The Super Bowl has become, to the disappointment of some, more of a popularity contest than a sporting event.

The Super Bowl this year featured the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers. For sports fans, as well as players and coaches, this game is the epitome of truly great football. But the game also features immense numbers of celebrities, million dollar advertisements, and dramatic pre-game and halftime performances, all of which diminish the authenticity of the actual game. Even for the fans, the steep minimum ticket price, according to Pro Football Network, of $2,000, meant only a select few were willing or could even afford to attend.

The outrageous cost of everything in the Super Bowl has made the event a luxury experience. With the introduction of resellers, prices for most tickets were around $9,365 according to USA Today. Concessions at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas were steep; a beer cost around $16 and their signature beef ribs went for $38. But craziest of all was the $7 million price tag on a 30-second advertisement.

And, of course, the game took a backseat to one important fan. With the inclusion of the Kansas City Chiefs came the drama and appearance of Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. This year, the camera operators frequently cut to the stands, where Swift, along with Blake Lively, Ice Spice, Travis Kelce’s family, and other celebrities watched the game while we watched them.

Senior Weston Reardon feels like this year’s Super Bowl had a different tone than previous years.

“Seeing celebrities during every timeout, and hearing about their lives outside, took away from the actual football game itself,” he said. “I think it’s still seen as a sporting event, but this year specifically it was more celebrity promotion than usual because of the whole Taylor Swift situation.”

Senior Anna Sawyer is a huge Taylor Swift fan, but feels like there has been too much of a spotlight on her.

“I don’t like seeing PDA (public displays of affection), especially broadcast on television,” she said. “I can tell they are in love but I don’t like how football has been revolved around her these past few weeks.”

As a diehard football fan, Logan Cherewatti doesn’t like the direction the Super Bowl is headed.

“At this point the Super Bowl is an event exclusively for the wealthy,” he said. “The atmosphere in the Super Bowl is constantly criticized because true die hard fans can’t justify spending $10 thousand on a ticket. It’s a social event, and I don’t see that changing.”

“This recent Super Bowl has shown that no matter what they charge for the game, people will pay it,” he added. “It will continue to increase in price, year after year, and the common diehard fan will continue to be tossed aside in favor of the businessman.”

Other football fans like, Roanha Chalmers chose not to watch the Super Bowl simply because of Taylor Swift’s appearance.

“Her music is overrated and her fans are annoying,” she said, harshly. “And I don’t care to see her face every time something happens with Travis Kelce.”