- Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby celebrates after kicking the game winning field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sept.

Last year, over 123 million people tuned into the annual sporting event, making it the most-watched Super Bowl in history across all platforms, according to Nielsen data. Whether

The NFL and the Chiefs aren’t just responding to the perception of favoritism by officials, they’re fighting back. NFL Referees Association executive director Scott Green, a retired referee, called it “insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that somehow 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team.

NFL referees have come under fire recently for what has seemed like blatant favoritism for the Kansas City Chiefs, who will become the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a row if they manage to beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in December that the league would continue to abide by its minority hiring programs “because this has made the NFL better.”