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AP Analysis: What to watch in Super Bowl featuring former Alabama players

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts speaks during an NFL football Super Bowl team availability, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Phoenix. The Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57 Sunday. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Matt York/AP
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AP
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts speaks during an NFL football Super Bowl team availability, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Phoenix. The Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57 Sunday. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Whether you’re a frothing at the mount football fan, or not, you may be tuning in for Sunday’s Super Bowl, with one of the teams featuring former Alabama players as starters. Associated Press analysis called “the conversation” lays out what to watch on Sunday. The Super Bowl – an annual celebration of advertising, calorific bar food, Roman numerals and occasional on-field action – is upon us, again.

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will take the field in Arizona before moments later trundling off for one of the many breaks that are a feature of football. The Eagles will be led by former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts, with former Tide players DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson as starters

The Associated Press’ analysis called “the conversation” calls this year’s Super Bowl a game of wounded warriors. A specific part of the anatomy of Kansas City star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been scrutinized in the weeks leader up to the Super Bowl--his right ankle. You see, despite Mahomes' being more handy with his hands than with his feet, he still needs to be able to move around with some dexterity to be effective – and Mahomes' mobility is a key aspect of his game. And on Jan. 21, 2023, the 27-year-old athlete awkwardly fell after a tackle and sprained his ankle.

But what exactly in an ankle sprain? The University of Pittsburgh's MaCalus V. Hogan, a surgeon who specializes in sports-related ankle injuries, explained that they occur when someone rolls an ankle joint, resulting in the stretching or tearing of ligaments that hold the ankle together.

The good news for Chiefs' fans? Hogan reckons their quarterback will be OK come gametime. Another issue may be the rise and pitfalls of sports gambling. A subplot of this year's Super Bowl advertising rush is the growing presence of betting companies like DraftKings and FanDuel.

It's only been five years since the Supreme Court opened up legalized sports betting across the states. Since then, "a whole industry has sprouted up that, for tens of millions of fans around the country, is now just part of the show," wrote Penn State's John Affleck. He added: "Betting's seamless integration into American sports – impossible to ignore even among fans who aren't wagering – represents a remarkable shift for an activity that was banned in much of the country only a few years ago."

The damage being done by the explosion of easy-to-bet apps and websites is only just being understood. Lia Nower, director of The Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University, has been tasked by New Jersey to evaluate the impact of sports gambling by interviewing gamblers and analyzing every bet placed online in the state since 2018.

She reported that "those wagering on sports in New Jersey were more likely than others who gamble to have high rates of problem gambling and problems with drugs or alcohol, and to experience mental health problems like anxiety and depression. Most alarming, findings suggest that about 14% of sports bettors reported thoughts of suicide, and 10% said they had made a suicide attempt."

Another point the AP is making--It really is time to drop the 'chop'

Kansas City fans inside the State Farm Stadium in Glendale during the Super Bowl might at various points during the game engage in what is known as the "tomahawk chop." Outside the stadium, Native Americans intend to protest. What they want – along with an end to that offensive gesture – is a new name for the franchise. Such re-branding is not, of course, unheard of. Washington's NFL team dropped its racist moniker in 2020. And last year, the Cleveland Indians changed its name to the Guardians.

Pat Duggins is news director for Alabama Public Radio.
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