Super Bowl 50: Grading The Weekend Festivities

No San Francisco 49ers or Oakland Raiders, but Bay Area entertainment got a boost this past week for hosting the NFL’s golden year of the Super Bowl, Number 50.

Santa Clara provided the San Francisco treat for the NFL this year with the league’s crown jewel — the Super Bowl. Being selected by the league to host the main event — the NFL Kickoff back in September — Levi’s Stadium got the season long party started and finished off the 2015 season by hosting the Super Bowl. To make the festivities great, San Jose, San Francisco, and Treasure Island all put in an effort to make the Super Bowl special.

Though blue and orange jerseys colored the streets, the red and black took over. The local Bay Area folks came to represent for the 49ers and Raiders. Super Bowl City, celebrities, concerts, and even the NBA flooded downtown San Francisco over the weekend leading up to the Broncos handling of the Carolina Panthers by a score of 24-10.

Head coach Gary Kubiak got his second Super Bowl victory with the same team — one as coach, one as player — and became the fourth coach in NFL history to win the Super Bowl in his first season with the team. The Panthers made their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, losing their first appearance to the New England Patriots back in 2003.

Going 15-1 and sweeping through the NFC playoffs, the Panthers earned their way to becoming the favorites by fanbases and the books in Las Vegas alike. However, the Broncos took the underdog role and put it into good use, sending the Panthers back to North Carolina empty-handed.

Being the big 5-0, did this Super Bowl become unique in its own way? Based on the festivities and the game itself, here is a look to whether Super Bowl 50 lived up to the hype and a premier moment for the sport.

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