One of the most common traditions in American culture is to look for alternative explanations to important or popular situations. This is the origin of conspiracy theories, which often create intricate networks to try to decipher an alternative answer to some event or phenomenon, whose rational or official explanation does not satisfy them. The clearest example is the infinity of hypotheses that tried to reveal that Elvis did not die when the news officially broke
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But in the world of sports, there are countless such theories, which claim that a group with powerful interests has set up a complicated scheme so that at the end of the season, the champion is the team that would suit them best. In recent years, the Super Bowl itself has been surrounded by a large number of theories and supposed and strange clues, which reveal these strange stories.
Even the players themselves have joined this trend of looking beyond the obvious: former Baltimore Ravens linebacker himself claims that the blackout in Super Bowl XLVII was part of a grand plan to prevent the game from being a blowout in favor of his team, against a San Francisco 49ers team that almost came back to win the game
Beyonce appeared in the halftime show of that game showing what some interpreted as a sign of the ‘Illuminati’, the supposed dark group that supposedly dominates the world
Three years later, a theory emerged that the Seattle Seahawks avoided giving Marshawn Lynch the game-winning carry in Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots. According to them, this caused Russell Wilson to attempt a fourth-and-goal pass with the clock expiring, which was intercepted in the end zone to end the game
Last year, a supposed quarter-by-quarter result of the Super Bowl went viral, in which the Eagles supposedly defeated the Chiefs 37-34. Philly didn’t even make it to this stage and the Chiefs became two-time champions
The most recent conspiracy theories for the Super Bowl
Last year, one of the most recurrent theories had to do with the supposedly manipulated presence of singer Taylor Swift, girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, as a marketing strategy to attract female audiences and followers of the singer, who are not fans of the NFL.
How can the NFL’s most high-profile romance of 2023 be manipulated? This theory emerged early in the season and had its origins in Swift’s long-standing love for the Eagles, having lived in Philadelphia for several years
With this background, when Swift began dating Travis Kelce, the theory arose that she was doing it to distract Kelce, sabotage the Chiefs and pave the way for the Eagles to win the title. The theory failed, when the Birds fell apart and could not even get past the Wild Card Round.
The Super Bowl logo theory
This theory points out that the designer of the logo for the final game for the following year has included, in recent seasons, the colors of the teams that will be contenders and even who will win, according to the most dominant color. For example: In the Super Bowl LVI logo, the colors yellow (Rams) and orange (Bengals) appear. In Super Bowl LVII, green (Eagles) and red (Chiefs) appear, and last year in Super Bowl LVIII, purple and red appear, referring to Ravens and 49ers, although Baltimore stayed in the AFC Championship against the Chiefs
While for the current edition, red appears again, a supposed allusion to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, regardless of the fact that they have dominated the AFC by reaching the Super Bowl in five of the last six seasons. The logo also has green colors, a supposed allusion to the Packers and Eagles, after Seattle did not qualify for the playoffs
The theory that referees will manipulate the result in favor of the Chiefs
Another of the easiest theories is that everything is ironed out by the NFL so that the Chiefs remain champions, despite any circumstances and that, for this, the referees will ensure that nothing strange happens
For this reason, fans and analysts point to the appointment of referees and question each controversial play, pointing out that there is a tendency to protect Patrick Mahomes.
