Feb. 3, 2002, Superdome: New England 20, St. Louis 17

45. The first Super Bowl after the 9/11 terrorist attacks forever changed the way the NFL staged the game. That included going from simple paper credentials for media and thousands of others working the game, to full background checks on everyone. That system was devised in two months, remarkable for a change of that magnitude.

46. One of the biggest fears by organizers was the possibility of an Anthrax attack. The stadium’s massive air-filtration system was overhauled, and extreme measures were taken to secure it.

47. Security surrounding the game was so tight that Sunday morning one of the pregame performers was kept outside the stadium until authorities got permission to let him in. That performer was the “little-known” Paul McCartney.

48. In addition to the security perimeter and personnel from all types of federal agencies, there were water trucks poised outside the Superdome. That was in case of an Anthrax attack, and if fans needed to be washed down in an emergency situation.

49. U2 was the halftime act, and while performing “Where the Streets Have No Name,” the band scrolled the names of all the 9/11 victims on a massive screen behind the stage.

50. As a result of the NFL postponing a week of games in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the Super Bowl was pushed back a week. That made rescheduling incredibly complex, as the league had to pay $8.5 million to the National Automobile Dealers Assn. to reschedule its New Orleans convention. There were other groups that had to reschedule as well in order for the NFL to hold the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

51. Had New Orleans fallen through as a Super Bowl site, the NFL had drawn up contingency plans to play the game either at the Rose Bowl or in Miami.

52. The game was a shocking upset, as most people thought it would be a coronation for the mighty St. Louis Rams. Instead, a young upstart quarterback named Tom Brady made his debut on the game’s biggest stage.

53. David Hill, the legendary producer who started Fox Sports, did not insert a commercial break during the pregame show. He said the importance of the moment called for an unbroken tribute to the country.

54. Hill wanted the building to go completely dark when U2 finished its stirring performance. That required an 11-minute delay to “restrike” the lights and bring them back up for the second half. The NFL allowed that, and during that time Fox aired a Terry Bradshaw interview of McCartney bracketed by commercial breaks.

As it was, the Lakers were reluctant to sacrifice their future for the sake of building the best possible team around a 40-year-old version of LeBron James.

Now, with the Lakers trading for the Next LeBron, was the Old LeBron concerned they could further prioritize the future over the present?

“What’s wrong with that?” James replied.

Before I could remind him of his public campaigns to directly or indirectly shame Lakers management into improving the roster in the weeks leading up to every recent trade deadline, he continued, “If I had concerns, I would’ve waived my no-trade clause and got up out of here.”

The declaration wasn’t entirely convincing, not because of what he said but because of how he said it.

His body language certainly didn’t project enthusiasm at the prospect of remaining with the Lakers for the remainder of his career, as his voice was monotone and his lips were pursed.

I asked James if he still envisioned retiring with the Lakers. Just five weeks ago, he said that was “the plan,” but he could become a free agent this summer by declining a player option for the 2025-26 season.

“I mean, listen, I’m here right now,” James said. “I’m here right now. I’m committed to the Lakers organization.”

More specifically, he said he was committed to helping integrate the team’s three newly-acquired players.

“As a leader of the team, as one of the captains of the team, it’s my job to make it as seamless as possible,” James said.

So he didn’t waive the no-trade provision in his contract — for now. He’s here — for now. He didn’t say he didn’t want to retire with the Lakers, but he didn’t say he wanted to either.

Maybe James didn’t want to look or sound overly delighted with his team’s overnight transformation out of respect to his handpicked sidekick and close friend Anthony Davis, who was unceremoniously traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Maybe James was concealing how upset he was.

Or, more likely, maybe James didn’t know what to think about how the Lakers suddenly went from being his team to Luka Doncic’s.

James is notoriously passive-aggressive. He often refrains from explicitly saying what he wants, but he usually finds a way to convey how he’s feeling.

When he declined to say at the end of last season whether he thought he might have played his last season for the Lakers, he was basically calling on them to surround him with better players and draft his son Bronny. When he said last month that the Lakers had to play “close-to-perfect basketball” to win, he was demanding they upgrade the team.

His words after the Lakers’ 122-97 victory over the Clippers on Tuesday night at the Intuit Dome were uncharacteristically hard to decipher.

Why?

Probably because he was still trying to figure out how the trade for Doncic would affect him.

James has spent his entire 22-year career as the most important person on every team on which he’s played, and that counts the teams’ owners. He influenced the construction of rosters, which were designed to magnify his virtues, and rightly so. He’s one of the greatest players of all time.

Even in this final stage of his career, James has wielded significant power over the Lakers. He might have lost the ability to carry a team to a championship on his own, but his stardom offered an otherwise incompetent franchise something to sell. As long as the Lakers had James, they were relevant. So when James wanted them to draft his son, they did.

Doncic cost James his leverage. Before finalizing their trade for Doncic, the Lakers should have been frightened by the thought of James retiring, as it would have sent them into the kind of Dark Age they endured between Kobe Bryant’s retirement and James’ arrival. Doncic might not deliver the Lakers a championship, but he will provide them with an identity. In addition to being a generational scorer, the Slovenian also speaks Spanish, which could help him connect with his heavily-Latino city in ways James never could.

General manager Rob Pelinka said earlier in the day at Doncic’s introductory news conference, “Luka will be at the center of what we build long-term.” Pelinka never mentioned James.

James, who was unaware a trade was in the works until it was completed, said the magnitude of the deal shocked him.

“I ain’t never seen this one,” he said. “I have seen it all up until this one. I have never been part of one transaction like that. That was different.”

