Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Super Bowl 2021
The premier sports event in North America took place last weekend in Tampa Bay, Florida. It is the last National Football League match of the season. It is called the “Super Bowl”.
This was the 55th Super Bowl game, and was billed to be a classic confrontation between the wily veteran, Tom Brady, and his young opponent, Patrick Mahomes. It did not unfold quite that way.The Tampa Bay Buccaneers trounced the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9, to win their second Super Bowl. The Chiefs had won last year, and were heavily favouried to repeat.
They say that great defences will win the big games. That is only partially true. In this case, the Buccaneers outplayed the Chiefs in all areas of concern. In addition, the Chiefs took far too many penalties, especially in the first half of the game. At one point, they had been penalized 8 times, costing them almost 100 yards. Some of those infractions involved “unsportsmanlike conduct”, an impardonable sin in a game of this magnitude.
Patrick Mahones was not 100% for this game. Reports told us that he might require foot surgery following the game. The Buccaneers took advantage of this, and chased him around the field throughout the game. One report indicated that Mahomes had run more than 400 yards during the game to avoid onrushing linemen. Tom Brady, on the other hand, was pursued for 30 yards.
Mahones was able to taget Travis Kelce for several passes. But he was no match for the Brady-Gronkowski combination. “Gronk” had two touchdowns in the game. Antonio Brown, another castoff by a couple of other teams this year, added another TD with a reception. Leonard Fournette scampered for the other major score. Brady was sharp throughout the game, winning his 7th Super Bowl, while adding the Most Valuable Player hardware to his collection.
On many occasions, personal situations often influence the fate of sports contests. The coach of the Chiefs, Andy Reid, had to deal with a matter that took place the previous day. His son, and also one of his coaches, was involved in a serious car accident, and alcohol may have been a factor in the mishap.
For the first time in the history of the game, a woman worked as an official. Sarah Thomas patrolled the lines duting the game. The halftime entertainer was a lad from Scarborough, dubbed “The Weekend”. He did a fine job, in my estimation.
I receive a “live feed” from a television network in Florida. Following the game, the fans celebrated the victory: no masks, no social distancing, no regard for their health, or the health of others. The results of these actions will become apparent in about a week's time.
Several National Hockey League games are cancelled this week. Despite the pandemic, the teams playing in the Canadian Division have managed to stay healthy. The Maple Leafs and the Canadiens have moved ahead of the other teams. The Ottawa Senators simply cannot get untracked.
The tennis is underway Down Under. Melbourne is hosting the Australian Open, and several Canadian men and women have already advanced. That should make for good viewing in the following fortnight.
Cheers, and stay safe!
James Hurst
February 9, 2021.
