With the Super Bowl LVI destined to be held on February 13, 2022, in SoFi Stadium, who isn't euphoric about the annual playoff championship?

Since its beginning in 1967, which has been serving as the NFL (National Football League) finale each season, it has drawn millions of national crowds. With the rapid advancement in technology and the internet, Super Bowl has managed to gain an increasing amount of international viewers. And with increased viewers in both the national and international arena, there is also an increase in another form of entertainment- sports betting.

Many viewers like to get themselves involved with the Super Bowl in their own way, with activities like Super Bowl betting with online bookmakers, friends, and more. Some even enjoy wearing their player jerseys and participating in big watch parties with friends. Unlike sports betting which was unregulated decades ago, nowadays many visit websites - celebrity or common folk- which offer them reliable sources on their goal. Former professional basketball player Charles Barkley reportedly bet $550,000 at the Super Bowl XXXVI in the game between New England Patriots and St. Louis Rams.

Although the majority of NFL players are known to be Americans, it isn’t surprising to know many famous players are also Canadian. In this year’s Super Bowl game between Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, defensive tackle Michael Hoecht is a Canadian-born athlete.

1. He is a Gen Z and has an older brother.

Michael Hoecht’s birth date falls on October 5, 1997, making him a Gen Z. He was raised by his parents alongside his sibling- an older brother (by three years) named Alex. Alex also was also an athlete and since has moved back from Ohio to Toronto.

2. His heritage is Canadian but was raised in Ohio.

Michael Hoecht was born in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. His father Brian is from the west Toronto suburb of Burlington, Ontario while his mother Lynne is from Ontario. At the age of four, Hoechst with his family moved to Dayton, Ohio but the family moved back to Canada before starting high school. They lived in Stittsville for two years before settling in Oakwood, Ohio.

He said in an interview with Toronto Sun, Hoecht talked about the funny levels he got, “When I played football in Ottawa I was the Ohio kid, and when I played football in Ohio I was the Canadian kid.”

3. His parents are his biggest supporters.

In a virtual interview posted by Ottawa Redbacks in May 2020 on Facebook Watch, Michael Hoecht talked about his parents.

He said, “My parents have given up so much to put me where I am… There was a time when my brother and I were on four different sports teams. And they would spend their entire night just picking up one kid, dropping them off and picking up the next kid, and moving him over...so, they gave e every opportunity to go succeed and do what I love. They have been extremely supportive throughout this whole process. I really can't thank them enough and they are my biggest fans, biggest supports, harshest critics and really you would want everything in a parent.”

4. He used to play basketball.

Initially, as a kid, he played basketball. When he was 8 years old and in grade 3, a basketball game changed his career outlook. According to an interview with Toronto Sun, his father’s version of the incident, “Michael went up for the rebound, came down with the ball while three of the boys on the other team ran into him. All three of the other boys hit the ground afterward while Michael was just standing there, holding the ball over his head.”

After seeing him play another boy’s father, who ran the local Oakwood community basketball team, reached out to his father Brian, and told him Michael Hoecht “needs to come to play football.”

5. His social media is full of football shots.

Unlike many athletes who are very much active on social media such as Instagram, and Twitter, Michael Hoecht has very limited posts. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound backup defensive tackle on the Los Angeles Rams, mostly posts about his NFL games, training sessions as well as gym workouts.