As the Super Bowl approaches, the usual end of season excitement has taken on a Kafkaesque strangeness over the color of its logo, and what it might mean for whoever will participate in the big game. At the time I started writing this, there were only two contests left: Baltimore Ravens v. Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers v. Detroit Lions. The current conspiracy theory calls these games in advance, as Ravens v. 49ers…
Now that we witnessed that prediction from near the beginning of the season almost come true... Many are asking, "how did we get here?"
In November of 2023, X user @NFL_memes shared what they considered evidence of a direct link between previous Super Bowl logo colors and the teams who competed in them. While a lot of marketing and merchandise is generated in advance of the championship, it is rarely to that degree, so the linkage does cause one to scratch their head.
In Super Bowls 56, 57, and 58, the logo colors each incorporated the colors of the teams who were squaring off, despite the fact that those teams hadn’t clinched their spots when the marketing team released them.
Logo Lore
The only Super Bowl to go without it’s own logo was the first one, won of course by the Green Bay Packers under legend Vince Lombardi 35 - 10. Between Super Bowl II, also won by the Packers, and XLIV the logo used for each year’s competition incorporated themes related to the host city, before switching to simply Roman numerals with the stadium’s shadow.
Super Bowl 50 in 2015 once again shook things up with a golden themed version of the Lombardi Trophy to celebrate the 50th anniversary, which was similar to the next few years’ focus on the trophy and numerals. Finally, we came back around to logos that reference the cities the games are played in.
Back to the Tea
That’s nice history and all, but what does it tell us? Mostly that, like most advertisements, the logo is modernized and changed every so often to keep it compelling to modern audiences. But to include an Illuminati style color coding right in our faces… That’s a bold move, Cotton. That would mean the NFL was predetermined. Scripted. Fake.
Early last year, X user @FearKyrie posted a picture alleging the Philadelphia Eagles would win Super Bowl LVII, only to see the Chiefs squeak by with 38-35. The League picked up this and other theories, using them as a joke before the start of our current season, but isn’t that exactly what one does? Deny, deny, deny, counter-accuse. Laugh it off, nothing to see here folks. Sus, as the youth say.
So, who is up for the final challenge, and who is pulling the strings? Who knows? The Packers are out, (typical when they mud stomp the Cowboys just to founder the next game), so I’ll just be there for the yucks. But I’ll also be looking for the gunman on the grassy knoll, just in case.