In July 2020, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed a contract extension with the team.
That doesn’t sound very exciting on its own, but Mahomes’ extension is the largest contract in
NFL
history. Worth over $500 million, it keeps him in Kansas City until the end of the 2031
season. Seeing
as, at the age of just 27, he’s already won a league MVP award and the Chiefs’ first Super Bowl in 50
years, it could still prove to be a bargain for Kansas City.
The most iconic and important date on the NFL calendar is Super Bowl Sunday. Not only is
the game itself
a sporting spectacle, but the commercials and halftime show have taken on lives of their own.
There have been many famous Super Bowl commercials over the years. These include Coca-Cola’s ‘Hey Kid, Catch’ which aired during Super Bowl XIV, featuring Pittsburgh Steelers defender ‘Mean Joe’ Greene, and Apple’s ‘1984’, which ran during Super Bowl XVIII, for their Macintosh computer referencing George Orwell’s book of the same name. The commercials became so popular, TV networks began to charge insane amounts of money for slots. During Super Bowl LVI, a 30-second advert cost $7 million.
In 2015, the Super Bowl halftime show was watched by 120 million people, so it’s fair to say it’s a big deal to the artists that perform. When they get it right, the halftime shows go down in history. Michael Jackson’s performance at Super Bowl XXVII and Prince’s at Super Bowl XLI have been lauded as the greatest the big game has ever seen.
There have been many famous Super Bowl commercials over the years. These include Coca-Cola’s ‘Hey Kid, Catch’ which aired during Super Bowl XIV, featuring Pittsburgh Steelers defender ‘Mean Joe’ Greene, and Apple’s ‘1984’, which ran during Super Bowl XVIII, for their Macintosh computer referencing George Orwell’s book of the same name. The commercials became so popular, TV networks began to charge insane amounts of money for slots. During Super Bowl LVI, a 30-second advert cost $7 million.
In 2015, the Super Bowl halftime show was watched by 120 million people, so it’s fair to say it’s a big deal to the artists that perform. When they get it right, the halftime shows go down in history. Michael Jackson’s performance at Super Bowl XXVII and Prince’s at Super Bowl XLI have been lauded as the greatest the big game has ever seen.
NFL GOES GLOBAL
When playing outside of America for the first time, the NFL initially only held games in England at Wembley Stadium and Twickenham, but that has all changed thanks to the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. As the stadium has the world’s first retractable and dividing pitch, and artificial NFL turf underneath, the league agreed to hold games in North London from 2019.
Speaking of Tottenham Hotspur, some owners of English football clubs also own NFL teams.
The Glazer
family, who own Manchester United, also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Los Angeles Rams are owned by
Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are owned by Shahid Khan, who owns Fulham. Khan
is also well known for attempting to buy Wembley Stadium in 2018 for £600 million.
FAMILY BUSINESS
People always say: “like father, like son.” And the NFL is no different, as several stars of
yesterday, and today, have generational links to the league.
The NFL’s first family of football is undoubtedly the Mannings. Archie Manning played quarterback for 14 years in the NFL, and two of his sons became NFL quarterbacks. Chances are you’ve heard of them. Eli beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl twice, and Peyton has two Super Bowl rings of his own - and an NFL record five league MVP awards.
Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long has two sons, Chris and Kyle, who also played in the trenches. Bruce Matthews played on the offensive line for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans for 19 seasons, and his son, Jake, followed in his footsteps and plays offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons. Bruce’s brother, Clay Jr., is a former NFL linebacker, and Clay Jr.’s son, Clay III, won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers. Fantasy Football hero, and San Francisco 49ers running back, Christian McCaffrey, is the son of three-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver, Ed McCaffrey.
The NFL’s first family of football is undoubtedly the Mannings. Archie Manning played quarterback for 14 years in the NFL, and two of his sons became NFL quarterbacks. Chances are you’ve heard of them. Eli beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl twice, and Peyton has two Super Bowl rings of his own - and an NFL record five league MVP awards.
Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long has two sons, Chris and Kyle, who also played in the trenches. Bruce Matthews played on the offensive line for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans for 19 seasons, and his son, Jake, followed in his footsteps and plays offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons. Bruce’s brother, Clay Jr., is a former NFL linebacker, and Clay Jr.’s son, Clay III, won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers. Fantasy Football hero, and San Francisco 49ers running back, Christian McCaffrey, is the son of three-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver, Ed McCaffrey.
People always say: “like father, like son.” And the NFL is no different, as several stars of
yesterday, and today, have generational links to the league.
