Super Bowl in a Pandemic Will Be Different, But Familiar
2021-02-06
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1The 55th Super Bowl is Sunday.
2It is the championship game of the National Football League.
3While the American football game will look mostly the same for sports fans watching on television, many things will be different this year with the coronavirus health crisis.
4The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
5When the season started in September, people were not sure the Super Bowl would happen.
6Some games were delayed when players and coaches tested positive for the virus.
7One team, the Cleveland Browns, played an important game without their coach.
8Another team, the Denver Broncos, had to play without their most important players - the quarterbacks.
9But eventually, all the games were played.
10The Super Bowl will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida where the Buccaneers play their home games.
11It is the first time a team will play the Super Bowl in their own stadium.
12Normally, the game has about 65,000 fans in attendance.
13This year, only 25,000 are permitted to attend the game.
14The event will be an important test to see how well public health officials can manage a large event with people coming from all around the country.
15Allen Sills is the NFL's chief medical officer.
16He said the league will have tough policies to prevent fans from interacting with each other.
17Some will be healthcare workers who already received a vaccine for the coronavirus.
18But all will be required to wear masks, sit in small groups, and observe social distancing.
19On the field, the players do not have to wear masks.
20But when they are not in the game, they are supposed to keep their faces covered.
21In most years, players talk to reporters, hold training sessions and attend parties before the game.
22All of these events are either canceled or being held by video call.
23Even with the rules, a professor of public health from the nearby University of South Florida wondered if the Super Bowl would become an event that spreads the virus.
24Jay Wolfson told the Reuters News Agency the game is "a natural breeding ground for community spread."
25The game will have two great quarterbacks - one who is at the beginning of his career and one who is near the end.
26Patrick Mahomes is 25 years old. He has been the quarterback for Kansas City for three seasons.
27He helped the Chiefs win the Super Bowl last year.
28The quarterback from Tampa Bay is Tom Brady. He is 43.
29He played most of his career with the New England Patriots from the state of Massachusetts.
30During his time with the Patriots, Brady won six Super Bowls, more than any other quarterback in the game's history.
31This is his first season with Tampa Bay.
32Professional football is a sport played by men.
33But this year, one of the seven officials on the field who runs the game and makes sure players follow the rules will be a woman.
34She is Sarah Thomas. It is the first time a female official will be at the Super Bowl.
35In addition, there will be two women helping to coach the Tampa Bay team.
36They are Maral Javadifar and Lori Locust. Javadifar's mother grew up in Iran.
37Locust loved football as a girl growing up in Pennsylvania.
38Both women said they are aware that they are among the first in their profession to be in the Super Bowl.
39"But it's not anything that we kind of keep in the forefront of what we do on a daily basis," said Locust.
40Last year, Katie Sowers of the San Francisco 49ers became the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl.
41The game should be exciting. But the Super Bowl is also known for being an "event."
42People watch the game to see the halftime performance and new television commercials.
43The Canadian singer known as The Weeknd will perform for the 12-minute long halftime show.
44He said recently the show is designed to be fun for people watching on television, since there will not be as many people watching in person.
45The Super Bowl commercials are important for many companies that want to reach people.
46They cost about $5 million for just 30 seconds.
47This year, big companies like Budweiser and Pepsi are reducing their advertising during the game.
48Sometimes the Super Bowl ads try to be funny.
49But one analyst warned that it is risky to make a funny commercial during an international health crisis.
50Music star Dolly Parton will also be in one of the commercials.
51The country singer and songwriter was in the news last year after making a $1 million donation to fund research for a coronavirus vaccine.
52The Super Bowl starts at 23:30 UTC on Sunday.
