Super Bowl party props: Eli beats Peyton in Manning field goal battle
Follow live reaction to Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show, which featured SZA, Serena Williams and Samuel L Jackson.
Kendrick Lamar, a 22-time Grammy Award-winning artist, took center stage for this year's Super Bowl halftime show.
Lamar, who was joined by frequent collaborator SZA, performed his hit diss track 'Not Like Us' amongst other songs.
His set included appearances from Samuel L Jackson — who portrayed Uncle Sam — and Serena Williams.
The Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LIX, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22. Follow postgame coverage here.
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We officially have our first audible of our Super Bowl party prop sheet game — which you should fill out if you haven't already! — with Eli Manning beating his brother Peyton Manning in a field goal kicking contest in a promotion for Fanduel.
Since this didn't happen during the game, we won't be scoring it for official purposes for our own prop sheet game, which is still taking submissions until about 30 minutes before kickoff. That said, you all overwhelmingly picked Eli to win the 'Kick of Destiny 3,' with only about a third of quiz respondents picking Peyton.
Honestly, that makes a lot of sense. Peyton got the better of their head-to-head matchups when they were NFL quarterbacks, but Eli has been better while coaching in Pro Bowl challenges. Of course, both guys missed a 25-yard field goal and then Peyton doinked his 20-yard attempt off the right upright before Eli recovered to nail his clincher.
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Super Bowl guests love a great party game. Our ultimate prop sheet delivers the fun
Connections: Sports Edition has officially launched for sports fans worldwide. If you love sports and you love puzzles, then this is the game for you.
Our own Mark Cooper can teach you how to play. The goal: Find four words that are equal, like-minded, together ... "connected," even.
Exactly how hard (or easy?) is Connections: Sports Edition? We asked Atlanta Falcons running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to give it a go.
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Below is The Athletic 's top five Super Bowl halftime shows of all time, compiled by The Athletic 's Levi Weaver: Prince (2007) Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem (2022) U2 (2002) Beyonce, Destiny's Child (2013) Michael Jackson (1993)
Will Kendrick Lamar crack the top five after tonight's performance?
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Kendrick Lamar's best-selling album of his career to date is DAMN. Released in 2017, DAMN has several notable songs, including "Humble" and "DNA."
The album sold over a million copies in the U.S. and in 2017, it was the best-selling album of the year. It will be interesting to see if Lamar performs any songs from that album tonight.
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Many music fans consider Kendrick Lamar's first massive success to be Good Kid, M.A.A.D City in 2012. It remains the hip-hop album to spend the most number of weeks on the Billboard 200 in the genre's history.
But Lamar's first studio album released a year earlier in 2011 called Section.80. The album had positive reviews from critics but didn't get widespread acclaim compared to his future releases. It sold approximately 130,000 copies in the U.S.
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While Swift has not explained this explicitly, the most likely answer is: She's busy! For years, Swift reportedly declined a Halftime Show spot because in 2013, she began a long-term partnership with Diet Coke, a rival of the former Halftime Show sponsor, Pepsi. (Swift's Diet Coke partnership ended around 2019 and Apple Music became the Halftime Show sponsor in 2023.) TMZ reported that Swift was offered the gig when Apple Music took over, but that she declined in order to focus on re-recording her albums and completing the Eras Tour.
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It seems some of the "Taylor Swift effect" suspected in last year's ticket sales has worn off. This year's Super Bowl ticket sales are down compared to last year, and prices have decreased in the days leading up to the game. Gametime, a site for last-minute tickets, reported Friday that its lowest-priced tickets to get into the Caesars Superdome have fallen about 40 percent since a week ago. What's that "low' price? Still $3,500, including taxes and fees. But that's 60 percent lower than a similar ticket went days before Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas ($8,764).
Ticket reseller sites are seeing a bump in ticket sales from this "discount," with StubHub reporting a 12 percent increase in the number of tickets sold vs. last year, but a 16 percent decrease in per-ticket price.
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Taylor is in New Orleans! Swift was spotted in the city Friday night having dinner with Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Brittany Mahomes at French restaurant Lilette.
