The Kansas City Chiefs chase a historic hat-trick of Super Bowl titles when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday as New Orleans hosts the NFL showpiece just five weeks after a deadly attack in the city’s party district.
In a first for a sitting US President, Donald Trump will be among an array of VIPs and celebrities in a sell-out crowd of around 74 000 who will be packed into the Caesars Superdome for the biggest annual event in the American sporting calendar.
Pop superstar Taylor Swift will also be in attendance to watch as her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his Chiefs team-mates bid to win an unprecedented third straight Vince Lombardi Trophy, and a fourth in six seasons.
Heavy police presence
There is a heavy police presence in the city and blanket security around the event after the New Year’s Day attack which saw 14 people killed and many more injured in the Big Easy’s famous Bourbon Street district.
A US army veteran, who the FBI say was motivated by loyalty to the jihadist Islamic State group, used a pickup trick to kill and wound revelers in the crowded French quarter.
Authorities expect over 100 000 visitors to the city for the game which the Department of Homeland Security has assigned a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 designated event, the highest classification level of public safety risk.
“I’m confident the safest place this weekend will be under the security umbrella we have in place around [the Superdome],” Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer, said this week.
“We have reviewed, and re-reviewed, all the events of January 1.”
Trump’s presence will only increase the security effort with the President going beyond the traditional pre-game televised interview to attend in person.
Trump has had a strained relationship with the NFL in the past – he was part of an anti-trust lawsuit against the league in the 1980s when he owned a club in the rival USFL league.
In 2017, Trump criticised NFL players who knelt during the playing of the US national anthem to draw attention to issues of racial injustice, prompting strong criticism from some players.
Trump then cancelled a planned White House reception for the Eagles after large numbers of players had made it clear they would not attend.
But there has been no objection from players to Trump attending Sunday’s game with Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is seeking his fourth Super Bowl ring, describing the prospect as “cool”.
As always, the Super Bowl crosses over into popular culture and the half-time show this year will feature hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, who had a clean sweep at last Sunday’s Grammys, winning in all five categories for which he received nominations.
Bookmakers and casinos meanwhile are taking odds on whether Chiefs star Kelce will propose to pop icon Swift after the game.
American sportsbooks, now legal in 38 states, could take an estimated $1.39 billion in bets on the Super Bowl according to an annual report from the American Gaming Association (AGA).
Kansas City Chiefs favourites
For the more serious punters, the oddsmakers have the Chiefs as slight favourite for the game which is a rematch of the Super Bowl from two years ago which the Chiefs won by three points.
The Chiefs defended their title last year, beating the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas and putting them one win away from an unprecedented ‘three-peat’.
The 29-year-old Mahomes will become one of just four quarterbacks in the history of the NFL to have won more than three Super Bowls should he triumph again.
But the Eagles have added serious offensive firepower since their defeat two years ago with mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts joined by the game-changing speed and power of running back Saquon Barkley.
While the Super Bowl regularly draws the biggest television audience of the year in the USA, interest in the NFL is growing outside of it’s stronghold.
There is international involvement in this year’s game with Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata looking to become the first Australian to play in and win a Super Bowl.
Having played in Brazil this year, the NFL is rapidly expanding their presence globally and next season regular season games will be held in London, Berlin and Madrid with Melbourne, Australia, to host a game in 2026.
In this week’s build-up, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell floated the idea that the Super Bowl itself might one day be held outside the USA.
“I do think there’s potential that someday we will have an international franchise. If we do, it would not surprise me at all if a Super Bowl follows and is played there,” he said.
