Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church Praised for 'Flawless' Rendition of National Anthem | 22 Words

The biggest night in the sporting calendar is here once again. Today, The Kansas City Chiefs took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 55th annual Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida.

And the game has been kicked off in style with the national anthem sung by Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church... Keep scrolling to see the full performance.

The Super Bowl is finally here.

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The biggest date in the sporting calendar has rolled around for the 55th time.

And it's safe to say, we've come a long way since January 15, 1967.

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 The first-ever Super Bowl game kicked off in '67, though it was originally called the “AFL-NFL World Championship Game," which isn't quite as catchy, is it?

The annual championship game has become more than just a sporting spectacle...


Complete with celebrity-studded halftime shows, eye-wateringly expensive ad slots, and of course, some great football to go along with it - there's no doubt the Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events of the year.

The game was originally created as part of the merger agreement between the NFL and its rival, the American Football League (AFL).

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 Originally, the game took place in early to mid-January, but now it takes place on the first Sunday in February due to the current NFL schedule.

Currently, The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers have the most Super Bowl championship titles...

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 They hold a whopping 6 each.

The game continually dominates viewing figures.

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The Super Bowl frequently tops the ranks as the most-watched broadcast in the US - firmly cementing itself as America's most-watched game.

So much so...

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 That the 2015 game still holds the title as the most-watched US telecast of all time, with a staggering viewership of 114.4 million, according to CNN. 

And its record-breaking impact stretches across the Atlantic too.

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 The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched annual sporting events in the world, coming in second to the UEFA Champions League final.

Although, there's no doubt that the Super Bowl has become about much more than just the football.

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Of course, it's a long-anticipated day for football fanatics, but the annual event rakes in views from those who don't even care for the sport.

Let's start off with the commercials...

The event is known to be the host of some pretty wild advertisements. Of course, these companies spend millions of dollars securing their spot on the big screen in the hopes that every single dollar will pay off.

According to Sporting News, each slot averages at about $5.6 million, which was the average cost for last year's game too.

Throughout the night, expect to see between forty to fifty advertisements.

We also have the star-studded half time show.

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 What traditionally began as a college marching band has transformed into one of the biggest and sought after gigs in the world - with many of our favorite a-listers crossing their fingers that they'll land the job.

Popular artists began taking to the stage during the game's third decade...

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 With the likes of New Kids on the Block, Gloria Estefan, and Michael Jackson performing at the event - it soon became a tradition for high-profile acts to headline.

Fast forward to now, and several big names have taken to the stage.


The likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Prince have performed the lucrative gig.

But there's something that may surprise you about the halftime show...

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 Though expenses for the performers and their entourage are covered, the artists don't actually get paid an appearance fee.

There has only ever been one exception to this...

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 For the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show with Michael Jackson, the NFL and Frito-Lay agreed to make a donation and provide commercial time for Jackson's Heal the World Foundation. 

But given how many people watch the Super Bowl...

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 Artists see a huge spike in album sales and downloads. So, despite not being paid to appear, it's definitely worth it.

Last year, both Shakira and Jennifer Lopez saw lots of their singles make their way back into the charts after their amazing performance.

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In a matter of twelve minutes, the female powerhouses managed to get through twenty of their songs while also belly dancing, crowd surfing, knee sliding, pole dancing, and even drumming. Is there anything these women can't do?

​And this year, The Weeknd is hoping the same kind of success hits him.

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We've already heard all the rumors that the R'n'B artist is planning on singing everything live, which is a brave option in itself, but if anyone can pull it off, it'll be The Weeknd.

In an interview, the show's producer, Jesse Collins said this ahead of today's big game:

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"It's all happening in that stadium, in that moment," Collins told Entertainment Tonight. "We're not bouncing off to another stadium and then cutting in, like some people have had to do (before). We are fortunate enough in this situation that we are able to do a live, live show."

He continued:

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"It's gotta be about entertainment from a truthful perspective. Get away from the massive sets, all the hoopla, the flying this and that. And get to the core of what makes an artist special."

He also added this:

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"We started creating this thing back in September, and the message of it really worked out. The world worked out for the message that The Weeknd wants to communicate in this performance… It's definitely a very special show."

Special is definitely correct.

The big game hasn't even kicked off yet but things have already gotten extremely exciting... The Kansas City Chiefs are taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what is expected to be a heated game.

But let's talk about one moment in particular...

Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church's rendition of the national anthem has stolen our hearts.

Everyone can't help but talk about it...

Watch it below:

Stay tuned for more updates as the Super Bowl game officially begins...