This is What’s Trending Today.
The New England Patriots football team defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the 51st Super Bowl on Sunday. It was the Patriots’ fifth Super Bowl win.
It was also the first-ever Super Bowl game to go into overtime.
At one point, the Patriots were losing to the Falcons 28-3. The game seemed over. But the Patriots came back to win in overtime, 34-28. Running back James White dove over the goal line to score the winning touchdown.
Names from this year’s Super Bowl took over Twitter and Facebook in the United States from Sunday evening into Monday.
New England quarterback Tom Brady was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. He became the first quarterback in the National Football League to win five Super Bowls.
One writer said he played the best Super Bowl game ever.
The Falcons looked so good in the first half of the game that many people turned away from the game itself.
That set the stage for the halftime show. Lady Gaga’s 13-minute show got better ratings than the game did.
Lady Gaga wore a beaded, silver costume, including high-heeled silver boots. She had sparkling makeup around her eyes. She was lowered onto the stage with wires from high above the stadium.
She performed seven of her popular songs, including “Poker Face,” “Bad Romance,” “Just Dance” and “Born This Way.”
She was joined on stage by many dancers but no guest performers.
After the game, Lady Gaga announced her plans for a series of performances around the world. The tour starts in Canada on August 1 and takes her to the United States, Brazil, Switzerland, England, Spain, Sweden and several other countries.
One expert said it was the fourth-straight year that more people watched the halftime show than the football game itself.
Television commercials also trended on social media. One of the most talked-about commercials came from the building supply company 84 Lumber.
That advertisement showed a mother and daughter walking through the desert towards the United States, only to be stopped at the border by a wall. They believe their trip is over, but find a door that lets them through.
The commercial ends with the words: “The will to succeed is always welcome here.”
And that’s What’s Trending Today.
I’m Dan Friedell.
Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
Did you watch the Super Bowl? What did you think of the result? Let us know in the comments section.
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Words in This Story
overtime – n. extra time added to a game when the score is tied at the end of the normal playing time
receiver – n. a player who catches passes thrown by the quarterback
quarterback – n. a player who leads a team's attempts to score usually by passing the ball to other players
costume – n. the clothes that are worn by someone (such as an actor) who is trying to look like a different person or thing
halftime – n. the period of rest between the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half in games like football and basketball
set the stage – expression. to make something likely or ready to happen
sparkling– adj. shining with or reflecting bright points of light
wire – n. a thin, flexible thread of metal
beaded - adj. decorated or covered with beads; bead: a small, usually round piece of glass, wood, stone, etc., that has a hole through its center and that is put on a string with other similar pieces and worn as jewelry or that is sewn onto clothing
tour – n. a series of related performances, appearances, competitions, etc., that occur at different places over a period of time
will – n. a strong desire or determination to do something
running back – n. a player who carries the football on running plays
