LOS ANGELES (I wish)—So, here we are in sunny SoCal, taking in the Super Bowl scene, enjoying the celebrity vibe and overwhelmed with the good fortune that has left us holding two 50-yard-line tickets for the big game this weekend. Oops, that’s my Metaverse avatar.

We’re really back on the East Coast, wishing for warmer weather and getting ready to watch the Bengals and Rams (a 6:30 p.m. Sunday kickoff Eastern time) on the flat screen with good friends Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth. That last part at least is true, since Collinsworth (a former Bengal great, by the way) and Michaels will be announcing the game on NBC. We’ll be about as close to the 50-yard-line on Sunday as most of Bills Mafia (just kidding, Mike McDougall and my Buffalo friends, of course).

But we do have the exclusive predictions from some key players in the eyecare sector and we’re sharing them early (hint the industry is siding with the underdogs, at least in our informal poll). Spoiler alert, one of our prognosticators played against former Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason back in high school, and won! Read on for the details.

Oh, and our big predictions: we’re going with the under 90 seconds on country singer Mickey Guyton's national anthem, and heads in the coin toss. And the Rams to win in a tight game, 27-23. You’re on your own with the rest of the props out there. And, here’s how a few friends in the industry see this game turning out.




AEG Vision's Eric Anderson with his sons, Max and Alex, at a Bengals game.
 
Eric Anderson
Chief Executive Officer
AEG Vision (Cincinnati, Ohio)


After 32 years of futility during which we thought the Bengals were a philanthropy (we give, and give, and give), it’s great to see our hometown team back in the Super Bowl.

Bengals 35 – Los Angeles Rams 28








 
Terri Gossard, OD, AOA Trustee.
 
Terri Gossard, OD
Trustee (and long-suffering Bengals’ season-ticket holder)
American Optometric Association


The eye of the tiger is the survivor, and L.A. will be seeing double Joes as Burrow and Mixon stun the Rams.
WHO DEY!

Bengals 34 – Los Angeles Rams 28





Jim McGrann (r) with his family, showing their Lions’ loyalty, in Switzerland.



Jim McGrann
Chairman and chief executive officer
HEA + PECAA


For me and my family, we are rooting heavily for Matthew Stafford, which in turn has us rooting for the Rams. My daughter (Taylor) and son-in-law (Jake) met at Michigan State and got married in 2014. One of the things Jake and I have in common is that he is a long-suffering Detroit Lions fan, as I am a long-suffering N.Y. Jets fan.

We have spent many a Sunday together watching our respective teams lose. On a trip to Switzerland for a family wedding in 2015, Jake and Taylor initiated my wife (Taryn) and me into the Lions family and gave us the Lions’ gear in the photo (below). Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly, have done so much philanthropic work for the community in both Detroit and L.A., supporting families in need and frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, Matthew became an advocate in the NFL's social justice fight, through both public demonstration and charitable donations. Matthew Stafford is an easy guy to root for. He put his time in in Detroit with the Lions and he was always the consummate professional and team player there.

We are looking forward to a great game. This has been one of the best playoff seasons in the history of the NFL. We will be in Michigan for the game visiting Taylor, Jake and our grandkids, Sloane (4) and Shepard (1), rooting for The Rams and Matthew Stafford.

Rams 35 – Cincinnati Bengals 28

One other quick note: The last time the Bengals were in the Super Bowl in 1989 (Super Bowl XXIII) their quarterback was Boomer Esiason. I had the pleasure of playing against and beating Boomer in the Suffolk County (N.Y.) championship in 1978 – Sachem 22, East Islip 0. My claim to fame related to the game was that as the backup quarterback I got to be Boomer for the week leading up to the game running our scout team. So clearly having my teammates beat me up for a week worked.

I have a great handwritten note from Boomer that says his two worst football memories are losing to Joe Montana and the 49ers in the Super Bowl in 1989 and losing to Sachem H.S. in 1978.






Matt Alpert, OD, with his daughters, Chloe and Juliet.

Matt Alpert, OD
Co-Founder
The Eye Consortium (owner Alpert Vision Care)


It’s going to be Rams all day!!!!

Rams 23 – Cincinnati Bengals 17













Justin Cupps of Oakley and Costa N.A.


 
Justin Cupps
Senior Vice President
Oakley and Costa N.A.


It’s going to be an exciting game played in Los Angeles—near the home of our iconic Oakley Brand and at the new SoFi Stadium—home of the L.A. Rams and L.A. Chargers!

The game will feature the young, up-and-coming Cincinnati Bengals, led by Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase vs. the highly experienced and veteran Los Angeles Rams, led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and Odell Beckham.

My prediction? The Cincinnati Bengals winning in a high scoring and equally high excitement game.

Bengals 34 – Los Angeles Rams 28

Note: Oakley is The Official Eyewear and Visor Partner of the NFL. The brands protective shields will be worn by many of the top players on the field and will be the eyewear worn by the outstanding coaches on the sidelines. (See more about Oakley’s participation in the Super Bowl in the sidebar below.)


