2021 Super Bowl LV Highlights Date, Place, Odds, Tickets, Halftime Show
We’re a mere week and change away from the biggest game in all of professional sports in North America. Despite the risks and bumps that existed during the 2020-21 season, the NFL has to be absolutely ecstatic with the match-up between Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs.
It feels like the torch is being passed between Brady, who has been a mainstay in nearly every conference championship game since 9/11, to the newest face of the NFL in Patrick Mahomes. On top of that, it’s the first time in league history that a team will play at home in the Super Bowl with Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium hosting the 55th Super Bowl.
The city hosted the Super Bowl for the first time in 1984. The last time Tampa had the game in town was in 2008, when the Steelers beat the Cardinals in a thriller.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Super Bowl LV will host only 20% of Raymond James Stadium’s capacity. But the NFL is yet to send an official statement about how many fans will be in the stadium, but either way the home-field advantage will be muted thanks to whatever restrictions they agree upon.
What we know is the league won’t postpone or cancel the game. The regular season and the playoffs went according to the plan. The league expects to do the same with the biggest game of the year.
What Date Is The 2021 Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is always during the first Sunday of February. In 2021, the official date for Super Bowl LV is February 7th, and the kick-off will be at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.
CBS will broadcast this year’s game for the United States and ESPN Deportes for Spanish Language fans.
The CBS crew will have their top team with Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Tony Romo (analyst), Tracy Wolfson, Evan Washburn and Jay Feely (sideline reporters), and Gene Steratore (rules analyst).
Initially, NBC was supposed to broadcast the game under the current rotation, but they traded with CBS for Super Bowl LVI. NBC wanted to parlay the 2022 Winter Olympics with the Super Bowl. The network owns the U.S. broadcast rights to the Olympics.
Where Will Superbowl LV Take Place?
Super Bowl LV was originally scheduled to be in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium, home of the Rams and Chargers. Yet, because of construction delays, the NFL pulled the plug.
The league gave Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV and Los Angeles Super Bowl LVI.
It will be the fifth time that Tampa Bay will host the Super Bowl (and the third time for Raymond James Stadium). They also played two championships at the Tampa Bay community stadium.
In fact, at the Tampa Stadium, the Buffalo Bills lost to the NY Giants with a last-second field goal miss in Super Bowl XXV in 1991.. People remember the game as the “wide right” or the Scott Norwood game.
Super Bowl LV will also be the 16th time the game gets played in Florida. Just last season, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Will Fans Be Allowed at The Super Bowl?
The NFL is yet to send a statement saying how many fans will attend Super Bowl LV. At the start of the season, the league mentioned they expect around 20% of fans socially distanced.
Raymond James Stadium has a capacity of 65,618 seats. If the NFL allows 20-25% of the fans, that means there will be around 15,000 seated fans for the game.
Despite the global pandemic, the NFL will allow fan activities during the Super Bowl. For the first time, the Super Bowl Experience will be free.
The events will be entirely outdoors at Julian B. Lane Park, Curtis Hixon Park, and Technology Village. During the Super Bowl week activities, participants must sign a “health promise”, wear masks, and follow all social distancing guidelines.
The (in)famous press interviews will also be virtual this year.
Super Bowl Betting Odds
Back when there were four teams remaining, picking the Super Bowl LV winner was slightly easier than a month ago, but ended up being incorrect in terms of who was favored to make it from the NFC.
The oddsmakers listed the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs as the favorites in each conference at +210. If you bet $100 on either side, the payouts will be $210 plus the $100 invested.
The Buffalo Bills were +300 after beating Baltimore and Indianapolis in the first two rounds of the playoffs. And last but not least, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers paid +375 when they won the chip at their own stadium.
This guide provides the most trusted and reliable online sportsbooks for Superbowl Betting.
Super Bowl LV Halftime Show
The NFL announced in November that The Weeknd would oversee the halftime show. Abel Tesfaye, known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer.
The league hasn’t confirmed the National Anthem singer. However, whoever gets the gig will have a mountain to climb. Tampa is the place where Whitney Houston performed one of the best National Anthems during Super Bowl XXV.
How To Get Tickets For The Super Bowl
Ticketmaster.com is the NFL official partner to buy tickets for Super Bowl LV.
The Super Bowl ticket prices will vary depending on how many fans the NFL allows in the stadium and the demand.
Right now, the cheapest ticket for the Super Bowl is at $7,750, while the best seats are at $22,500.
The league’s official Super Bowl ticket site offers four packages. These are:
– Touchdown club ($7,750) —ticket, all-inclusive pregame hospitality, NFL alumni experience, upper-level seats.
– SB 55 Live ($8,500) —ticket, all-inclusive pregame hospitality, NFL alumni experience, end-zone seats.
– Champions ($10,000) —ticket, all-inclusive pregame hospitality, NFL alumni experience, premium sideline seats.
– At the 50 yard-line ($22.500 or more) —ticket, increased stadium access (postgame on the field), sideline seats.
Final Thoughts
Super Bowl LV will be an event like no other, none before it and hopefully none after it. In the middle of a global pandemic, the NFL achieved the impossible, putting together a season without a bubble and with just a few minor setbacks.
The league aims to have the same success with the Super Bowl in Tampa.
The Super Bowl is the third most-watched event globally, only behind the World Cup final and Champions League final. In 2021, the event will look slightly different than usual.
The stadium won’t be packed with fans, and it won’t have the same crazy environment you’d normally expect from a stadium watching it’s own team in the big game/not watching Kati Perry’s half-time show.
Regardless of the restrictions, this game feels like the best match-up for the league and especially for Vikings fans (who were worried about a Bills-Packers match-up). It should be a great game so stay tuned to VikingsTerritory and our sister-site, purplePTSD.com, for all of our Super Bowl coverage!