WASHINGTON -- Kansas City Chiefs players and coaches celebrated their Super Bowl victory over San Francisco with supporters on Wednesday with a two-mile downtown parade and pep rally.
"This is the most beautiful scene I've ever witnessed in my life," Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said. "I love this city to death. I promise you from here to the end, I cherish every moment with y'all and I promise you everybody here feels the exact same way."
The Chiefs won their first Super Bowl title in 50 years on Sunday by rallying in the fourth quarter to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20.
Kelce, whose older brother Jason gave a popular speech two years ago when the Philadelphia Eagles celebrated their Super Bowl triumph over New England, drew huge cheers for his emotional speech.
"I'm wearing about half the beers I've been trying to drink," Kelce said. "It has been a long time coming. We had to fight for our right to party."
Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who captured his first NFL crown, was praised by Kelce for waiting 21 years for the victory.
"That's how long this has been turning for my guy Andy Reid....and what did we do? We unleashed a can of whoopass on everybody," Kelce said.
Reid told the crowd that they should prepare for a similar jubilant bash in 2021.
"Next year, we're coming right back here," Reid said. "One more time baby."
Agence France-Presse
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira brought an energetic jolt of Latina star power to Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show, delivering hip-shaking choreography and a medley of infectious hits to one of the world's glitziest stages.
Latin artists Bad Bunny and J Balvin appeared as surprise guests in the extravaganza, which signaled its Latin American influences from the onset, when Shakira greeted the stadium audience in Spanish with "Hola, Miami."
Dressed in a sequined, ruby-red outfit with matching boots, Shakira led her team of dancers through snippets of hits such as "Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie" before giving way to J-Lo.
Lopez made her entrance in black leather and studs on a stage set resembling the top of the Empire State Building, as "Jenny from the Block" proudly announced she was from the Bronx, New York.
The 12-minute halftime show, along with commercials, has become a popular feature of the Super Bowl spectacle on par with the game itself, which draws some 100 million television viewers in the United States.
In Miami, a majority Latino city, where the Kansas City Chiefs played the San Francisco 49ers for the championship of the National Football League, the show's organizers had discreetly built up expectations for a display of girl power with a Latina twist.
The backgrounds of the two headliners fit two of the demographics the National Football League is trying to attract to expand its fan base: women and Latinos.
J-Lo, 50, is the Bronx-born child of Puerto Rican parents who, as her own hit "Jenny from the Block" attests, rose from humble roots to become an international star of Hollywood movies and popular music with her own fashion and fragrance lines.
As her set progressed, J-Lo changed in a wink into a lacy body suit, unfurling a rectangular boa with the U.S. flag on one side and the Puerto Rican flag on the other. It was a subtle reminder that Puerto Ricans -- hit by a Category 5 hurricane in 2017 and more recently set back by a series of earthquakes -- are Americans, too.
She then strutted to "On the Floor," a 2011 hit, and "Let's Get Loud," a track from her debut 1999 album, featuring a girls' choir.
Shakira, 43, who is from Barranquilla, Colombia, in building up the show she let it be known she sympathized with Latinos in the United States, where anti-immigration rhetoric has become more open in recent years.
"Latinos are going through a difficult time in the U.S. right now, and I think it's very important for us to convey a message of unity and also to show what a relevant force the Latin community is in this country," Shakira told reporters on Thursday.
This year's Super Bowl broke ground for women in high places, including in the ownership of both teams (Denise York of the 49ers and Norma Hunt of the Chiefs), and on the sidelines, where San Francisco's offensive assistant Katie Sowers became the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl.
"That statement alone is empowering," Lopez told reporters on Thursday, referring to the women owners and halftime headliners.
The Super Bowl halftime show started out 53 years ago with university marching bands, a high school drill team and two guys flying with jet packs. It has since evolved into a showcase for A-list talent, including Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Lady Gaga.
One of the more notable performances came in 2004 when Justin Timberlake tugged on Janet Jackson's clothes, briefly exposing a breast adorned with a nipple shield. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission sought to fine broadcaster CBS $550,000 for indecency over the incident, which Timberlake famously dubbed a "wardrobe malfunction," but the fine was overturned in the courts.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MIAMI -- The Kansas City Chiefs chase their first Super Bowl title in 50 years on Sunday when they face the San Francisco 49ers in a championship clash poised to usher in a new era for the NFL.
Around 100 million Americans are expected to tune in for the biggest event on the US sporting calendar, which kicks off at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium at 6.30pm (2330 GMT).
The eagerly anticipated showdown could mark a changing of the guard for the NFL's quarterback hierarchy as the curtain comes down on the league's 100th season.
With Tom Brady and the New England Patriots failing to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 2016, the stage is set for the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes to crown his emergence as the best quarterback in the league.
The gifted 24-year-old Texan could become the second-youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl if he leads the Chiefs to victory in only his second full season as a starter.