Unlike last year when Swift performed a concert in Tokyo the night before the Super Bowl (prompting our newsroom to whiteboard possible schedules and routes for her arrival in Las Vegas), her schedule in 2025 is comparatively wide open. She wrapped her 21-month-long Eras Tour on December 8, 2024, and appeared at the Grammys last Sunday, February 2. With all that behind her, Swift is in New Orleans to cheer on the Chiefs. The questions on fans' minds now are what she will wear, who she'll sit with, if she'll make a Halftime Show appearance or if she'll get engaged. We broke down why both of those latter questions are highly unlikely.
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Watch below what The Athletic 's Jake Ciely thinks is the No. 1 Super Bowl LIX commercial, which features Stella Artois and stars soccer sensation David Beckham.
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The Super Bowl LIX halftime show producer is Jesse Collins. Collins joined forces with Roc Nation during Super Bowl LV when The Weeknd performed in Tampa and has been at the helm for producing the halftime show ever since. Collins became the first Black executive producer of the Super Bowl halftime show.
Collins has produced several major television events in entertainment, from the Grammy and BET Awards to the CBS special "John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero." His company, Jesse Collins Entertainment, has blossomed into being one of the most successful video production companies in Hollywood.
"Jesse Collins is innovative, creative and one of the only executive producers that speak fluent 'artist vision.' He's a true artist,' said Roc Nation founder Jay-Z in a statement.
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Super Bowl halftime shows began with marching bands as the headlining acts. To get a bigger television audience, the halftime show went with more popular artists to perform in the 1990s, including Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder.
There was the rock era of halftime shows, with U2, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones and The Who as the most notable acts. Now, Roc Nation — an entertainment company founded by Jay-Z — picked the halftime show entertainment since 2019.
The first year of the Roc Nation halftime show was Shakira and Jennifer Lopez at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show. Roc Nation's influence paved the way for hip-hop to gain more visibility at the Super Bowl halftime show, with choices like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and now Kendrick Lamar for Super Bowl LIX.
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Per BetMGM, the over/under for songs performed during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show is 10.5.
Last year, Usher had 12 songs on his setlist. During Lamar's appearance with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and 50 Cent, the artists performed nine songs.
Lamar has a lot of hits to choose from.
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The first Super Bowl halftime show occurred during the inaugural Super Bowl I in 1967 featuring the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. The musical act was very different from what fans will see tonight with Kendrick Lamar.
The University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band and the Grambling State Marching Band were the performers for the first Super Bowl halftime show. For the first few Super Bowl halftime shows, marching bands were the headlining performers.
Grambling State holds the record with six halftime show appearances.
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Kendrick Lamar, similar to artists in the past, won't receive a massive paycheck for performing in the Super Bowl halftime show.
Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of communications, told Newsweek in 2022: 'The NFL covers all costs associated with the show and does pay the performers union scale. There is not an appearance fee, but the artists are indeed paid union scale.'
That 'union scale,' which is the minimum wage guaranteed by a union contract, figures to amount to more than $1,000 per day, according to People.
Although that amount is minor compared to what performers might earn for other shows, the league is still footing a big bill, as production costs can be steep. For example, the 13-minute show performed by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira in 2020 cost approximately $1 million dollars a minute, according to Reuters. The league also pays artists' travel expenses.
But if the performers are only paid union scale, why do they agree to the gig? Exposure is a major factor.
Artists who have performed at past Super Bowl halftime shows, such as Shakira, Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars, have seen boosts in either their music streams or sales, according to reports.
Let's see if Lamar experiences a similar trend.
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Why artists perform at the Super Bowl halftime show if they barely get paid
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On Sunday, get ready for the halftime crews to rapidly set the stage for what has become one of the most high-profile music performances of each year: Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show.
Lamar has had himself a year. Fresh off five Grammy Award wins for 'Not Like Us,' Lamar is a consummate showman with a keen eye for detail.
Can his show rank among the greatest of all time?
