This Sunday February 11 will see one of the biggest soccer events in Africa when Nigeria and Ivory Coast face each other in the final game of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
And less than two hours after the end of the AFCON game, more than one third of the US population will watch the Kansas City Chiefs (The Chiefs) play the San Francisco Forty Niners (49ers) in the Super Bowl..
As we said in 2022, the Super Bowl is not just a sports event. It is a big occasion to party all over the United States. Friends, families or colleagues get together in homes and bars to drink and eat and watch the game. This year, Americans are expected to consume 1.45 billion chicken wings during the super bowl. Some fans tune in just to watch the commercials and the half time show. This year, there is a new attraction or distraction. Taylor Swift, a popstar is dating a player on the Chiefs.
An intriguing aspect of this year’s game will be performance of Brock Purdy, quarterback of the 49ers. He was not expected to succeed in the NFL but has captained his team to a game where he will be facing Patrick Mahomes, who has already won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs (NFL).
Africans who grew up outside the US need no introduction to soccer but may still struggle with American Football. But as we explained in that 2022 article, the game is less complicated than it appears.
The Key to understanding the Super Bowl is to focus on the Yellow Line
A football team’s entire effort is to keep advancing the ball past a yellow line until it can score. That line represents a 10-yard distance from the point where a team first gets the ball. The team must cross the yellow line in four or less attempts called “downs”. A first attempt is often called a 1st and ten (first attempt or down with 10 yards to go). Then 2nd, 3rd or 4th. A team that achieves the goal of covering the 10 yards in 4 or fewer attempts gets a fresh set of four downs to cover another 10 yards. In that case 1st and 10 starts all over again.
A team that keeps making first down after first down will score a goal. But it has to turn the ball over to the opponent if fails to make the 10 yards in four downs or less. In the same vein, a team that prevents its opponents from making first downs is more likely to win.
The yellow line is not actually on the field but is displayed on TV so that fans can identify where the first down mark is.
Unfortunately, for Africans, this Super Bowl features two teams with the fewest African players – exactly one active African on each team. The Chiefs started the season with three active African players — Derrick Nnadi, Charles Omenihu and Felix Anudike-Uzomah — but lost Nnadi and Omenihu to injury. The 49ers have had only one active African — George Odum –all season. He is expected to play on Sunday.
It is a pity that there are few Africans to follow this Sunday, but an understanding of the importance of that yellow line will make all the party food and drinks a lot more palatable
