The Philadelphia Eagles will be looking to a pair of Australians for a winning edge against the Kansas City Chiefs in tomorrow’s Super Bowl clash.
Ex-St Kilda AFL veteran-turned-punter Arryn Siposs has been officially activated by Philadelphia for the big game after two months on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
The 30-year-old returned to practice this week and appears set to reclaim the punting job from fill-in Brett Kern for Sunday’s big game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Phoenix after he was activated on Saturday.
He would join fellow Australian Jordan Mailata, an offensive tackle, in the Eagles team in the hunt for Super Bowl glory.
Siposs averaged 45.6 yards per punt this season with a 40.5-yard net average. Kern struggled in his place, averaging 42.2 yards per punt with a 37.7-yard net average.
Siposs played 28 AFL Games for St Kilda between 2011-2015 before switching to American football.
The fifty-seventh Super Bowl, to be played in Glendale, Arizona, isn’t without controversy.
Native American groups are expected to protest the Kansas City Chiefs, calling for the AFC champions to drop their name and logo as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57 in Phoenix.
The Chiefs wear the arrowhead logo on their helmet and use a large drum to kick off their home games, as fans routinely engage in what’s known as the “tomahawk chop” chant, all of which critics say draw on offensive and racist stereotypes.
This is their third trip to the NFL title game in four years and Kansas City fans can be heard throughout Phoenix singing the “tomahawk chop” chant.
Native Americans protest
It is a jarring contrast to the displays of Native American culture and pride that Super Bowl hosts have invited to participate in the days leading up to the game.
Dancers from Indigenous Enterprise performed at Monday’s Opening Night festivities, becoming the first Native Americans to perform at the annual media mega event.
In a strange juxtaposition, they took the stage minutes after Kansas City fans in attendance at the Footprint Center in Phoenix joined together in a loud rendition of their “tomahawk chop” chant.
“What the NFL is doing inside Phoenix, by bringing in indigenous dancers and artists, that’s celebrating the authentic, which is wonderful,” said Cher Thomas, an artist, community organiser and member of the Gila River Community.
“However, the NFL simultaneously condones Kansas City’s team and their names and monikers and their derogatory traditions.”
Chiefs supporter Benny Blades, 55, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, said he admired the team for “sticking to their guns” as he stood in Scottsdale’s Old Town, where fans broke out into spontaneous “tomahawk” chants on streets lined with shops selling Native American arts and crafts.
-with AAP
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