Super Bowl LIX on Sunday night featured a star-studded lineup with A-list celebrities like Taylor Swift, Bradley Cooper, and Paul Rudd, which detracted from the viewing experience for Mike Francesa. After the game, he publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the celebrity focus surrounding the event.
During his postgame analysis of the Eagles’ victory over the Chiefs, Francesa lamented that the attention on celebrities leading up to the game “took away from the drama.” He remarked, “I understand the NFL is about access. But what they have done to this game… I’m not a wrestling fan, but I almost think they took a page out of the WWF. I need actors announcing the teams? That so much takes away from the drama and the feel football has as teams come out of the tunnel.”
Francesa criticized the necessity of having actors present, asking, “You need an actor because he’s an Eagles fan with his little kid there? Or Jon Hamm? How many actors did we need to hear from today before the game started? We’ve got Brad Pitt, we had guys announcing the teams, we’ve got (Tom) Cruise. Every time I turn around, there’s another actor. Are we going to hear from everyone in Hollywood before the game starts?” He also raised concerns about the game starting too late, noting, “This game tonight started at like ten-to seven. I mean, when does it end?”
Francesa further expressed his frustration with pregame interviews, specifically questioning the need for on-field interviews with players like Patrick Mahomes and Saquon Barkley right before the game. He stated, “Are you telling me we need to have interviews on the field with Mahomes and Barkley? After we’ve had interviews with them all week, what is left to say? The overkill in this game has gotten to the point where it is nauseating.”
While it may seem excessive to have celebrities like Bradley Cooper and Jon Hamm introducing their respective favorite teams as they emerged from the tunnel, Fox managed to minimize the celebrity spotlight once the game commenced—unlike last year’s Super Bowl on CBS. Notably, Taylor Swift was shown during this year’s Super Bowl for just seven seconds, a stark contrast from the 54 seconds she received in last year’s game, possibly due to Travis Kelce’s quiet performance and a lethargic Chiefs offense.
Francesa’s desire for less filler content seems to diverge from what many Super Bowl viewers may prefer before kickoff, a sentiment echoed by others. This opinion reflects a broader discussion on the balance between celebrity appearances and the game itself.
