The most-watched sporting event in the United States, the Super Bowl once again this year brought together hundreds of millions of viewers around the world. In France, although American football remains a niche sport, nearly 350,000 enthusiasts watched the match live from Sunday night to Monday.
In Nice, Touchdown fans gathered at the Hard Rock Cafe, where a special Super Bowl evening was organized for the third consecutive year.
Giant screens, all-you-can-eat buffet, cheerleaders, and of course, a few beers… American football fans had no trouble finding motivation to head to No. 5 Promenade des Anglais.
Alongside the players from the Nice Dolphins and their families, nearly 180 people gathered on the upper floor of a Hard Rock Cafe specially opened for the occasion. Invited to arrive from 10:30 PM, many came two hours before the match began, to get settled and gradually ramp up the excitement.
00:35, kickoff for the 50th Super Bowl occurred in an atmosphere of rare conviviality. With smiles on their faces and drinks in hand, everyone shared their predictions. In this highly anticipated duel between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers, the collective opinion widely favored the Panthers, who had been impressive throughout the season.
Quickly, this match showcased the defenders. Tackles, fumbles, interceptions… The team with the best defense would prevail, beautiful play be damned. However, that did not prevent the atmosphere from intensifying as the game progressed and the glasses were emptied.
2:30, the first half ended with a score of 13 to 7 for the Broncos, making way for the famous Half Time Show. A quarter-hour concert even more watched than the game itself. (Note: its peak audience this year exceeded 115 million viewers in the United States alone)
After Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz last year, it was Coldplay, Bruno Mars, and Beyoncé’s turn to delight the audience at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. This mid-Super Bowl performance is so beneficial to the artists (Note: more than 100% sales increase in the days following the event) that they all gladly agree to perform for free.
On the upper floor of the Hard Rock Cafe, the excitement was at its peak, nearing collective euphoria when the cheerleaders made their entrance for the last time that evening.
Standing on tables in their traditional sexy outfits, before the players returned to the field, guests had their own Half Time Show.
Once the performance ended, the excitement quickly subsided. The match resumed, but at 3 AM, fatigue began to seriously set in. The room emptied, and only the most motivated and passionate followed the match to the end.
The second half did not deliver a very exhilarating show, but it didn’t really matter anymore. As always with the Super Bowl, the real spectacle was outside the boundaries of the field, and this year in Nice as in Santa Clara, the show was a perfect success.
See you next year…
