The spirit of resilience was in the air at Super Bowl LIX, and I don’t just mean from the Kansas City Chiefs, who put up a decent fight against the Philadelphia Eagles, despite being met with deafening boos from Eagles fans from the moment they stepped onto the field at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome. Rather, strength, unity and resilience were some of the night’s biggest buzzwords, appearing in pre-game programming and those famous multi-million dollar ad spots during the big event. The pre-game show opened with a tribute to New Orleans, which is still reeling from the New Year's Day terrorist attack that killed 14 people and injured 57 others in the city’s French Quarter.
In a segment recorded a few days before the game, former Super Bowl champs Tom Brady and Michael Strahan strode along Bourbon Street, telling viewers that the city’s spirit would not be shattered. “The resilience of New Orleans is matched by the resolve of our country,” Brady said. “When tragedy strikes, we don't break — we come together, rise above and never let evil win.” Then, Lady Gaga appeared like an angel in white, seated at a piano to sing her “Top Gun: Maverick” hit “Hold My Hand” as a tribute to both New Orleans and Los Angeles, as both cities navigate their own harrowing catastrophes. Soon after, Brad Pitt introduced the game with a more word salad-y monologue that featured a compilation of historical moments of American perseverance. “Union is at the heart of this glorious, chaotic, exasperating experiment that is us,” Pitt said over clips of civil rights marches and NASA launches. Yeah, whatever that means.
