Super Bowl 52: What to Know, Where to Watch

Student Activities is hosting a Super Bowl viewing party open to all BU students in the GSU Metcalf Ballroom on Sunday starting at 6 pm.

• Free Super Bowl viewing party at the GSU begins at 6 pm Sunday
• Kenmore Square and surrounding streets will close at the top of the third quarter
• No BU Shuttle (BUS) late night service Sunday

More than 110 million people across the country are expected to tune in Sunday night for Super Bowl LII. The annual National Football League championship game is the biggest sporting event of the year, and the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots return this year to take on the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis starting at 6:30 pm EST.

The Patriots have become to the Super Bowl what Meryl Streep is to the Oscars. This is their third trip to the championship game in the last four years, their tenth since the event began in 1967. They’ve earned five championships to date, and are tied for second-most wins with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers.

Patriots fans have suffered through a nail-biting season leading up to the big game, with star quarterback Tom Brady’s recent hand injury and tight end Rob Gronkowski’s concussion in the January 21 Jacksonville Jaguars game.

This year’s halftime show will be headlined by Grammy-winning musician and actor Justin Timberlake, his first Super Bowl spot since he appeared alongside Janet Jackson during her infamous wardrobe malfunction in 2004. With the release today of his latest album, Man of the Woods, fans can expect to hear a mix of new songs and older hits. The national anthem will be sung by pop singer and ardent Eagles fan Pink, who got her start singing on Philadelphia stages. Leslie Odom, Jr., who won a 2016 Tony for his star turn as Aaron Burr in the Broadway hit musical Hamilton, will sing “America the Beautiful.”

And of course, millions of viewers will be tuning in to catch the famous Super Bowl commercials. This year, a 30-second slot is priced at upwards of $5 million, and NBC, which is broadcasting the game live, expects that this Super Bowl Sunday will set a single-day ad revenue record of about $500 million.

Where to watch

If you aren’t among the lucky few to have snagged a Super Bowl ticket (prices went as high as $66,500), don’t worry. Student Activities is hosting a viewing party in the George Sherman Union Metcalf Ballroom starting at 6 pm Sunday, with free food, raffles for prizes like Patriots gear, tickets to an upcoming Trevor Noah appearance, and an Apple Watch. Best of all, it’s free for BU students with a BU ID and an Eventbrite ticket.

In addition, the West Residence Hall Council will be hosting a viewing party in the Rich Hall TV Lounge at 6:30 pm. The event is free for all BU students with residence hall access and will be catered by Raising Cane’s.

Meet up, enjoy, stay safe

“We’ve all gone at it hard the last two weeks—time to check in with friends, loved ones, and strangers too,” Kenneth Elmore (SED’87), associate provost and dean of students, wrote in a message sent to students Thursday. “Meet up; enjoy the spectacle of Super Bowl Sunday; root for your team; and, most importantly, stay safe.”

Kenmore Square will be shut down as a precautionary measure starting at the beginning of the third quarter and will remain closed to pedestrians, bicycles, and motor vehicle traffic until the game is over, just as it was during last year’s Patriots Super Bowl appearance. The MBTA will close the Kenmore Square T station during that time. Trolleys will continue to pass through the station, but riders will not be allowed to get on or off. All city bars will stop admitting patrons at the start of the third quarter as well.

Because of the Super Bowl game, a number of road will be closed Sunday night between 9 pm and 1 am and the BUS (BU Shuttle) late night service canceled. Commonwealth Avenue will be closed from the BU Bridge to Mass Ave in both directions and Beacon Street will be closed from Charlesgate to Kenmore Square. Bay State Road will remain open. Brookline Avenue will be closed from Beacon Street to Pilgrim Road, except for garages and parking lots with no exit to another public way. All vehicles exiting should turn south towards Park Drive. Boylston Street will be closed from Pilgrim Road to Westland Avenue, and Ipswich Street will be closed from Boylston Street at Hemenway to Boylston Street at Park Drive. Other street closings: Landsdowne Street from Brookline Avenue to Ipswich Street; Van Ness Street from Ipswich Street to Yawkey Way and from Yawkey Way to Kilmarnock Street; and Yawkey Way from Boylston Street to Van Ness Street. No vehicles will be permitted to park on streets which are to be closed during the time frames indicated.

Students living in Myles Standish Hall, 610 Beacon St., should take Bay State Road to Raleigh Street and then a left on Beacon Street to enter the building. BU Police Department (BUPD) officers will be assigned to the area to help facilitate comings and goings.

If you’re traveling through East Campus during this time, plan on using Bay State Road. Or avoid Kenmore Square altogether.

To safeguard the BU campus and the city of Boston during and after the Super Bowl, the BUPD and the Boston Police Department will have extra patrols on duty.

“We encourage everyone to celebrate responsibly and keep an eye on their friends,” says Kelly Nee, BUPD chief. “Don’t hesitate to call the BUPD if you need help.”

With that in mind, stay safe, enjoy the game, and go Patriots!

The Super Bowl viewing party in the GSU Metcalf Ballroom begins at 6 pm on Sunday, February 4, and lasts until the game ends. Food and refreshments will be served. The party is free and open to all BU students with an Eventbrite ticket.

The West Campus viewing party is in the Rich Hall TV Lounge starting at 6:30 pm. The event is open to all BU students with residence hall access.

Madeleine O’Keefe can be reached at mokeefe@bu.edu.