The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ONCE again, members of the Bahamian sporting media were treated to a Super Bowl party at the Atlantis resort in a show of appreciation for their support of sporting activities held during the course of the year.

Katie Longley, director of public relations at Atlantis, should be commended for orchestrating the weekend extravaganza for the media.

“Atlantis is one of the main drivers of sports tourism in the country, hosting many sporting events ranging from its early season Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, The Atlantis Crown, AquaX, Big 3, Home Run Derby and now Spartan Race just to mention some of the larger events,” Longley said. “The sports get-away is Atlantis’ way of saying thank you and recognising the contributions and coverage given to these events during the year. It’s also an opportunity to converse about upcoming events.”

Longley, who interacted with the group during the weekend, said it is not often that sportscasters get an opportunity to all connect outside of work where they can talk and reflect on the industry. “Atlantis feels that the Super Bowl is the perfect event for reporters, sportscasters and sports photographers to get together in an environment where they can relax and talk about sports,” Longley continued. “They also get the opportunity to experience Atlantis and fully appreciate why Atlantis is such a great location for these events.”

The highlight of the weekend was the National Football League’s Super Bowl LVI, which produced a Hollywood ending with the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Los Angeles Rams pulling off a slim 23-20 victory over the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Cincinnati Bengals.

For me, it was a bitter-sweet victory as we watched from the confines of the Cove’s Sea Glass Lounge on one of the many big television screens and entertained by the hardworking staff.

I had predicted to my fellow journalists that Los Angeles would take care of their home court advantage and win by at least two touchdowns.

It started that way when the Rams got off to a 7-0 start, thanks to Matthew Stafford’s touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr in the first seven minutes. However, there were some concerns when Beckham Jr had to leave the game with an injury as Cincinnati started their comeback.

But Cooper Kupp stepped in and kept the pressure going with his TD pass from Stafford to lead 13-10 at the half and the much anticipated commercials and halftime show.

After witnessing what all of us agreed was probably the greatest half-time show, featuring Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, my favourite Mary J Blige, Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar, all of whom had one classic moment when they all performed on stage together, it was back to the final theatrics for the game.

While the Bengals took the spotlight in the third quarter to take a 20-17 lead into the final quarter, most valuable player Kupp, also the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year, produced one more TD that counted the most with just 1:25 on the clock to lift the Rams to the final score that was secured by a big defensive play by defensive end Aaron Donald.

In the end, Los Angeles, with its array of stars, hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy for just the second time in their history, the last coming in 1999 to go along with three other appearances in finals in 2018, 2001 and 1979.

Could this be an inspiration for Lakers’ forward LeBron James, who was among the star-studded line-up of celebrities, as he attempts to clinch his second National Basketball Association (NBA) title since 2020 for Los Angeles in June?

Only time will tell.

Hopefully, Longley and the crew at Atlantis can continue to provide the avenue for the