Super Bowl LX

This coming Monday morning PH time is the 60th edition of the Super Bowl.  The Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots battle for the Vince Lombardi trophy at the Levi s Stadium in Sta. Clara, California, home of the San Francisco 49 ers.  Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny will do the halftime show.

The first 35 Super Bowls were played in January before the NFL moved it to become a TV main event in the first week of February.

There is a coincidence in relation to Seattle s Super Bowl appearance, and we can either call it funny or perhaps providential.

In the 21st century, every time a new pope has been elected (2005, 2013, 2025), the Seahawks gets into the Super Bowl the following winter as the number seed.  The pattern has continued with Pope Leo XIV.

Here s the breakdown of the connection:

In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI was elected and the Seahawks played in Super Bowl XL the following year, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  In 2013, Pope Francis was elected and the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos in 2014.   Last year, Pope Leo XIV was elected, and Seattle is in the Super Bowl again.

The  divine  connection between the Vatican and the Seahawks is not a guarantee for victory as they won only one of the two previous Super Bowl appearances.

Pope Leo, being an American, could be a football fan and just might tune in to the Super Bowl this time than his predecessors.  Whether the game is watched in Rome or anywhere else in the world, this will be an interesting match as the Seahawks will try to avenge their loss against the Patriots, then led by Tom Brady, during the 2015 Super Bowl.

Several years from now, when a new pope will be elected, we ll know which team will be in the next Super Bowl.