Benedict Dwyer ’28 and Billy Brown PG’25 champion their preferred teams in the NFL Super Bowl.
It’s Super Bowl Sunday: Andover campus is buzzing with excitement about the upcoming game, students and faculty are ardently debating their game predictions, and as game-time approaches, dorm common rooms begin to crowd.
As a dedicated supporter of the Philadelphia Eagles, Dylan Anzel ’26 opted to watch the Super Bowl in his dorm room. He reflected on his support for the team and how it felt to support the Eagles away from home.
“I’m an Eagles fan, and I’ve been an Eagles fan my whole life… When I was really young, like six or seven, I finally understood what football was. I remember my dad watching Eagles games past my bedtime, and if they made a huge play, he’d yell from the other room, wake me up, and I’d go watch the rest of the game with him. That’s a core memory for me,” said Anzel.
He continued, “There was a lot of anticipation, especially in my dorm. Even people who weren’t at school were texting me about it. I even got messages from people I hadn’t talked to in a while… It gave people a reason to reconnect and talk about something.”
While most students were in support of the Eagles, for the rare Chiefs fan, the game’s outcome was a disappointment. An avid Chiefs supporter, Andrew Pizzi ’27 explained that because he was rooting for a different team on a campus of predominantly Eagles fans, it sparked debates among his friends.
Pizzi said, “I am the one Chiefs fan on this campus, and therefore, everybody is my opponent in this debate… It’s quite funny, [my friends] call me ‘the bandwagon.’ I’m quite well known as ‘the bandwagon.’ Not many of my friends believe that I’m a true Chiefs fan, but I am. I’m a true Chiefs fan. They call me the truest of Chiefs fans.”
“I’m quite happy [for Head of School Day] because we got to stay out a little later with other people. And then also not having the stress of a school day the next day was nice. Not having to worry about doing homework during the big game,” said Pizzi.
For Andover students who aren’t football fans, the halftime performance, which featured popular artists Kendrick Lamar and SZA, was still an attractive aspect of the event. Clare Dunbar ’28 recalled how the halftime performance was a highlight during the watch party in Chase dorm.
“During that halftime show, I know that people were just having a lot of fun. They would switch the song, and people would scream if it was their favorite song or one that they weren’t expecting or stuff like that… Everyone is excited to either watch the halftime show or just watch the game, and it’s a big event for everyone,” said Dunbar.
Zachary Yuan ʼ27, an international student who supports the Eagles, expanded on how the Super Bowl allows students to show team pride.
“I’ve seen a lot of people with Philly hoodies around campus. Because I’m in band, there are people who just start playing the “Fly Eagles Fly” song randomly during band, which was pretty fun. I’ve seen kids arguing in the corridors or in the den about the Super Bowl,” said Yuan.
Similarly, Paxton Auguste ʼ28 watched the Super Bowl in the common room of Taylor House alongside his dorm mates. He shared his opinions on how the halftime show itself has shifted the campus atmosphere and invited discussions among peers.
“There’s been a lot more talk about Kendrick Lamar, his halftime show, and breaking down his main message behind the show and who his target audience was. It connected back to the Kendrick Lamar and Drake conflict when he performed his diss track in front of a ton of people,” said Auguste.
He continued, “Even if you’re not really into football, people get excited for the game, they have watch parties, and just talk about it everywhere… The whole campus is more social and a bit more unified. Even if you’re not actively watching the game, it’s this experience that brings people together, and there’s a sense of community, whether you care about football or not.”
