SPORTS

Tom Brady redemption, Lady Gaga show: What to watch for during Super Bowl LI

Kiran Dhillon
Published Saturday, February 4, 2017 7:27AM EST Last Updated Sunday, February 5, 2017 8:55AM EST

The Lombardi Trophy is raised during celebrations after the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII football game Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Seahawks won 43-8. (AP / Paul Sancya)

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The Super Bowl is arguably one of the biggest television and pop culture events of the year.

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This year is no different. Football fans around the world will be watching to see if Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will roll over Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons to take home their fifth Super Bowl win.

The @Patriots are heading to the Championship game for the ninth time, a record for any team, while the @AtlantaFalcons will head to the game for the second time.

And then there were two.#NFLPlayoffs #SB51 pic.twitter.com/YGSWKsC3ig
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2017

Football fans around the world will no doubt watch the match-up, but for those of us who aren’t the biggest football buffs, don’t worry.There’ll still be plenty of action, regardless whether you understand the rules of the game.

Here are some key things to watch for:

TOM BRADY

After a humiliating ‘deflategate’ controversy where Brady was suspended for four games for allegedly deflating footballs during the 2015 AFC Championship game, the big time star will be eager to redeem himself by bringing the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to New England.

Tom Brady

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady takes questions from members of the media during a news conference before a scheduled NFL football training camp practice Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In fact, if he wins, Brady will take home his fifth Super Bowl ring. If he does that, he’ll make history as the quarterback with the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history.

Kate McKenna with TSN said Brady might be saying he’s moved on from deflategate, but she’s “not buying it. He’s a competitor.”

“How much do you think he would love to take that trophy from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at the end of the game?” said McKenna.

And it seems Canadians are interested in seeing if Brady will recover from the scandal as well.

According to Google, search interest in Brady far exceeds that of Atlanta Falcon’s quarterback Matt Ryan.

Here are just some of the things Canadians are searching about when it comes to Brady.

How many Super Bowls has Tom Brady won?
Where does Tom Brady live?
Who is Tom Brady married to?
How old is Tom Brady?
How many times has Tom Brady been to the Super Bowl?

Aaron Brindle with Google Canada says the searches make sense: “When you have that kind of person who has managed to be the top performing quarterback for a decade, you generate questions.”

It’s a similar story on Twitter where Brady is the clear leader when it comes to mentions and tweets.

Twitter 1

DON’T COUNT OUT THE FALCONS

While it may seem with all their experience that the Patriots have the game in the bag, many would argue otherwise.

“(The Falcons) have won the last six games going in,” said McKenna. “Matt Ryan, their quarterback, 'Matty Ice' as he is known, is on fire this season. He’s a favourite to win MVP this year. And this will be a classic matchup of offensive versus defence. The Patriots have the best defence in the league; the Falcons have the best offence. There’s that saying that offence sells tickets, defence wins championships so that will be put to the test this weekend.”

McKenna also points out there’s that new study saying the Patriots are the most disliked franchise in the NFL.

TRUMP FACTOR

“I think there’s jealousy. This is a bit of a sports dynasty and I also think, this year in particular, there’s a lot of talk about how the Patriot’s coach Bill Belichick, owner Robert Kraft and Tom Brady are all friends with Donald Trump,” said McKenna. “And they are getting a lot of flak for that and they’re dodging questions surrounding this Super Bowl and their political stances.”

Still, it may seem to be a case of love and hate. According to Google and Twitter, interest in the @Patriots far surpasses the @Falcons online.

Brindle with Google Canada explains: “Google search history is not a popularity contest. It is a reflection of curiosity, reflection of a news moment. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots generate news.”

Twitter New England Patriots versus the Atlanta

LADY GAGA

@LadyGaga is headlining this year’s halftime show and there’s been no shortage of interest so far in the superstar performer.

Brindle says the Google search interest in Gaga is in line with interest in Tom Brady.

Trending Questions on Lady Gaga in Canada in the last 7 days

How much is Lady Gaga getting paid to perform?
Who is performing with Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl?
Which songs will Lady Gaga sing at the Super Bowl?
What nationality is Lady Gaga?
Where did Lady Gaga get her name from?

Another artist to follow ahead of the big game is country superstar Luke Bryan @LukeBryanOnline.

Bryan is on the schedule to belt out the national anthem in Houston on Sunday.

EVERYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE GAME TIME

Now that you know what to watch for during the game, here’s everything else you need to know before the game starts, including who to follow and the big social media moments of this NFL season.

To jump on the Super Bowl bandwagon, make sure to have your hashtags ready. The official ones this year are #SuperBowl and #SB51. In fact, #SuperBowl has already been trending for much of the week.

WHO TO FOLLOW:

ATLANTA

Matt Ryan (@M_Ryan02)

Julio Jones (@juliojones_11),

Vic Beasley (@VicBeasley3)

Falcons Head Coach Dan Quinn @FalconsDQ.

NEW ENGLAND

Martellus Bennett (@MartysaurusRex)

Legarrette Blount (@LG_Blount)

Rob Ninkovich (@ninko50).

WHAT CANADIANS HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR ON GOOGLE:

Trending Super Bowl Questions in Canada in 2017