A Super Week for Oakley, With a New Launch and a Community Eyecare Event in Los Angeles

As millions of consumers tune into pre-game analysis, browse their favorite sports sites and hunker down to watch the big game, they’ll see an eyewear brand they know and love front and center—Oakley, the company noted this week in an announcement shared with VMAIL Weekend.

Oakley inspires the next generation of athletes to “Be Who You Are,” with its iconic brand on the visors of the two teams, a newly launched product, and through a community event that gives the gift of sight and athletics to the Los Angeles community.




The newest Oakley design, Sutro Lite Sweep, is a blend of Oakley’s popular Eyeshade and Sutro design. Sutro Lite Sweep is a functional sport design with optimized coverage blending the sweep lens shape first made by the Eyeshade and Sutro frame. The new eyewear includes extended field-of-view, retention and impact protection.


“Oakley’s four-year partnership deal with the NFL has been a massive success thus far; it has led to increased brand awareness through media, social, and not to mention on-field exposure,” said Justin Cupps, a senior vice president, Oakley and Costa North America.

“Having this partnership with the league takes our performance technology and gives it increased credibility as some of the best athletes in the world are performing at the highest level and relying on our technology to do so,” he added.

As an official on-field partner of the NFL, 50 players in this year’s Super Bowl are expected to leverage an Oakley Prizm Shield visor. Consumers will see the Oakley logo on their favorite players and recognize the role the Prizm lens technology plays in the game—increasing visual acuity and helping players improve their performance.

Los Angeles Chargers defensive back Derwin James Jr., along with several NFL players and Team Oakley members, are featured in the video “NFL Anthem/Be Who You Are,” which can be viewed here.



Los Angeles Chargers’ star Derwin James Jr. worked with Team Oakley and the Chargers’ Impact Fund to host a youth football clinic during Super Bowl week.



Performance extends to Oakley’s newest frame style just launched this week to capitalize on Oakley’s recognition during the Super Bowl. The frame is a blend of Oakley’s popular Eyeshade and Sutro design. Sutro Lite Sweep is a functional sport design with optimized coverage blending the sweep lens shape first made by the Eyeshade and Sutro frame. The new eyewear includes extended field-of-view, retention and impact protection, making it the perfect choice for durability and all-day comfort.

According to Oakley, since the beginning of the 2019-2020 NFL season, sunglass sales are up 31 percent and continue to grow. Currently, Oakley offers the full range of team customized eyewear in five models, representing the best-sellers Sutro and Sutro Lite, Flak 2.0, Holbrook and Gascan. “We complement the offer with the opportunity to have team logos built on lenses, including prescription lenses,” Cupps added. “This year, the brand is putting a huge focus on supporting local communities and supporting the vision of young stars that will drive the future.”

In the Super Bowl host city of Los Angeles this week, Oakley helped to restore the South Park Recreation Center football field and will hold OneSight Clinics to provide the power of good vision to more than 250 kids in need. At the unveiling of the refurbished football field this week, Oakley and the Los Angeles Chargers Impact Fund hosted a youth football clinic with Team Oakley athlete and LA Chargers’ Derwin James Jr. To ensure the community can continue to share the love of sport, Oakley has made a donation to each Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club and hosted a canned food drive to donate back to the clubs across the city.






Jennifer L. Stewart, OD, of Norwalk Eye Care.

Jennifer L. Stewart, OD
Norwalk Eye Care
Norwalk, Conn.


As a sports vision professional, I must admit I am most excited about the halftime show in this year's Super Bowl! My prediction:

Rams 35 – Cincinnati Bengals 14










Mike McDougall of McDougall Communications.


 
Mike McDougall, APR, Fellow PRSA
President
McDougall Communications


I’m taking Buffalo over Green Bay, 40-28 in Super Bowl LVII.

Like most of Western New York, I’m looking ahead to 2023. Go Bills!

But if we’re staying focused on this season, give me the Bengals over the Rams (see score below) in the fight of the underdogs.

Beyond the game, the broadcast advertising spots on their own don’t carry the same punch as a decade ago. We’re all watching on—or being distracted by—multiple screens, forcing brands to be even more creative in their content, their media strategy, and how they prompt fans to engage before, during, and after the event.

It’s a bit of a living laboratory that we can all see play out in real time, then find nuggets to apply to our own organizations, large and small alike.

Bengals 24 – Los Angeles Rams 20





Total Vision’s Leslie Polley (r) with her husband, Steve, at a Broncos game (circa 1999).



Leslie Polley
Director of Marketing
Total Vision (California)


Although my heart belongs to the Denver Broncos, I was happy to see two underdog teams make it to the Super Bowl. It was fun watching Joe Burrow this season with his multiple 500-yard games as well as the phenomenal debut by Ja’Marr Chase. It’s been a rough 10 to 15 years for the Bengals, so I’m hoping they do well.

Regardless of who wins, I predict it’s going to be a close game. The Rams have home-field advantage, and their defense is one of the best in the NFL. But it is Stafford’s first Super Bowl appearance.

My MVP predictions are Burrow or Cooper Kupp, depending on who wins and my score prediction is:

Bengals 28 – Los Angeles Rams 21 (in overtime)

And, like every year, I’m looking forward to the commercials!