The NFL’s first family of football is undoubtedly the Mannings. Archie Manning played quarterback for 14
years in the NFL, and two of his sons became NFL quarterbacks. Chances are you’ve heard of them. Eli
beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl twice, and Peyton has two Super Bowl rings of his own - and an NFL
record five league MVP awards.
Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long has two sons, Chris and Kyle, who also played in the trenches. Bruce Matthews played on the offensive line for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans for 19 seasons, and his son, Jake, followed in his footsteps and plays offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons. Bruce’s brother, Clay Jr., is a former NFL linebacker, and Clay Jr.’s son, Clay III, won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers. Fantasy Football hero, and Carolina Panthers running back, Christian McCaffrey, is the son of three-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver, Ed McCaffrey.
Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long has two sons, Chris and Kyle, who also played in the trenches. Bruce Matthews played on the offensive line for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans for 19 seasons, and his son, Jake, followed in his footsteps and plays offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons. Bruce’s brother, Clay Jr., is a former NFL linebacker, and Clay Jr.’s son, Clay III, won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers. Fantasy Football hero, and Carolina Panthers running back, Christian McCaffrey, is the son of three-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver, Ed McCaffrey.
THE TALENT
With the numerous specialised positions and gigantic rosters, it may seem like NFL players have
incredibly specific skill-sets. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders are two of the NFL’s more memorable examples of two-sport athletes. Jackson is the only athlete in history to be named as a Major League Baseball All-Star and to an NFL Pro Bowl. Sanders (nicknamed ‘Prime Time’, and for good reason) is the only athlete to play in both a World Series and a Super Bowl. Although he lost the World Series in 1992, he won two Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys.
The NFL and professional wrestling might seem more closely related. Mainly because both involve people knocking one another out. Rob Gronkowski has of course taken part in both sports, winning the WWE 24/7 Championship Belt in 2020 - even if Aaron Rodgers is the NFL player with the championship belt celebration.
Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders are two of the NFL’s more memorable examples of two-sport athletes. Jackson is the only athlete in history to be named as a Major League Baseball All-Star and to an NFL Pro Bowl. Sanders (nicknamed ‘Prime Time’, and for good reason) is the only athlete to play in both a World Series and a Super Bowl. Although he lost the World Series in 1992, he won two Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys.
The NFL and professional wrestling might seem more closely related. Mainly because both involve people knocking one another out. Rob Gronkowski has of course taken part in both sports, winning the WWE 24/7 Championship Belt in 2020 - even if Aaron Rodgers is the NFL player with the championship belt celebration.
With the numerous specialised positions and gigantic rosters, it may seem like NFL players have
incredibly specific skill-sets. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders are two of the NFL’s more memorable examples of two-sport athletes.
Jackson is the only athlete in history to be named as a Major League Baseball All-Star and to an NFL
Pro Bowl. Sanders (nicknamed ‘Prime Time’, and for good reason) is the only athlete to play
in both a World Series and a Super Bowl. Although he lost the World Series in 1992, he won two Super
Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys.
The NFL and professional wrestling might seem more closely related. Mainly because both involve people knocking one another out. Rob Gronkowski has of course taken part in both sports, winning the WWE 24/7 Championship Belt in 2020 - even if Aaron Rodgers is the NFL player with the championship belt celebration.
The NFL and professional wrestling might seem more closely related. Mainly because both involve people knocking one another out. Rob Gronkowski has of course taken part in both sports, winning the WWE 24/7 Championship Belt in 2020 - even if Aaron Rodgers is the NFL player with the championship belt celebration.
MADDEN
For the longest time, John Madden was best known as a Super Bowl-winning head
coach and legendary sports broadcaster. But in 1988, EA Sports released the video game
John Madden Football, and his legacy changed forever. A new Madden game is released every
year and is the NFL’s only officially licensed video game. It also became EA’s second sports franchise
(after FIFA) to sell more than 100 million copies. Madden has become so popular that the Madden 21 Club
Championship esports tournament offered a prize pool of $750,000.
For the longest time, John Madden was best known as a Super Bowl-winning head
coach and legendary sports broadcaster. But in 1988, EA Sports released the video game
John Madden Football, and his legacy changed forever. A new Madden game is released every
year and is the NFL’s only officially licensed
video game. It also became EA’s second sports franchise
(after FIFA) to sell more than 100 million copies. Madden has become so popular that the Madden 21 Club
Championship esports tournament offered a prize pool of $750,000.
.