Mahomes, who became only the second quarterback in history to amass 5,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns in a season in 2018, has cut a relaxed figure during this week's build-up.
- Having fun -
"I'm going to go out there and try and have fun and play the way I've played all season long," Mahomes said earlier this week.
True to form, Mahomes and his teammates laughed and joked their way through a final practice session on Saturday under the watchful eye of veteran head coach Andy Reid.
"They're loose, to a point," Reid said of his team. "They know the job at hand against a real good football team, but at the same time, we try to let our personalities show.
"That has been an emphasis, and I don't expect them to stop doing that now."
Attempting to frustrate Mahomes and the Chiefs are a 49ers unit chasing a record-equaling sixth Super Bowl.
Led by the 28-year-old quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo -- who won two Super Bowl rings during his stint as a back-up to Brady in New England -- the 49ers boast a fearsome defense which will attempt to knock Mahomes out of his stride.
Garoppolo has an array of weapons at his disposal.
Against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game, the 49ers blew away their opponents with a fearsome ground game that saw running back Raheem Mostert rush for four touchdowns and more than 200 yards.
On the defensive side, the 49ers boast a fearsome pass rush led by Nick Bosa, who was given a pre-Super Bowl fillip on Saturday after being named rookie of the year at the NFL's annual awards.
The 49ers are also bound to have a few offensive tricks up their sleeve as they prepare under the guidance of head coach Kyle Shanahan, one of the most innovative minds in the NFL.
"We're as ready as we can be," Shanahan said on Saturday. "We just need the game to get here. It has been two weeks of (practice), and we are itching to go."
Shanahan took his players on a walkthrough at the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday to prepare them for the extended half-time break in Sunday's game, where Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will perform for the sell-out 65,000 crowd.
At around 30 minutes, the Super Bowl's half-time interval is more than double the usual interval.
"It's going to feel like forever," Shanahan said. "We're not used to that."
- Father-son double -
A win on Sunday would see the 49ers coach emulate his father Mike Shanahan, who won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos in 1998 and 1999.
But Shanahan's coaching wizardry may prove moot if the 49ers defense is unable to contain Mahomes and a Chiefs offense bristling with pace in the form of receiver Tyreek Hill and power in the shape of tight end Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs have averaged 43 points per game in two playoff contests, and during the regular season averaged just over 28 points per game.
Kansas City's ability to produce devastating bursts of scoring was showcased in their playoff game against Houston last month, when they came back from a 24-0 deficit to win 51-31.
But the Chiefs are all too aware that conceding an early lead against the 49ers and their stingy defense could well be fatal.
"We obviously want our guys to go out there and have a faster start," said Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. "You certainly never ever want to spot a team 24 points."
Agence France-Presse
MIAMI (Reuters) - Kobe Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash has reminded everyone how fragile life is, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira said on Thursday, and the pop superstars plan to use their Super Bowl halftime show to convey that message.
“Life is so fragile and that is why we have to try and live every moment as intensely as we can,” Shakira told a packed news conference. “We will be celebrating life, celebrating diversity in this country.
“I am sure he (Bryant) will be very proud to see the message we are going to try to convey on stage because I think it is a very big moment for our community, the Latino community in this country.”
Stopping short of saying they were planning a direct tribute to Bryant, the 18-times NBA All-Star who was killed in the crash along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others on Sunday, Lopez and Shakira promised a fun, power-packed 12-minute show but wanted to make a point.
“I think this is just affecting everybody so much because it is reminding us, again, how fragile life is and how we have to appreciate every single moment,” Lopez said. “It can be taken away from us so easily.
“We have to love each other, we have to be together, we have to support each other we can’t be so at odds all the time. That’s part of our mission and our message too.”
Like the Super Bowl commercials, the halftime show is an event unto itself, attracting a stand-alone audience that has no particular interest in the game.
The halftime shows typically feature many of the world’s top-selling artists and last year’s with headliners Maroon 5 attracted nearly 100 million viewers.
The last time the Super Bowl was staged in Miami in 2010 British rock giants The Who topped the bill.
With Miami’s large Latino community and Latin vibe, Shakira and Lopez, performing together for the first time, would appear to be the perfect fit for this year’s Super Bowl.
Lopez, an actress and singer known for hits such as “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” and “If You had My Love”, stars in the movie “Hustlers” which is generating buzz in Hollywood.
Colombian singer Shakira, a three-times Grammy winner, is one of the world’s best-selling Latin music stars. She found international fame with her 2006 single “Hips Don’t Lie”.
While the singers offered no hint of any political protest they made it clear their presence on the Super Bowl stage was sending a strong message, particularly to young Latino girls.
“The 49ers and Chiefs are run by women and you’ve got two women heading the halftime show. That statement alone for me is empowering,” Lopez said.
“When I think of my daughter, when I think of all the little girls in the world to see that, two Latinos doing that at this time in our country it is just very empowering.”
Editing by Ed Osmond
source: news.abs-cbn.com
