Sunday, February 7th saw the 50th installment of one of the greatest sporting events in the world. Silicon Valley was the stage for two teams with two very different quarterbacks, styles of play, and skillsets to go head to head for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. Ultimately the Denver Broncos were victorious. Before we head into the off-season and redirect our focus towards either the NBA, NHL, or any of the European soccer seasons, I’ll bring up some interesting stats about the Super Bowl, including some pertaining to this year’s event.

1. Expensive Commercials

Everyone’s entitled to their opinions about the Super Bowl commercials. Some were better than others, as is usually the case. But if you hated one, try not to tell that to the people who made and/or paid for them. A 30-second super bowl ad cost $5,000,000 this year. That’s about 100 times the average annual income in the United States. This is up $4,500,000 from the previous year. 10 years ago the price was half as much as it is now. Gotta love inflation.

2. If You Like It, Gotta Put a Ring On It

The ugly part of the Denver Bronco’s Super Bowl history is their five losses, which is more than any other team. Their fans won’t be focusing on that so much right now, because they are now tied with the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins. Meanwhile, the Patriots, Giants, and Packers have four Super Bowl wins, 49ers and Cowboys have five, and the Pittsburgh Steelers rest on the top of the pile with six Super Bowl rings.

Unfortunately for 13 NFL teams, they have yet to know what winning a Super Bowl feels like. The Carolina Panthers could’ve reduced that number to 12, but they came up short on Sunday. Every gray cloud, however, has a silver lining. One of them being that the Panthers are an expansion team. They entered the NFL in 1995 (if this team was a human, they’d be in college right now), while other teams like the Philadelphia Eagles have been around much longer with just as much success. Four teams haven’t even been to a Super Bowl: the Lions, Browns, Texans, and Jaguars.

3. Since I Already Referenced Her Song

Beyonce, along with Bruno Mars and Coldplay, performed during halftime. These three all-star artists combined in perfect sync to deliver a great performance. Each of them played some of their well-known favorites as well as some upcoming material. But what the performance will be most known for will be the messages and tributes. Like many other parts of the game, they paid respect to previous halftime performers, such as Michael Jackson and Katy Perry. The end of the performance had a message supporting love. This was also in solidarity with the gay rights movement. Beyonce’s performance was also a controversial nod to the Black Panthers. Some called it empowering while others called it threatening. For me, it was moving.

4. Controversy Spreads

Both musicians and athletes were centers of controversy this past weekend. Cam Newton’s decision to leave the post-game interview early was unusual. Former NFL player Bill Romanowski tweeted “You won’t last long in the NFL with that attitude, boy!” Many people's biggest criticisms have been linked to Newton’s usage of racist language. The use of the word “boy” in this sentence is similar to how white men would call black men boys regardless of age. The term would be used to belittle them. This kind of behavior is simply ugly and unnecessary.

Personally, while I believe what Newton did was wrong and showed some of his true colors as a sore loser, (which is possibly a byproduct of a 17-2 season; the feeling of losing was a rare one for the Panthers), he’s victim of a double standard. Peyton Manning was not necessarily the most gracious loser in Super Bowl 44 when Drew Brees led the New Orleans Saints to victory against the Indianapolis Colts. He stormed off the field and didn’t shake the opposing team’s hands. Manning’s actions didn’t generate that much uproar.

Also, when Newton said, “I’m on record as being a sore loser. I hate losing. You show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser," he was paraphrasing a quote from football legend, Vince Lombardi. This is the same Lombardi who the Super Bowl trophy was named after. Ultimately, Newton did show poor sportsmanship. But the bottom line is that he is definitely not the only poor sport, but people make a big deal about it because of his race.

5. The Fewest Yards

Not only were the Broncos outgained by over 100 yards, the Panthers had twice as many first down conversions, but they are the only team to have gained less than 200 yards (194) in the Super Bowl and gone on to win it. That’s definitely not a record the Broncos had their eyes on (if any) going into this game, but this stat is an important lesson for any aspiring athlete. Don’t be discouraged if one aspect of the game isn’t going as well as you would like. Having more shots in basketball, more hits in baseball, or more possession in soccer does not always mean that team wins. If you roll with the punches and still find a way to put more points on the board than the opposition, your win is just as deserved.

6. Shield vs. Sword

The Super Bowl history contains several match-ups between the number-one offense and the number-one defense in the league. In this case, the Carolina Panthers boasted the superior offensive arsenal while the Denver Broncos were loaded with defensive talent. So it’s a typical dilemma that comes up in every sport and several other realms ranging from chess to video games: Which one can you depend on more to win a game if you could only choose one? Obviously, both are important, but the saying, “Offense wins games but defense wins championships” carries more weight when you look at the history of the Super Bowl.

This game was no different. A majority of the match-ups between a number-one defense vs. a number-one offense has seen the defense’s team win the Lombardi trophy. That stat was further supported by this year’s result. From an entertainment point of view, higher numbers on the scoreboard are more attractive. But at the end of the day players like Brandon Marshall and DeMarcus Ware are getting decent paychecks and recognition while the fans are watching it all from home.

7. MVPs Past and Present

Before the game, all previous Super Bowl MVPs were honored. Remarkably, nearly all of them were still alive to this day. 50 years isn’t the longest time, but it was an interesting observation. This continued a Super Bowl tradition that repeats every 10 years. The most recent name to be added to that list was that of Linebacker Von Miller. His stats include two forced fumbles, six tackles, and 2.5 sacks. One of those forced fumbles effectively won the game for the Broncos. It only seems fitting that a member of the Broncos defense won MVP after this game and this season. Von Miller is a deserving recipient, and if he wasn’t already, he’ll certainly be a player other teams will fear from here on out.

8. A Super Bowl Ring to Rule Them All

While the Panthers have stars like Newton, Jonathan Stewart, Greg Olsen, and Luke Kuechly, many will be left to ponder what could’ve been and will have to live with a 17-2 yet Super Bowl-less season. The Broncos managed to redeem themselves from their 43-8 disastrous loss to the Seattle Seahawks two years ago and get the glory, this time, around. Demaryius Thomas, Louis Vasquez, and Peyton Manning played in both games and are relieved Super Bowl 50 had a different result. Other star players that helped the Broncos win along with MVP Von Miller include Brandon Marshall, DeMarcus Ware, Emmanuel Sanders, and Aqib Talib. I also can’t leave out T.J. Ward, who like myself, graduated from De La Salle High School.

And that's a wrap for football season. I’m sure the off-season will keep all teams busy as they try to go into the NFL draft in the best shape they can be in. Until then, you’ll still see me wearing Raiders Silver and Black.