"Man, it's so weird watching the Super Bowl on TV..." Massachusetts pouts on the living room sofa.
"It's honestly kinda refreshing." Maine hands her brother a plate of buffalo wings to snack on. "As much as I like the luxury suites and the loud atmosphere, watching the game at home is a nice change of pace."
"I guess. I still haven't forgiven the Dolphins for ruining everything," he grumbles.
She rolls her eyes playfully. "It's always Florida's fault."
He groans, "I'm going to miss the GOAT if he does decide to leave the Pats. It's not going to be the same without him."
"Cheer up, Mass. At least he got us six Super Bowl wins."
"Yeah. No one can take those away from us..." He cuddles his six Lombardy trophies.
☆☆☆☆☆
In a luxury suite at Hard Rock Stadium, Florida and her friends watch the Super Bowl Halftime show, enjoying the performance until the second half of the game resumes.
"That's my flag! That's my flag!" Puerto Rico hops up and down, full of pride and excitement.
"Do you know what she's saying? I don't know Spanish!" Kansas yells above the noise.
"Just know those hips don't lie! Woo! Go, Shakira!" Florida sways her hips to the music.
California and Missouri get some drinks at the bar while continuing to argue over football.
"No, I'm not a bandwagoner. I'm truly a 49ers fan. I've always rooted for them," California stubbornly maintains.
"What about last year then? I don't recall seeing you wear a 49ers jersey when they were the second-worst team that season. Oh, that's right. You were wearing a Rams jersey when they were actually good," Missouri points out.
"Oh my god! Why are you still hung up over the Rams? They were originally from Los Angeles."
"They were originally from Cleveland, but whatever. Though I'll miss having a football team in St. Louis, at least they won a Super Bowl during the twenty years they stayed in that city." She smirks.
She huffs, "Don't be too proud of yourself. The 49ers are going to get the job done and win the Super Bowl for me once they beat the cursed Chiefs."
"Cursed?"
California cackles, "Once the second half of the game starts, you'll see what I'm talking about."
~ Hetalia! ~
"3rd and 6, Mahomes throws a pass toward Hill— It's intercepted by 49ers cornerback Tarvarius Moore who returns it to the 49ers 20-yard line!" the announcer shouts in astonishment.
"Fuck!" Missouri and the rest of the Chiefs Kingdom have their hands clasp on the back of their necks, completely in disbelief of this second interception.
"Yeah! We got this in the bag!" California and the 49ers nation cheer and clap to what looks like the ultimate victory over the golden horizon.
Kansas frowns. "Is this the curse California was talking about?" she asks her neighbor.
"Of course not!" Missouri scoffs. "Curses aren't real."
"But this one is real!" California smiles confidently with a pointy nose. "It's called the Madden Curse. Any player to be featured on the video game cover of Madden will have shit happen to them. So, it isn't surprising, at least to me, Mahomes is performing like diarrhea right now."
"The Madden Curse is a fallacy," she insists.
"He suffered a sprained ankle and a knee injury during the regular season. That's proof the Madden Curse is real!"
"Injuries are typical in football!"
"Then, explain why he hasn't thrown three touchdowns already."
"This is his first Super Bowl. Of course, he's going to be cautious."
"He just threw two interceptions!"
"So, what? There's still time left for them to make a comeback."
"With the way they're playing now, there'll be no comeback which is fine by me," she titters. "Florida! Get the champagne ready! I'm about to redeem myself!" She gets up from her seat.
"Sit back down and watch!" Missouri yells at her. "Cursed or not, Mahomes is a talented quarterback who has been through this before. He'll prove to you, the 49ers, and the rest of this country this game isn't over yet."
She scoffs, "Whatever." She sits back down in her seat. "Go ahead and keep denying the Madden Curse. Either way, the 49ers are in the lead 20–10. They got this hands down!"
~ Hetalia! ~
"After review, the call still stands. Touchdown," the referee confirms.
"Yeah! Go, Chiefs!" Missouri and the rest of the Chiefs Kingdom loudly cheer; their team has taken the lead 24–20 in both their following drives.
"Fuuuck..." California and the rest of the 49ers are now the ones in a state of anxiety. With less than three minutes left on the game clock, the 49ers need to start scoring points in the fourth quarter if they want to win. California takes in a deep breath to calm her nerves. "That's okay. There's enough time for the 49ers to retake the lead."
Sadly for California and the rest of the 49ers fanbase, their team will only take the ball halfway down the field in their desperate drive and stop there. After three incomplete passes and a quarterback sack, the Chiefs get the ball back. With 1:33 left on the clock, the 49ers are rapidly losing hope for a comeback in their favor.
