Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl is a 2020 rematch. So is Biden-Trump. What does that tell us? | Opinion

Sports and politics are frequently inextricably linked and the public views them in the same vein, at least in a shorthand way. People often look at the bottom line: who won, who lost, and the highlights. This weekend, the Super Bowl will feature a rematch from four years ago between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Yes, a rematch from four years ago.

How ironic, since we are likely to see a rematch in politics from four years ago as well. Could the Super Bowl perhaps foreshadow what the country might see in November when Donald Trump faces off against President Joe Biden?

Rematches in sports and politics are extremely rare. In the 57 previous Super Bowls, only seven featured rematches. Sunday’s will be only the eighth in history. Rematches within five years are even rarer. It has only happened three times in Super Bowl history, and the same team won each time. The Steelers beat the Cowboys in Super Bowls 10 and 13; the Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowls 27 and 28; and the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowls 42 and 46.

Other sports have had their share of rematches, too. However, Major League Baseball has not seen one in the World Series in more than 40 years. The last time was in 1978, when the Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers for a second straight year. Overall, World Series rematches have happened 10 times in more than a century of play. The results are split: Five times the same team won the rematch, and five times the opposing team won.

While the sample size may be smaller in football and baseball, the NBA has featured 16 rematches in the finals. The last time was in 2018 when the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second straight time. When Golden State knocked off Cleveland in 2017, it spoiled the Cavaliers’ chances of repeating. Cleveland did the same to Golden State in 2016 when the Warriors were seeking back-to-back titles against them. Overall, defending champions lost more times than they have won in their rematches by a narrow margin: The champs repeated seven times, but lost nine times in their rematches the following year.

Rematches also have happened in hockey. The same teams have squared off 10 times in the Stanley Cup finals, and the defending champion won seven of those rematches.

Presidential rematches also hardly ever happen. They have taken place six times before in history, but the last time was in the 1950s. The first four rematches ended with the incumbent losing his reelection bid. The last two times, though, the incumbent has prevailed.

So as we look ahead to Sunday’s Super Bowl and a possible rematch in November between Trump and Biden, we might see a trail of breadcrumbs connecting these major events.

While some might consider Biden an underdog in this upcoming presidential race, so too, are the Chiefs. So Democrats and even some independents might be cheering on the Chiefs come Sunday, hoping it portends a Biden victory in the fall.

The Chiefs do have one not-so-secret weapon over the 49ers, which the Biden team could only hope to possess. That of course is Taylor Swift. After all, she knows a thing or two about being an “Anti-Hero.”

Liz Feldman of North Potomac, Maryland, is a writer and producer for CNN. She teaches broadcast journalism at the University of Maryland and Montgomery College.

This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 11:28 AM.