Something a little different for today’s blog as we take a look at the ‘Game Program’ for Super Bowl 54, taking place this evening in Miami, Florida, and featuring the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The program is one befitting one of the highest profile events in all of sport, coming in at a mammoth 290 pages. Even taking into account the 117 pages of advertising content, the publication still provides more than 170 pages of content. The program is available in two editions – a ‘stadium’ edition, which features a holographic cover design, retailing at $20, and a ‘national’ edition, which is slightly cheaper, at $17.99.
The content includes scouting reports on both teams. These cover nine pages each and feature analysis of the teams, profiles of the head coaches, and each franchise’s all-time post-season results – with 54 such games for the 49ers, compared to 31 for the Chiefs. There is also a page of rosters, line-ups, and stats for each of the two teams, as well as several full-page pictures of key team members.
‘Landmarks and Legacies’ looks back at key moments from the history of the NFL as the sport celebrates its 100th anniversary. There are a number of features about host city Miami and the wider South Florida community. These include a look at the 1972 Miami Dolphins team, which achieved a perfect season, winning every game on the road to a Super Bowl triumph. ‘Dawn of the Dynasties’ meanwhile examines the development of some of the most successful franchises in the NFL, focusing on the Steelers, 49ers, Cowboys, and Patriots. Neil Reynolds, a familiar face to UK TV audiences, contributes a column that looks at how the NFL is expanding its global fan base, including the success of the various London games each year.
‘Passing the Torch’ provides a recap of Super Bowls 1 to 53, with results, MVP details, and a brief write-up of each game. The 2019 season is reviewed in-depth across 27 pages, with full results, analysis, and detailed reports of the various play-off games. ‘Mission Complete’ looks at some of the NFL’s great names, including John Elway, Peyton Manning, and Rob Gronkowski, whose careers have ended with victory in the Super Bowl.
All these features and many more add up to a packed program, full of information and reading. Available in this country from various online sellers, this giant publication will no doubt prove an interesting collectable for UK based NFL fans.