Superbowl - The True Cost

On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Rams scored a late touchdown to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl 56.

The Bengals looked set to win their first Super Bowl, but the Rams' star-studded roster produced when it mattered most, with quarterback Matthew Stafford leading a game-winning 15-play drive.

With just one minute 25 seconds left, Cooper Kupp scored his second touchdown to give the Rams a second NFL title.

The Pepsi-sponsored half time show, meanwhile, was similarly glamorous. With five joint headliners, the question hanging over 2022's hip-hop half-time show was how to do justice to the stars' sizeable back catalogues.

But Dr Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar struck the perfect balance between packing in as many monster hits as possible, while also giving each one - and each other - time to breathe.

And as if five headliners weren't enough, 50 Cent made his Super Bowl debut by hanging upside down, a recreation of his most famous music video for his most famous song, In Da Club.

Victory also vindicated the Rams’ decision to return to Los Angeles from St Louis six years ago, but as the eyes of the world descended upon the $3.7bn SoFi Stadium the real cost added up.

According to SeatGeek, the average ticket price on Sunday morning was $8,475. The cheapest ticket price, meanwhile, was $4,114 — while the most expensive ticket sold was $33,730.

Eye watering prices, but the big figures don’t end there. 

NBC — which is broadcasting this year's game in the US — announced last week that it is sold out of Super Bowl ads, with multiple 30 second spots having sold for a record $7 million each.

Over 110 million people worldwide watched the event, so the ROI is clearly possible, but American sport’s main event remains a spectacle far removed from reality. 

Insuring a Winter Olympics 

The Winter Olympics are back on our screens, and it’s a delight to see sports so often underrepresented in the UK once again. Curling, speed skating and ice hockey are taking up key column inches across the back pages, and we’re all becoming experts in triple axel finishes.

But what does it take to insure a Winter Olympics?

We wrote a detailed piece last summer during Tokyo, taking an in-depth look at what goes into the nuances of insuring athletes and team alike during an Olympic Games.

You can find that here.

Now, imagine everything we mentioned in that piece, and add to it highly developed skis and snowboards, immensely heavy curling stones, and dangerously sharp skating blades. 

No mean feat...

Trippier Trips Up

Wrapping up this week, we take a look at an unfortunate incident with Keiran Trippier.

Signed by nouveau riche Newcastle United from Atletico Madrid in January, the England international has made an immediate impact on Tyneside. He’s scored two direct free kicks for the Magpies and has lifted them away from the relegation zone, taking over the team captaincy and looking like a leader within the side.

That was until, just a few games into his Newcastle career, he suffered a fractured foot. He now looks set for an extended spell on the sidelines. 

With each and every transfer at the top level, players go through stringent medical checks to ensure no underlying health conditions might hamper the signings success…

…but it’s a reminder that sometimes, the unexpected accidental injuries, cannot be avoided.