By the time this issue is published, the Super Bowl will have already happened. But do we even have reason to care? Honestly, probably not.

Anyone who follows football has heard the theory that it’s scripted — that the NFL has a script for the whole season, down to who will end up winning the Super Bowl. For the past few years, it’s been the Chiefs. For the fourth consecutive season, at least one of the two colors of the Super Bowl logo (which is made almost a year before the game) have matched the colors of at least one of the teams that are playing. This year, the logo is red and green — exactly the colors of the Eagles and the Chiefs. 

The script theory has taken the internet by storm and has even gone as far as Roger Goodell — the commissioner of the NFL — commenting on it. Despite Goodell’s labeling of the script as a “ridiculous theory,” many fans are not convinced. The NFL itself even made a commercial playing into this idea, which did little to dissuade the theorists. Are all the NFL players actors? Clearly, the Chiefs’ offense is, given how much they frequent State Farm commercials. Perhaps the entire league is centered around the Chiefs winning, simply to promote State Farm’s “Bundle-Rooski”. 

The script theory may seem a bit far-fetched, but it’s hard to deny the calls made throughout the season in favor of the Chiefs. The amount of roughing the passer calls in favor of Patrick Mahomes has been at an all-time high. Are we losing the ruggedness of the NFL we once knew just to pad the image and stats of some of the league’s most popular players?

Terell Owens, one of the best wide receivers of all time, recently weighed in on the referee issue, saying that the amount of penalties that aren’t called for the Chiefs that are called for every other team is “unreal.” Owens said that he never would have thought the games were rigged, but the recent perceived bias towards the Chiefs have made him second-guess himself.

Conspiracy theories aside, the American population in general seems less excited for this year’s Super Bowl. Other teams, like the Bills and the Lions, are much more popular and entertaining to watch. The Bills and their Mafia have an inherent charm, and the grit of the Lions is unmatched. America has rallied around the loveable qualities of the league’s MVP Josh Allen, and it’s hard to attend a Michigan sporting event without hearing chants of “Ja-red Goff! Ja-red Goff!” The Chiefs and the Eagles do not have the same charisma or grit, which breeds the conditions for a Super Bowl that many people do not care about.

Not everything about the Super Bowl this year is disappointing, however. There’s an unwavering excitement for recent Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show featuring SZA, and the commercials are always unforgettable. It’s also a good occasion to socialize. Foodies flock to the kitchen to cook up their favorite dishes. Whether the game day party includes food like buffalo chicken dip, pizza or wings, and whether people watch for the game, the halftime show or just the ads, Americans know how to throw a Super Bowl party. 

And, although the teams may not be America’s favorites, the game is still predicted to be a close one — the Chiefs are expected to raise the Lombardi trophy, but at this point, Vegas is saying that they’re a close 1.5-point favorite. Only time will tell — and you, reading this, will know if the game was truly as disappointing as we expect it to be.