The Athletic’s Mike Silver on what it’s like to cover the Super Bowl

Unlike most of the media, Mike Silver won’t have to travel far to cover America’s biggest sporting event.

The Athletic’s Senior NFL Writer is a Northern California native, so going to the Super Bowl in Santa Clara will be a relatively short trip. Levi’s Stadium is less than two hours from his home.

Silver, a longtime NFL columnist, has plenty of experience. The Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots showdown will be his 31st Super Bowl that he has covered. He has seen surprising outcomes and been part of remarkable moments.

We recently caught up with Silver to discuss his history with the big game, partying with Uncle Luke, his most recent book, and his Super Bowl prediction.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Awful Announcing: How would you describe covering the Super Bowl?

Mike Silver: “It is a sprint and a marathon. I think sometimes fans or people on the outside have a misconception that, you know, the game is super important, obviously, and you cover the hell out of it. But it’s also a nine-day odyssey. It’s not only important for what you do journalistically, but it’s also the convention of pro football. There are incredible opportunities to meet people, renew acquaintances, and socialize with people who are kind of the lifeblood of our year-round reporting. It’s a blur, and it’s a mess. We’re working as we go. I always look forward to it because it can be really fun and fulfilling, but it’s exhausting.”

Is it fun because the game is on your home turf?

“I love it. I was born in Northern California. I’ve lived there since I was in college. On the one hand, I’m partial to the condensed, concentrated Super Bowls for logistical reasons, with New Orleans as the archetype. This is a harder Super Bowl because the teams are very far south, and the stadium is far south. And then San Francisco is the hub of everything else…

“For me, Super Bowl 50, 10 years ago, was a dream, just to have a Super Bowl in my home region. San Francisco showed out, and it was awesome. I got bummed that it’s going to take a while till we get another one. But it seems to be on the one-every-10-year track. So I’m going to try to savor this one.”

Do you have a funny Super Bowl story?

“Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami was between the Falcons and the Broncos. Early in the week, I went out to dinner with Ray Buchanan, a Falcons cornerback. I brought him into the Luke Records office, where Luther Campbell, the rap legend, had his office. I was very close with Luke, and Ray wanted to meet him. We sat there, and Ray said, ‘You know, media day is tomorrow. I really want to make a statement. I want to make a splash. Luke, you’re a showman. You got any ideas?’ Luke said, ‘What do you have in mind?’ Ray said, ‘Well, I want to wear a dog collar because we’re the underdogs.’

“Now it’s almost midnight at this point, and Luke liked the idea. And then Ray said, ‘How am I going to get one by tomorrow? There’s no way I’m going to find a dog collar.’ Luke and I started laughing, and Luke said, ‘It’s Miami Beach. No problem.'”

What was your role in this?

“They sent me out to find a dog collar. I ended up finding a rhinestone-studded dog collar and had to carry it around at the club. We went out so late that it’s the only time I ever missed media day or media night. I partied so hard, so late. I gave Ray the dog collar before I left, luckily, overslept, and turned on the TV as soon as I woke up. The first thing I see is, well, the big talk of media day was Ray Buchanan. I look, and he’s wearing the dog collar and sunglasses, holding court. It totally became a thing. So that was one of my contributions to Super Bowl lore. And I didn’t even get to see it in person.”

Is there a Super Bowl story you broke that stands out?

“It was my first year working with The Athletic, and I learned early on about a tip that the NFL was going to remove ‘End Racism’ from the end zones as part of what seemed to be the political winds of the moment, and that it coincided with Trump planning to attend. Once I got that confirmed, it became a major national story, to the point where the White House, I think, had to issue a statement confirming that Trump was, in fact, coming as the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. And certainly, it looked as though the NFL was one of the many corporations at the time that was capitulating to the vibe at the time.”

How has it been working for The Athletic?

“I’m really liking it. I think it’s still not close to reaching its potential. It’s a big, strong site. A lot of good work comes out of it. I think whatever it’s going to become will be even cooler than what it is. I work closely with Dianna Russini every day. When I talk about the Super Bowl being a sprint and a marathon, I think she was all-state in four sports in New Jersey growing up. I’ve never seen anyone sprint and sustain it like she can. She’s a whirlwind every day. And it’s awesome. It keeps me young. She’s the perfect person to experience these events with because she has an unlimited supply of energy.”

“Do you have a favorite story you’ve written so far?

“I’ve known Jared Goff for a long time and watched his journey, from how it ended in L.A. to the tough times early in Detroit, and then building it back up. So one of the first things I wanted to do was fly to Michigan and spend some time with him, as the Lions were really rolling last year. I was able to write something that I think resonated with a lot of people and really drilled down on what went wrong in L.A., how it ended, how tough it was for him, how close he thought he was to being benched in Detroit early on, and how Dan Campbell’s faith in him was a catalyst for a lot of good things that happened to him and to the Lions.”

You wrote a book, ‘The Why Is Everything: A Story of Football, Rivalry, and Revolution,‘ about coaches. What has been the reaction to it?

“I’ve gotten good feedback on it. I think it’s hard for some of them to digest the totality of who they are and what they’ve been through when it’s that vivid. But my relationships with all of them have stayed pretty good. Sean McVay, early on, before he read it, kind of jokingly said, ‘Man, did you crush me?’ Half-jokingly, I said, ‘The great thing about you is you pummel yourself in the quotes. You’re so introspective and self-critical that I don’t have to do much. I could just quote you.’ I’m sure there are some things in the book that each of the protagonists doesn’t love, but it is the truth.”

The chant, in Christen Goff’s words, has become ‘Michigan’s inside joke.’ But it started as an emotionally intelligent understanding of her husband’s journey. @TheAthletic https://t.co/Omm5cXACAc pic.twitter.com/G0SYR44cPb

— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) November 27, 2024

Who would be your dream Super Bowl halftime act?

“I have this sense that it’s probably too late, but I always thought that if anyone could get Led Zeppelin back together for one night, with Jason Bonham filling in for his dad, it would be the NFL. That would be a dream. If not, give me Pearl Jam.”

“Do you have an early prediction on the game?

“It feels like the Seahawks are better. All season long, I’ve thought, ‘Well, the Patriots aren’t really this good.’ They’ve got an easy schedule. Some guys have been out when they played them. They’ve had a lot of things go their way. But at some point, I have to acknowledge that they’re good. Mike Vrabel has done one of the greatest coaching jobs I’ve ever seen. And I feel like they’ll show up. I’d put Seattle on paper going in. But I’m trying to fight the impulse to dismiss the Patriots.”