It’s finally here!

Today is a day football fans and sports fans, in general, have been looking forward to all year!

It’s Super Bowl Sunday! And as a lifelong football fan and sports fan, I couldn’t be happier.

Now, that’s not to say I’m happy with the match-up. I’ll go on record as saying that, when the NFL playoffs began, one of the last match-ups I wanted to see was the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers. Beyond just being a repeat of Super Bowl LIII, these are two teams that most NFL fans outside their respective fanbases are sick of seeing in the playoffs.

I’ll also go on record as saying that I was rooting against these teams in every NFL playoff game this year. I would’ve much rather seen my local team, the Baltimore Ravens, make it to the Super Bowl. I also wouldn’t have minded seeing the Detroit Lions, the Buffalo Bills, or even the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl.

But in football, you don’t have much control over how games play out or how the ball bounces. Like it or not, the 49ers and the Chiefs played better than every team they faced. They made big plays when they needed to be made. They took advantage of their opponents’ mistakes. Hate the match-up all you want, but there’s no question that these two teams earned their right to play in Super Bowl LVIII.

At this point, I’m just hoping for a good, competitive game. That’s what we got last year when the Chiefs inched out a win over the Philadelphia Eagles. I hope we get something similar this year. It’s bound to be different, given the make-up of both teams. This Chiefs team is not the same offensive powerhouse they’ve been in years past, but they have shown that they can win defensive struggles while still putting up points. And the 49ers have what might be one of the deepest rosters, in terms of skill position, as well as one of the best coaching staffs in all off football.

On top of all that, this will be the first Super Bowl to ever take place in Las Vegas. For a city that didn’t have a single professional sports team six years ago, that’s quite a moment. And having been to Las Vegas, I expect there to be a party like no other before, during, and after the game. It is what Las Vegas does best and I hope it sets a good precedent for future Super Bowls.

While I wish I could join that party, I’m perfectly content with my yearly Super Bowl setup. Later this afternoon, I’ll start cooking a large batch of chicken wings. I’ll set a table up in front of my coach, load it with snacks and beer, and turn my surround-sound speaker system to watch the game. And when kickoff finally comes, I’ll be ready!

I don’t know who will win. So long as it’s a good game, I don’t really care. It’s the Super Bowl. It’s about more than the game. It’s the culmination of everything this past NFL season has been building towards. Having followed it since the preseason, I am so ready!