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Super Bowl halftime shows ranked: Prince, Beyoncé, U2 — and Kendrick Lamar on deck
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The NFL has confirmed a report from The Athletic 's Michael Silver that the league won't be stenciling an 'End Racism' message behind either end zone for Sunday's Super Bowl LIX matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
'End Racism' will be absent from Super Bowl LIX. In its place will be 'Choose Love.' According to Silver, this will be the first time the 'End Racism' slogan hasn't been featured at a Super Bowl since 2021.
What did our Steve Buckley think about the decision?
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As Super Bowl end zone messages go, 'Choose Love' is no 'End Racism'
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In the dusty, crinkling California sunlight during the early 2000s, on the Centennial High School campus in Compton, Calif., an upperclassman sold a bootleg CD to a younger, eager rap fan.
The seller? Arron Afflalo, who would become an All-American basketball player at UCLA and play 11 seasons in the NBA.
The buyer? Kendrick Duckworth, who would later be known to the world as Kendrick Lamar, a singular presence in hip-hop who will headline the Super Bowl LIX halftime show in New Orleans on Sunday.
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Before Kendrick Lamar eyed Super Bowl shows, Compton basketball was an inspiration
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New Orleans will host its 11th Super Bowl on Sunday ... but did you know the city also has a storied soccer history? The first documented mention of a soccer game in Louisiana is from Jan. 25, 1859.
But it is not in a local newspaper and pre-dates the era of radio or television. Instead, it was filed in a police report.
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Manchester United fans' survey results: Concerns about INEOS but players to blame for terrible season
We asked, and you answered. The Athletic would like to thank all of its subscribers who took part in our Manchester United end-of-season survey. Thousands of you contributed, creating an interesting temperature check on one of the world's most significant — and newsworthy — football clubs. After United's worst season of the Premier League era, we wanted to know how fans are feeling about life in and around Old Trafford. Here are the results… Talk of the Devils listeners may be familiar with 'The Andy Mitten Standard of Quality', whereby a good United season requires a top-four league finish and a piece of silverware. Erik ten Hag was the last manager to achieve the seal of approval, finishing third in the 2022-23 season and winning the League Cup. Advertisement The majority of United subscribers believe the minimum for a successful 2025-26 would be Ruben Amorim's team qualifying for the Europa League — a position best secured with a sixth-place league finish, but which can be achieved through winning a domestic trophy. Thirty-six per cent of survey takers would like Amorim's men to do one better, saying that Champions League qualification counts as the minimum level of success. United finished 15th in the Premier League last season, 24 points off Newcastle United in fifth, the lowest Champions League spot. Amorim will be heartened to learn that The Athletic subscribers believe he might one day bring the Premier League title back to Old Trafford. Thirty-eight per cent of survey entrants have faith that the head coach may one day deliver the club's 21st title, while nearly 31.6 per cent believe him capable of turning the team into Champions League competitors. And 11.5 per cent of you believe Amorim's talent ceiling stops at Europa League competition, while 11.1 per cent of subscribers believe he might one day win a cup competition. 'Six months ago, after my first three games in charge with two victories and one draw, I said to you: 'The storm is coming'. Today, after this disastrous season, I want to tell you the good days are coming,' said Amorim following the final Premier League game of 2024-25. 'If there is one club in the world that has proven in the past that it can overcome any situation, any disaster, it is our club… It is Manchester United Football Club.' Apologies to Tyrell Malacia, who enjoyed a successful six-month loan at Dutch side PSV, but The Athletic wanted to know if United fans saw a future in three of their headline loanees from 2024-25. The answer was a resounding no: 64 per cent of respondents would prefer it if Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony pursued futures away from Old Trafford. Rashford is pursuing a move to Barcelona this summer. Following some impressive performances for Real Betis, Antony prefers to continue his career in La Liga. Only three per cent of respondents wanted Sancho to continue his United career. The 25-year-old will be returning to the club — however briefly — after an agreement could not be reached over personal terms with Chelsea to make his loan move permanent. The most straightforward question of our survey got our most straightforward answer: Bruno Fernandes was voted as United's most important player in our survey. The 30-year-old