The Newhouse Sports Media Center student crew is in Arizona, the site of Super Bowl LVII, to cover all of the action around the game. All of the content can be on our YouTube Channel or Twitter and Instagram Find some great work here as well:
Super Bowl week brings NFL fans from around the country into one city to celebrate America’s largest sporting spectacle.
This February, fans of all 32 teams have flocked to Phoenix, Arizona to catch a glimpse of the players, the pageantry and the media frenzy.
In an effort to create lifelong memories for fans, the NFL typically puts on a Super Bowl Experience.
This year, one of the two Super Bowl LVII Experiences Presented by Lowes’ is located at the Phoenix Convention Center. Boasting an enormous number of exhibits, interactive games and photo opportunities, the Super Bowl Experience allows fans to dream big and put themselves in the shoes of NFL players.
Some of the interactive games that caught the attention of our Newhouse Sports Media Center reporters were the drills aspiring NFL players participate in at the NFL Combine.
Turning everything into a competition, Newhouse Sports Media Center reporters John Eads and Nick Zelaya challenged each other to a bench press, vertical jump and 40-yard dash contest to see how they measured compared to the NFL’s all-time combine greats.
The NFL Combine bench press record was set by East Kentucky Defensive Tackle Justin Ernest, who put up a jaw-dropping 51 reps at the 1999 NFL Combine.
Showcasing insane hops, North Carolina Safety Gerald Sensabaugh set the combine vertical jump record by leaping 46 inches in 2005.
And just a few years ago at the 2017 NFL Combine, John Ross put the league on notice with a 4.22 40-yard dash, the quickest in combine history.
To see if Eads or Zelaya recorded any measurables close to these combine records, watch the video at the top of the page.
In many ways, the story of Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles began all the way back in 2013.
That year, the Eagles let go of their coach, Andy Reid, after a 4-12 season. From there, the Chiefs scooped Reid up, and that meant Reid wanted to start his staff from the ground up, which included getting rid of the then 31-year-old wide receivers coach, Nick Sirianni.
Fast forward ten years later, and the two now meet for all the marbles in the Super Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona.
Although it was never quite a master and apprentice relationship, since their time at Arrowhead never overlapped, Sirianni said he is fully ready to make a name for himself just like Reid has already done.
“I just feel like Sirianni on offense has done a really good job of putting his players in a position to succeed,” NBC Sports Analyst Matthew Berry said. “Using them to their best skill set. He’s like, we’ve got a great offensive line, we’ve got multiple running backs, so let’s figure out ways to run creatively.”
ESPN Play-by-Play Commentator Mike Couzens said both coaches are beamingly confident.
“[They’re] guys who are sure of who they are as coaches and they’re not trying to put on a front or be this or be that,” Couzens said.
Super Bowl LVII now presents an opportunity for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to do something Reid never did, which is bring a championship home to the City of Brotherly Love.
The only thing standing in his way is the man trying to become just the fourteenth coach ever to win multiple Super Bowls, Andy Reid.
SuperBowl LVII marks the fourth time the big game will be played in Arizona.The Grand Canyon State hosted its first Super Bowl way back in 1996. In Super Bowl XXX, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
In 2006, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, the current home of the Arizona Cardinals, opened, and it did not take long for the venue to host its first Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XLII in 2008 saw the New York Giants hand the New England Patriots their first and only loss of the season, thanks in part to an unforgettable catch from former Syracuse Football wide receiver David Tyree.
And in another memorable game, Super Bowl XLIX, Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line to secure some New England Patriots redemption in Arizona’s third Super Bowl.
Newhouse Sports Media Center reporter John Eads hit the streets of Downtown Phoenix to find out how well the capital city city knows the history of the Super Bowl in Arizona.
To see how the participants of our quiz fared, watch the video at the top of the page.
Both teams landed in the desert on Sunday afternoon, and the fun has already started. The Super Bowl Experience, thousands of media members at the Phoenix Convention Center and plenty of attractions across the city are in place to make this Arizona’s most memorable Super Bowl yet.
The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee said they are really excited with the work they have put in to make this their best game so far.
“There’s been a lot of investment in our hospitality community, in our infrastructure, our public infrastructure, our roads, the airports, everything along those lines,” Arizona Cardinals Owner and President Michael Bidwill said. “In State Farm Stadium, over $200 million. We’ve been getting ready for this day and this week for a long, long time. So I couldn’t get more excited.”
“The game gets bigger and bigger each year,” Bidwill said. “It’s gonna be a lot bigger than it was in 2015. And so we’ve got a lot of new partners involved and it couldn’t be more exciting.”
Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee Executive Board Chair Larry Fitzgerald said going from playing in a Super Bowl to organizing a Super Bowl has changed his perspective.
“I remember vividly back to my time on the plane,” Fitzgerald said. “The bus is there. Takes you to the hotel. Your hotel room keys are available. You come down and eat. The food is prepared.”
“But now being in this position over the last year has been transformational for me because I got a chance to see how the sausage is made, how everyone is able to enjoy such an unbelievable game and the work that goes on behind the scenes.”