Since the death of owner Jerry Buss, the Lakers have been known to take the path of least resistance. In this case, that would be for James and Doncic to play well together, for the two players to lead the Lakers to a title, and for the ageless James to teach the soft-bodied Doncic how to take better care of himself.

Such a scenario would count as a win for everyone involved, and James has started the process of building a relationship with Doncic, sitting next to the sidelined newcomer on the bench during the Lakers’ win over the Clippers and sharing his admiration of him after.

“Luka’s been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,” James said.

For his part, Doncic said he has long admired James from a distance and said playing alongside him would be “a dream come true.”

The partnership could very well be a failure, however. James and Doncic both like to have the ball in their hands, and at least one of them will have to figure out how to play off the ball. The team’s defense could also be problematic, especially if the Lakers don’t land a center before the trade deadline on Thursday. James was solid defensively against the Clippers, but how consistent can he be on that end of the floor at his age? Doncic and Austin Reaves can guard only the most limited offensive players.

“It’s kind of hard right now to digest what it’s going to look like on the floor,” James acknowledged.

That’s probably why James was unclear about his future.

By playing for the Lakers as long as he has, James has shown he values living in Los Angeles more than he does winning another championship. The smart money would be on him to finish his career with the Lakers.

But what if the Lakers don’t want to re-sign him when he becomes a free agent after next season? What if the team wavers in its commitment to develop his son?

The choice might not be his.

For the first time in his career, LeBron James isn’t in control.

Raise your chicken wings and your domestic beers, y’all; a beloved, albeit unofficial, American holiday is upon us.

Super Bowl Sunday arrives February 9, 2025, and this year, the Kansas City Chiefs will go helmet-to-helmet against the Philadelphia Eagles on the neutral turf of Caesars Superdome in the magical mud of New Orleans, La.

The stakes are high, and the bets are big folks as the defending champions and favored team of HRH, Taylor Swift, take on the beloved birds.

If the Chiefs come through and out on top, they will be the first team in history to win three straight Super Bowls.

Meanwhile, if the Eagles emerge victorious, it will be their second Super Bowl win after hoisting the Lombardi in 2018.

In honor of this clash of titans and the glut and glory of American advertising, we bring you a list of the best ways to celebrate Super Bowl Sunday according to your zodiac sign.

Shout

The Superbowl is a rare and welcome opportunity for members of team Aries to lean full steam and zero shame intro their temper tantrums. Go on and shout obscenities at an inanimate object, and for once in your fire-breathing life, you won’t seem unhinged — just enthusiastic.

Eat

On average, if Taurus could choose a manner of death, it would be eating buffalo chicken dip to the point of expiration.

Bulls were born to graze baby, so bring on your taco dip, your pigs in a blanket, your potato skins, your mediocre grocery store cheese trays, your heartburn, greasy fingers, swollen ankles, and all other cause and effect of game-day gluttony.

Scroll

Gemini rules the third house of communication, and natives love to OD on information.

So while they’re watching the game out of the corner of their eye, they’re also catching up on all manner of cellular distraction: trolling for strange, doom scrolling, learning how to exfoliate with kitty litter on TikTok, reading about true crime on Reddit, and/or airing the dirty laundry of a friend in the group chat.

Kitchen prep/clean up

Cancer would be wise to retreat to the safe and relatively serene space of the kitchen and prepare snacks and refresh beverages.

This cardinal water sign tends to be averse to contact sports and is only hosting/attending a Super Bowl party because it was/is important to their significant other.

Love means sacrifice, seven-layer dip, and keeping a different kind of score.

Document the party

Leo is about creating, curating, and expertly documenting an outfit and an outing. Like a real-life Broadway musical, lions have the uncanny ability to introduce a dance sequence and photo shoot into a funeral, potluck, full moon ceremony, business mixer, and or Super Bowl party.

Puff your pom poms and ready your camera.

Correct/comment

Virgo loves to learn and to instruct so suit up for game day by getting down to business and schooling yourself on the ins and outs of rules, loopholes, fouls, and technicalities.

Later, when calls are being made and whistles are being blown you can assume your favored role as the smartest person in the room.

Face painting

Libra is ruled by Venus, planet of love, art, and aesthetics. As such, natives favor glow-ups over grunting their disapproval in front of a big-screen television.

Lean into your love of beautification by painting the faces and bare beer bellies of your friends and fevered fans.

Predict the winner

Scorpio is a fixed water sign that lords over the eighth house of sex, death, and regeneration.

Hyper attune to the moods and motives of others they are preternaturally gifted with intuition and psychic ability.

Natives can monetize that modality by dramatically announcing the winner in an off-putting riddle ahead of the halftime show before disappearing in a poof of smoke and smugness.

Place bets

Sagittarius is ruled by lucky planet Jupiter, making them the resident gambler of the zodiac.

Roll the dice and place your bets on everything from the victor, total yards to the color of the famed Gatorade bath.

Judge the commercials

Capricorn is an industrious sign that appreciates gains, strategy, and media manipulation.

Sea goats have a mind for business and understand that the Super Bowl is not about who wins or loses but what brand was most effective in convincing the captive masses to part with their capital.

Begrudgingly socialize

Aquarius are an extreme lot, so they’re likely to be either super fans or utterly nonplussed participants in the arcane ritual of group sports. Still, the Super Bowl provides the impetus for them to emerge from their isolationist cocoons/bunkers to eat cheese and practice normal socialization.

Get drunk

Pisces are a romantic sort that chooses song over sport and love over violence. They’re also notorious for getting drunk before the second quarter but with Kendrick Lamar taking the stage, they may just make it to halftime without being half in the bag.

Astrology 101: Your guide to the star

Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.