The 58th competition to crown a new football champion will feature teams hailing from California and Missouri. Did you know this game also features players from 32 total states and seven foreign countries?
Source: US Census Bureau “Big Game Census 2024” (Photo of Alan Branch: Courtesy Wikipedia)
According to this year’s “Big Game Census 2024”, our broader community will be unrepresented on the football field this Sunday in Las Vegas as the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the San Francisco 49ers. New Mexico is one of only 18 states without a single native-born player. The last time a native-born New Mexican played in the big game was 2018, when Albuquerque native, Alan Branch (#97) suited up for the Patriots.
If you are looking for a team to root for, C-USA (the NCAA Division-1 Conference which currently includes our very own NMSU Aggies) has 5 alumni suiting up this Sunday. Four C-USA Alums play for the Chiefs; one for the Niners. This Sunday, here are the names to look for:
Charvarius Ward (#7)
Team: SF
Position: CB
Age: 27
Height: 6′ 0”
Weight: 196 lbs
Experience (Exp.): 6
College: Middle Tennessee
Conference (Division): Conference USA (Division I – FBS)
Player: L’Jarius Sneed (#38)
Team: KC
Position: CB/RCB
Age: 26
Height: 6′ 1″
Weight: 192 lbs
Experience (Exp.): 3
College: Louisiana Tech
Conference (Division): Conference USA (Division I – FBS)
Player: Darius Harris (#47)
Team: KC
Position: LB/LOLB/LILB
Age: 27
Height: 6′ 2″
Weight: 232 lbs
Experience (Exp.): 3
College: Middle Tennessee
Conference (Division): Conference USA (Division I – FBS)
Player: Izaiah Gathings (#85)
Team: KC
Position: TE
Age: 23
Height: 6′ 3”
Weight: 222 lbs
Experience (Exp.): R
College: Middle Tennessee
Conference (Division): Conference USA (Division I – FBS)
Player: Richie James (#17)
Team: KC
Position: WR
Age: 28
Height: 5′ 9″
Weight: 185 lbs
Experience (Exp.): 6
College: Middle Tennessee
Conference (Division): Conference USA (Division I – FBS)
The Big Game Census interactive visualization takes a closer look at the players’ place of birth and gives you their 2020 Census population, in addition to a link within the hover-over box to access more U.S. Census Bureau data points.
If you have not decided which team you are pulling for Sunday, February 11, maybe you’ll find a connection to your state, college, college conference, or your hometown that will help you decide.
