Super bowl: emotional showdown in new orleans
The emotion of the showdown for the most important sports trophy in the united states will give many goose bumps as the best teams of the national football league nfl and the two coaches john and jim harbaugh compete.
In the late summer of that year, tens of thousands of people in the city on the banks of the mississippi river desperately sought refuge from the floodwaters of hurricane katrina, which had inundated 80 percent of the city. The sports arena with the domed roof, the superdome, became an island of hope for many people, but was itself affected by the forces of nature. The repair cost more than 200 million dollars. "It’s nice to see the superdome back in such great shape," stresses baltimore coach john harbaugh.
In november 2011, he won the first duel against his 15-month-younger brother jim and his 49ers with a score of 16-6. This time, san francisco is the favorite. And from martina navratilova to future U.S. Secretary of state john kerry to donald trump or arnold schwarzenegger, quite a few celebrities from sports, shows and politics see the team in red and gold in front. Meanwhile, michael phelps gives the ravens the thumbs up. The 22-time olympic champion from baltimore tweeted immediately after landing in new orleans: "lets go ravens".
For another baltimore hero, ravens rookie ray lewis, the finals will mark the end of his 17-year nfl career, with a second championship title as the crowning achievement. The middle linebacker announced that he wanted to give his teammates everything he had one more time. "And after that i’ll ride off into the sunset and have a nice life."Lewis is the face of the club, a fan favorite thanks to his emotional and committed style of play.
But there are dark shadows in lewis’ career. Following a super bowl party, he was on 31. January 2000 involved in a stabbing with two friends outside a nightclub in atlanta – two people died. Blood evidence of a victim was recovered in his car and lewis was subsequently charged with two counts of murder. He got off with a preservation penalty.
The doping allegations that have now surfaced also spoil the picture. Lewis allegedly treated his torn triceps muscle at the start of the season with a banned deer antler extract, but vehemently denied it. "Never."
On the 49ers’ side, all eyes are on colin kaepernick. The quarterback is in his second NFL season, having started the season as a substitute. Now the 25-year-old is scheduled to play in the 19. NFL game of his career to add to the californians’ unblemished super bowl record. San francisco has won all of its five previous finals. Millions of americans still revel in quarterback joe montana’s four titles and steve young, who excelled in the 1995 victory. "It would be a great honor to be mentioned in the same breath as you," kaepernick says.
Before the shooting star is set to add another glorious chapter to NFL history, spectators in the stadium and in front of TV screens around the world will be reminded of another event, a horrific one. Pop star jennifer hudson will perform before the start of the game with students from sandy hook elementary school in newtown, where a rampage killer killed 20 children and six adults in december, according to u.S. Media reports. Your song: "america the beautiful".