She subconsciously bites her fingernail. "Okay. The defense just needs to stop them. Then, there should be enough time for one more drive to score—"
"Williams breaks free from a tackle and takes off!" the announcer screams. "He's running. He's... Touchdown!"
"YEEEAAAAAH!" Missouri and the Chiefs Kingdom roar in excitement as the Chiefs extend their lead 31–20 after the kicker made the extra point.
California groans, "Fuuuck my life!"
"Seems like you're the one who's cursed," Missouri remarks smugly.
"No way!" She shakes her head. "There's, like, a minute left on the clock. The 49ers can score a touchdown and do an onside kick to get the ball back. Then, they can score another touchdown and—"
"Interception!" the announcer interrupts her argument. "The Chiefs get the ball and can run out the clock!"
California stares solemnly at the replay on the jumbo screen. "... I'm going to beat traffic." She gets up and quietly leaves the suite.
When the last second of the clock ticks to zero, the stadium erupts in cheers and red, white, and yellow confetti to the conclusion of the Super Bowl. Some of the fans—having waited fifty years for this moment—have finally got the chance to relive the excitement, shedding tears with their friends and family. At long last, the Chiefs are world champions!
"Finally! The Chiefs won the Super Bowl!" Missouri laughs.
Kansas smiles. "Yeah!" She offers to hug her.
But Missouri moves past her to hug Florida instead. "Thank you, Florida! You may suck at football, but I think you're the best!"
"Ay, don't sweat it. The Dolphins will always get your back," Florida chuckles with a blush.
"Ah... I see how it is..." Kansas awkwardly watches them hug it out.
"I should make a tweet about going to Disney World tomorrow." Missouri hums, scrolling through Twitter on her smartphone. "Let's see... What the?!" Her face turns sours. "It's MISSOURI, not Kansas, you stone-cold idiot president!" She furiously replies to the offensive tweet.
"I mean, there's also a Kansas City in my home..." Kansas mumbles.
"Shut up! That doesn't excuse him!"
~ Hetalia! ~
Hey, hey, daddy, get me a beer!
Hey, hey, mommy, hey, hey, mommy!
I cannot forget the taste of that
Gooey butter cake I ate before!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Hey, I'm Missouri!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Looking closely, that's the Earth!
Or maybe, that's the Earth?
I'm the Show-Me State!
Ah, with just a brushstroke,
A wonderful world can be seen!
Let's rock 'n' roll to the rhythm!
I'm Missouri!
☆☆☆☆☆
+ Super Bowl LIV (54) took place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on February 2, 2020. It was the final game of the NFL's 100th season, pitting the San Francisco 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs. As a watcher without affiliation to either team, in my opinion, it was a great competitive game to celebrate a hundred years of professional American football.
- During the Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs were down 20–10 in the middle of the fourth quarter. Some of the 49ers and their fans assumed the game was over. However, the Chiefs were quite familiar with this kind of situation. During the playoffs, the Chiefs made huge comebacks during a 24–0 deficit and a 17–7 deficit against the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans respectively. The Chiefs continued to play hard, turning their deficit into a comeback win with the final score of 31–20, putting an end to Kansas City's 50-year Super Bowl drought.
+ There's a running joke regarding the Chiefs' Super Bowl win, how it wouldn't be possible without the Miami Dolphins. Let me explain for those who aren't familiar with the situation:
- In Week 17, the last game of the regular season, the Chiefs held the third seed in the American Football Conference. Though they were secured for the postseason, they had to compete in the Wild Card game which sucks. However, the Chiefs could potentially move up to the second seed and not have to play the Wild Card game upon two conditions: They must win their Week 17 game which they did. And the New England Patriots, who held the second seed, must lose their Week 17 game.
- The Dolphins had more losses than wins during the 2019 regular season; they were considered one of the worst teams. A Week 17 win wouldn't grant them a playoff berth, so they had no reason to play their hardest, especially against a team with a better record. Yet, maybe out of pride or spite, the Dolphins miraculously beat the Patriots. Consequently, the Patriots moved down to the third seat and got knocked out of the playoffs with a loss in the Wild Card game against the Tennessee Titans. At the same time, the Chiefs moved up to the second seed, giving them two weeks of rest before beginning their journey to Super Bowl success. In summary, much of the football world was grateful for the Miami Dolphins prevented another Super Bowl with the Patriots.
+ On a final note, the last joke referred to a tweet made by Donald Trump who originally congratulated the Chiefs for making "the Great State of Kansas" proud on winning the Super Bowl. Most people knew the Kansas City Chiefs were based in Kansas City, Missouri. Even though Trump quickly corrected his tweet, he was still mocked on Twitter for his cluelessness.
~
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