After landing in New Orleans, we took a cab straight to our hotel. My dad and I were staying in a hotel in the French Quarter. We got ready for the NFL award presentation show, the NFL Honors. The red carpet opened at 5:00 p.m., and the doors to the show opened around 7:30 p.m.. The event was awesome. I had the opportunity to meet some amazing players on the red carpet, including Damar Hamlin, Maxx Crosby, Fred Warner, and Cam Heyward. Seeing them in person was unreal. The show itself was hilarious, with Snoop Dogg as the host making all kinds of jokes that had everyone in the theater laughing. It was the perfect way to kick off the weekend.
The next morning, we started our day at a café called Morning Call Coffee Stand. I tried beignets for the first time. When the beignets first came out, they didn’t have any powdered sugar, but with locals’ suggestions, we poured about half the sugar caster of powdered sugar on the beignets so all we saw was white. They were warm and delicious. After breakfast, we went on an interesting cemetery tour. Seeing the above ground tombs in person was really cool, and we learned about the city’s history and fascinating burial traditions. We then went to Parkway Bakery and Tavern, where we tried po’ boys. My dad and I split the James Brown. This po’ boy was a BBQ beef and fried shrimp sandwich. It was delicious but it doesn’t compare to a classic Philly cheesesteak.
In the afternoon, we went to the NFL Experience, an interactive event for football fans. I kicked a field goal and ran a 40-yard dash. That evening, we ate at Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant, which was packed with Chiefs fans. My dad and I shared a massive seafood platter, from fried fish to oysters, it was all very tasty. To end the night, we went on a ghost and voodoo tour. We walked around the city of New Orleans stopping at many different locations with an interesting story going along with each one. My favorite story was the Legend of the Axeman of New Orleans, a serial killer from the early 20th century. The tour was a fun way to end the night.
The next day started with another coffee stop before we went on a food tour. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. As we walked from stop to stop, we tasted all kinds of local food, like beignets, po’ boys, alligator sausage, duck gumbo, and king cake. The duck gumbo stood out as my personal favorite, with its rich, bacon-like flavor. While walking from place to place we saw a parade happening which made the experience even more fun. The streets were so crowded and there were many Super Bowl floats. There were dancers, live music, and Mardi Gras beads being thrown by people on the floats. After the food tour, we walked over to Frenchmen Street and enjoyed live jazz music. Later that evening, we met some friends for dinner at Costera, which turned out to be phenomenal. While we were eating dinner, we heard people singing the Eagles fight song, and when we turned our heads, it was Brent Celek leading the charge. Brent Celek is a former Eagles tight end and a legend. This was the cherry on top of an amazing dinner and a very memorable experience. After dinner, we visited Bourbon Street, where the atmosphere was crazy. Everyone was celebrating for the big game that was soon to come.
Finally, the day we had all been waiting for had finally arrived—Super Bowl Sunday. We started the day with brunch at Paladar 511. Afterward, we walked to the stadium with our friends. At about 1:00 p.m. we started tailgating for the game at an exclusive NFL tailgate, which was an experience in itself. There were so many food options and a live performance by Post Malone. When we entered the stadium, it felt surreal. Our seats were right on the 50-yard line, giving us a great view of the game. We got there about an hour before kickoff, and I was beyond excited for what was to come. The halftime show was solid. I personally thought the beginning was okay, but I loved the end of the show especially when he performed “All of the Stars” with SZA as a guest. The Eagles dominated the Chiefs from start to finish which made the game so enjoyable for Eagles fans. It was an unforgettable game. When they won, my dad and I were ecstatic. After the game, the excitement was unreal—we even made it onto the jumbotron! The celebration continued on Bourbon Street, where Eagles chants broke out everywhere, bands played the Eagles fight song, and Philadelphian tourists had completely taken over, with very few Chiefs fans in sight. It was the perfect ending to an unforgettable trip.
This was truly the trip of a lifetime, filled with some of the best food I have ever eaten, history, music, and of course, the thrill of the Super Bowl. Being there with my dad made it even more special, and I know it’s something we’ll both remember forever.
Coming all the way from Cherry Hill to New Orleans, Zack Rosenblatt (‘09), an East alumni, covered the 2025 Super Bowl game for The Atlantic and a side story on Jalen Hurts for the New York Times. As a senior writer and most of his content revolving around the New York Jets, this was a nice change.
“Just being at the Super Bowl and in the locker room, on the field, covering a team that I grew up watching was surreal,” said Rosenblatt.
Beginning his writing journey in F087 and becoming an entertainment/culture editor for Eastside, he is a prime success story for many young and aspiring sports writers at East.
This Super Bowl, being the second one he has covered, his first being 2020 with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, really hit home.
“Talking to the players about the week, especially with Philly being there [which was] a huge media contingent, and just seeing how the vibe was going into the week, it really did feel like the Eagles wanted it more,” Rosenblatt observed.
Attending the Super Bowl as a writer and not just a fan, Rosenblatt got behind the scenes access which is limited to journalists and media coverage.