was awarded a litany of individual accolades for his performances this season. Fernandes won four consecutive Player of the Month awards between February and May in 2024-25 for United. He also won United's Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year (an award voted by those within the dressing room) prizes. This week, the captain explained he was happy to stay at Old Trafford, despite a lucrative offer to leave from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal. Fernandes is the rare, consistent shining light at United. Amorim and others will look to build around him in the summer. Outgoings will be a major point of conversation for the club this summer, and 38.5 per cent of survey respondents said they were most comfortable selling Rashford. Rasmus Hojlund endured a difficult second season at Old Trafford, leading to 21.4 per cent of subscribers being open to the striker being sold. Advertisement Amorim informed his players that he intends to remain at the club for next season following defeat in the Europa League final. He also told Alejandro Garnacho to find a new club in front of those assembled — 18.1 per cent of respondents would be open to selling the 20-year-old. Rashford and Garnacho's status as academy graduates means their potential sales would be registered as 'pure profit' in club accounts. There is more to United than on-field performance, and that was made clear by our survey. INEOS's 18 months in charge of footballing operations have seen several concerns raised about the club via fan protests and other means. In our survey, 45 per cent of respondents were concerned about the redundancies made under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his leadership group. United confirmed in February that they were set to make 150 to 200 redundancies as part of wider cost-cutting measures, following the 250 layoffs made the previous summer. It is understood that 450 members of staff have left since Ratcliffe completed his minority purchase in February 2024. Just over 19 per cent of participants expressed discomfort over INEOS's decision-making over head coaches: £21million ($28.4m) has been spent on renewing and dismissing Ten Hag, before hiring Amorim. Just over 15 per cent of you are concerned by INEOS's dealings in the transfer market. This summer will represent another opportunity for player trading, this time with Jason Wilcox operating as the club's director of football. And 14.8 per cent of you expressed 'Other' as your leading concern under INEOS. Please inform and elaborate on that topic through the comment section below, especially if the topic is ticket prices. There were split opinions over INEOS's running of the club within our survey, but the majority of answers voiced displeasure at INEOS's handling of Manchester United: 18.2 per cent of correspondents believe the minority investors to be performing at a five out of 10 level. A combined 62.9 per cent of respondents graded Ratcliffe and his executive group at a four out of 10 level or below. Advertisement A disappointing league campaign, defeat in the Europa League final will have played a role in INEOS's changed perspective in the public eye. Frustration over rising ticket prices, and the reception to the proposed new 100,000-seater stadium illustrate the difficult needle Ratcliffe and others are trying to thread. The Athletic's 2024-25 season review gave Amorim a three out of 10 grade for his 42 matches in charge. Our survey was a bit more charitable. Just over 24 per cent of respondents have the head coach a five out of 10 rating for his work from November to May. He strikes a confident and charismatic tone in press conferences and one-on-one interviews, but his adherence to a bespoke 3-4-3 tactical shape has caused frustration within some sections of the fanbase. Despite the low scoring, United fans would ideally like to give Amorim time to reshape the squad to his liking, rather than call for his immediate dismissal. Amorim himself will hope for a positive summer and start to 2025-26 to win any naysayers back onside. Nearly 50 per cent of subscribers believed the biggest issue affecting United came from player performance. One can look into how the current squad came to be and whether they are playing a style of football best suited for them. One can also look at the Premier League table and come to the much shorter conclusion that the team underperformed. Something that is reiterated by our final question. Close to 90 per cent of respondents believed the side performed 'way below expectations', with only 1.6 per cent believing United performed as expected. 'The reflection of the coach is the league,' said Amorim to TNT Sports following United's Europa League comeback victory over Lyon at Old Trafford. 'You can be good in European games, but your reflection as a team is the league. We are underperforming, but then you have to see the context. You can see that we lack a lot of characteristics in our team.' Advertisement Everyone involved in Manchester United will have to work hard to address the missing characteristics. One survey cannot encapsulate the totality of a club as huge as United, but the overall message from our respondents is clear: things need to improve. And quickly.