53I'm Caty Weaver and I'm Dan Friedell
1The 55th Super Bowl is Sunday. 2It is the championship game of the National Football League. 3While the American football game will look mostly the same for sports fans watching on television, many things will be different this year with the coronavirus health crisis. 4The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 5When the season started in September, people were not sure the Super Bowl would happen. 6Some games were delayed when players and coaches tested positive for the virus. One team, the Cleveland Browns, played an important game without their coach. Another team, the Denver Broncos, had to play without their most important players - the quarterbacks. 7But eventually, all the games were played. 8A mostly empty stadium 9The Super Bowl will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida where the Buccaneers play their home games. It is the first time a team will play the Super Bowl in their own stadium. 10Normally, the game has about 65,000 fans in attendance. This year, only 25,000 are permitted to attend the game. 11The event will be an important test to see how well public health officials can manage a large event with people coming from all around the country. 12Allen Sills is the NFL's chief medical officer. He said the league will have tough policies to prevent fans from interacting with each other. 13Some will be healthcare workers who already received a vaccine for the coronavirus. But all will be required to wear masks, sit in small groups, and observe social distancing. 14On the field, the players do not have to wear masks. But when they are not in the game, they are supposed to keep their faces covered. 15In most years, players talk to reporters, hold training sessions and attend parties before the game. All of these events are either canceled or being held by video call. 16Even with the rules, a professor of public health from the nearby University of South Florida wondered if the Super Bowl would become an event that spreads the virus. 17Jay Wolfson told the Reuters News Agency the game is "a natural breeding ground for community spread." 18Famous quarterbacks 19The game will have two great quarterbacks - one who is at the beginning of his career and one who is near the end. 20Patrick Mahomes is 25 years old. He has been the quarterback for Kansas City for three seasons. He helped the Chiefs win the Super Bowl last year. 21The quarterback from Tampa Bay is Tom Brady. He is 43. He played most of his career with the New England Patriots from the state of Massachusetts. 22During his time with the Patriots, Brady won six Super Bowls, more than any other quarterback in the game's history. This is his first season with Tampa Bay. 23A number of firsts 24Professional football is a sport played by men. But this year, one of the seven officials on the field who runs the game and makes sure players follow the rules will be a woman. She is Sarah Thomas. It is the first time a female official will be at the Super Bowl. 25In addition, there will be two women helping to coach the Tampa Bay team. They are Maral Javadifar and Lori Locust. Javadifar's mother grew up in Iran. Locust loved football as a girl growing up in Pennsylvania. 26Both women said they are aware that they are among the first in their profession to be in the Super Bowl. 27"But it's not anything that we kind of keep in the forefront of what we do on a daily basis," said Locust. 28Last year, Katie Sowers of the San Francisco 49ers became the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl. 29More than just a game, an event 30The game should be exciting. But the Super Bowl is also known for being an "event." People watch the game to see the halftime performance and new television commercials. 31The Canadian singer known as The Weeknd will perform for the 12-minute long halftime show. He said recently the show is designed to be fun for people watching on television, since there will not be as many people watching in person. 32The Super Bowl commercials are important for many companies that want to reach people. They cost about $5 million for just 30 seconds. This year, big companies like Budweiser and Pepsi are reducing their advertising during the game. 33Sometimes the Super Bowl ads try to be funny. 34But one analyst warned that it is risky to make a funny commercial during an international health crisis. 35Music star Dolly Parton will also be in one of the commercials. The country singer and songwriter was in the news last year after making a $1 million donation to fund research for a coronavirus vaccine. 36The Super Bowl starts at 23:30 UTC on Sunday. 37I'm Caty Weaver and I'm Dan Friedell 38Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English based on reporting from the Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor. 39Will you pay attention to the Super Bowl this year? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. 40________________________________________________________________ 41Words in This Story 42coach- n. a person who teaches and trains an athlete or performer 43positive - n. showing the presence of a particular germ, condition, or substance 44stadium - n. a very large usually roofless building that has a large open area surrounded by many rows of seats and that is used for sports events, concerts, etc. 45mask - n. a covering for your face or for part of your face 46breeding ground- n. a place or situation that helps or allows something to grow, develop, etc. 47forefront- n. the most important part or position - usually singular 48commercial- n. an advertisement on radio or television