“Super Bowl week as a reporter, you get there on Monday and you’re there for the entire week. I was able to do this cool thing where they were doing a preview of all the food they were going to sell at the stadium on Sunday. I got free access to all this local cuisine and I was very full but that was a great experience,” said Rosenblatt.
With this year’s game taking place in New Orleans, a city known for their vibrant and energetic culture, the anticipation for Sunday’s game built up all throughout the week. The sense of rivalry was present as Eagles fans arrived and heard music along with chanting upon leaving his hotel room. It was clear the Eagles brought a different type of edge to the Big Easy.
As for other events leading up to the big game, Rosenblatt mentions Radio Row,sets lined with broadcasting from different radio and TV shows in which celebrities are frequently spotted and interviewed.
Approaching game time, Rosenblatt expressed that everything felt much more serious when they got to Caesar’s Superdome. He described it as what he thought to be the loudest stadium in the NFL, having covered Saints games there in the past, with screaming and cheering reverberating off the walls. From the moment the Eagles came out of the tunnel, the Eagles fans had readily taken over the stadium.
As the game progressed, Rosenblatt commented that not even Eagles fans expected the birds to be so dominant in the game.
As for the halftime show performance, Rosenblatt explains he is a fan of Kendrick Lamar’s and enjoys his music. Although, he said that it was nothing like a concert, noting that the artist was performing more for the camera than the audience, with video equipment rotating around Lamar.
“That was a performance that went viral for a few reasons and being there and seeing the diss track about Drake and where he says ‘A minor’ and everyone says it at the same time. It was definitely cool being part of that in the crowd,” Rosenblatt recalls.
After the game, there was a rush of excitement from the Eagles; they were blasting music, shotgunning beer, and smoking cigars in the locker room. It was like a dream come true. Until the pressure set in.
“Once I go to the postgame, go to the locker room, take that all in, take notes and everything of what I’m seeing and then I sat down to finally write and I felt the pressure. Covering the Super Bowl is different than just covering any other football game and I know a lot of people are going to read it so I felt pressure to really deliver,” Rosenblatt honestly remarks.
Rosenblatt explains his writing process as he tries to bring the reader somewhere they could not physically be, acknowledging the great opportunity he had to cover the game in a way not everybody else can.
The day after the game, when the victory finally began to set in, Rosenblatt described that the city was “…hungover on both alcohol and the feeling of conquering the Chiefs.”
As one of the biggest nights in American culture, the Super Bowl continues to deliver unmatched entertainment year after year. While the game itself is certainly important, pop culture connoisseurs view the halftime performance as equally significant. With millions tuning in, the Super Bowl gives artists the rare chance to reach a vast audience in just under 15 minutes. From Michael Jackson to Madonna, countless icons have headlined the halftime show, and on Sunday, Feb. 9, Kendrick Lamar took the stage at the Caesars Superdome, becoming the first solo rapper to headline the Super Bowl halftime performance.
Leading up to the event, fans flooded social media with predictions and speculations on which mainstream hit Lamar would use to kick off his show. However, on the night of the Super Bowl, the show opened with a highly honored unexpected guest, Samuel L. Jackson. Dressed as Uncle Sam, Jackson invited the audience to play “The Great American game.” Lamar began his performance by singing a snippet of an unreleased song as his backup dancers clad in red, white, and blue, emerged from a buick GNX— the same car featured on the cover of his recent album which has amassed over 379 million streams to date, GNX.
Following the snippet, Lamar dove into “Squabble Up”, another track from GNX, before being abruptly interrupted by Uncle Sam, who voiced his complaints critiquing Lamar for being “too loud, too reckless, and too ghetto,” urging him to “tighten up”. Lamar ignored these requests, jumping into hits “Humble” and “DNA”, while his backup dancers formed an American flag around him and then scattered onto the “street” below the stage.
As Lamar transitioned from “DNA” into “Euphoria,” the camera panned out to reveal the words “Warning: Wrong Way” written in lights among the stadium seats.
Uncle Sam reappeared again while Lamar rapped “Man at the Garden,” saying, “the old culture cheat code. Scorekeeper deduct one life” reinforcing the game concept that echoed throughout Lamar’s performance.
Lamar then rapped “Peekaboo” before teasing “Not Like Us” saying, “I want to perform their favorite song but you know they love to sue” — a subtle diss at Drake, alluding to the ongoing lawsuit between Drake and Lamar after Drake sued Universal Music Group for spreading allegations featured in Lamar’s hit “Not Like Us”.
After this jab, Lamar slowed things down, transitioning into “Luther” and “All of the Stars,” bringing out SZA, another famous artist and major collaborator on both pieces.
Before the show Lamar and SZA teased their Super Bowl collaboration on social media sparking immediate excitement.
When they finished “All of the Stars” Uncle Sam returned, declaring, “this is what America wants.” He begins to tell Lamar not to mess up when Lamar launches into “Not Like Us”, the famous diss track that recently won 5 grammys.
Lamar closed his performance with “TV Off,” another track from GNX, where he brings DJ Mustard on stage. He ends the song saying, “turn this TV off” while the words “Game over” flashed in lights across the stadium.
The performance sparked immediate reactions. While some felt the show was far too slow and unentertaining, others praised Lamar for the profound social and political symbolism embedded throughout his performance. From his scattered disses to his thought provoking lyrics, Lamar’s use of music to initiate activism is no new concept, and his halftime performance proved just that.
Opening with Uncle Sam and the “Great American Game” was not some silly act but rather powerful commentary on America’s control over black artists. Throughout the show, Uncle Sam urged Lamar to stick to the typical flashy and entertaining halftime show format, one that distracts and consumes the audience. When Lamar strays away, Uncle Sam criticizes him, voicing the stereotypes often associated with Black Americans and the hip hop music genre. He tries to control Lamar’s voice, preventing him from using music as a form of protest.
This theme of American control remains a focal point throughout Lamar’s performance and can be seen throughout the dances. For example, during “Humble” backup dancers arranged into an American flag while Lamar stood directly in the middle portraying the cultural and political divides that plague today’s society.
People also speculate Lamar said “the revolution is about to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy” before “Squabble Up” as a direct aim to President Trump, who was seen in the crowd. This subtle lyric shift directly references the song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” by Gil Scott-Heron. Except in contrast to Scott-Heron’s song, it suggests that movements built through music and activism will not be silenced, no matter how hard the media or certain political figures try to suppress them.
Additionally, the recurring motif of “The Great American Game” and the game controller setup highlights how often Americans, especially people of color, are told how to behave in order to succeed, or in this case “win the game.” Through this symbolism, Lamar challenges the audience to break down societal barriers of prejudice and confront the vestiges of inequality.
During “Not Like Us”, it is no surprise that Lamar disses Drake, referencing their ongoing conflict. However he also chose to bring out Serena Williams, female athlete icon and rumored ex of Drake. Williams was seen crip walking to “Not Like Us”. This moment was seen as so significant because Williams was harshly criticized in 2012 for celebrating her Olympic victory by crip walking, a dance originally created by a California street gang but now used as a form of expression for many. By performing it on one of the world’s biggest stages, Williams reclaims the dance, turning the criticism into a moment of empowerment.
When Lamar ends his performance with “turn this TV off”, many interpret it as his final call to the audience to wake up and speak out.
Whether you liked Lamar’s performance or not, there is no doubt he made his point. As the most streamed halftime show brimming with symbolism, activism and motivation, Lamar proved once again that it truly is “bigger than the music”.
The Birds started off the season shaky, going 2-2, but after their week 5 bye they did not look back, finishing the season 16-1 in their final 17 games and bringing the Lombardi back to Philly once again.
To celebrate their victory, the Eagles kicked off their parade on Feb. 14. The parade started at 11 a.m. and the players, coaching staff, owners, cheerleaders, and family all rode custom coach buses with “Super Bowl Champions” written across each of them. The buses took a route starting at the intersection of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue in South Philly. The buses then made their way down Broad Street with players walking the streets and interacting with fans, drinking, and having a great time. Eagles rookie star cornerback, Cooper DeJean, was interviewed by a FOX news reporter during the parade. He was wearing a 24-karat gold Bud Light chain that was passed around the Eagles team throughout the party.
“This might be the best day of my life,” said DeJean when interviewed about his thoughts on the parade.
Festivities continued as the buses made their way downtown. At Broad Street and Pine Street, when the buses stopped, Eagles linebacker, Zack Baun, shotgun a beer, then caught two more drinks from fans and took them down as well.
“I love this place,” said Baun when asked how spending his first year in Philadelphia has been. Baun also stated that he hopes to sign a new contract with the team this off season.
As the team made its way down to City Hall, they were proudly passing around the Vince Lombardi trophy. The trophy is granted to the team that wins the Super Bowl. The team passed the trophy around throughout the parade, but the trophy mainly stayed with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.
Eagles fans did not fail to show up, with over a million people brimming in the streets of Philadelphia to celebrate the win of the team. Climbing buildings and cheering endlessly, the people of Philadelphia came together as one this weekend.
The team finished the parade at the famous Philadelphia Museum of Art where fans waited overnight for the team to arrive, just to hear their speeches. The speeches began with the iconic voice of Eagles radio broadcaster, Merrill Reese. Afterwards, speeches continued with many players, then coach Sirianni, owner Jeffrey Lurie, and General Manager Howie Roseman. Even the Eagles ball boy had a moment of fame after he was spotted by star running back Saquon Barkley and pulled over the gates and brought onto the team bus.
On the day of the parade, the city unveiled a new addition right next to the iconic “Love” sign in Center City: the “Hurts” sign. Together, the two signs read “Love Hurts,” with the new installation honoring Eagles Super Bowl MVP, Jalen Hurts. The striking combination pays tribute to both the city’s famous landmarks and its football hero of the year.
It is safe to say the City of Brotherly Love knows how to party and celebrate a national victory. Philadelphia does not take the win for granted and hopes to see a parade in the city at the same time, next year.
