What makes the annual play-off game of the National Football League the most viewed sporting event in America? Since its beginnings in 1967, the Super Bowl has never disappointed its beloved fans.
The following Super Bowl facts will further arouse your interest in American football.
The Beginnings of Super Bowl
1. The first Super Bowl was played in the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on January 15, 1967.
(History)
The history of the Super Bowl started with the play-off between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. With a final score of 35-10, the Green Bay Packers are written in history as the first Super Bowl champions.
2. The first Super Bowl tickets were $12.
(History)
The LA Memorial Coliseum for the Super Bowl had 32 000 empty seats. Fans at that time, have stated that the tickets for the sports event were too expensive. NBC and CBS paid $1 million to broadcast the first Super Bowl.
3. The official name of the play-off wasn’t Super Bowl.
(Distractify)
The Packers and the Chiefs game was called the “AFL-NFL World Championship Game.” Later on, Lamar Hunt was inspired by his kid’s super ball toy and came up with the name “Super Bowl.” Another reason for the championship name is the bowl-shaped stadium.
4. The Packers coach, Vince Lombardi, is responsible for the tradition of Super Bowl rings.
(Time) (AS)
The first Super Bowl winners, the Packers, got Super Bowl rings in 1967. The rings were specially made for Lombardi by a custom jeweller with a 1.0-point diamond. Moreover, the rings had the NFL logo on the left side and the words Harmony, Courage and Valor.
One of the many interesting Super Bowl facts is that both teams who play in the Super Bowl get rings. The winner gets a ring that says Super Bowl, including the Super Bowl number, and the losing team gets one that says Conference Champions.
5. Roman numerals follow the names of the Super Bowls.
(Dictionary)
Each Super Bowl game has Roman numerals, and the idea for using them came from Lamar Hunt, the founder and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The first four Super Bowls didn’t have numerals, and their purpose was to have a chronological order of every game played.
Rules and Figures for Super Bowl Organisation
6. The NFL has minimum requirements for hosting the Super Bowl that need to be met by the state/city.
(Global Sport Matters)
If a state or city meets a complex set of requirements, it can host the Super Bowl. For example, in 2013, Minneapolis got 153 pages with specifications and conditions from the National Football League for hosting the Super Bowl.
7. The economic impact on the host cities is between $30 million to $130 million.
(Business Insider)
The NFL declares that cities can get from $300 to $500 million from hosting the Super Bowl. However, according to Matheson, the big game generates between $30 million and $130 million.
8. The average Super Bowl tickets are from $4000 to $5000.
(Seat Geek) (Bleacher Report) (Bloomberg)
When it comes to the first 20 Super Bowls, prices ranged from $12 to $75.
In general, the average price for a Super Bowl ticket goes from $4 000 to $5 000. However, as the date of the Super Bowl gets closer, the tickets get cheaper. The prices vary depending on the location, the teams and the period you book your ticket.
For the 2022 Super Bowl, Americans have paid an average of $7000 for a ticket, double more than in 2017.
9. In 2022, the average cost of a half-minute commercial for the Super Bowl was $6.5 million.
(Statista)
According to Super Bowl statistics in 2022, the price of a 30 second Super Bowl advertisement has increased by $1 million compared to $5.5 million in 2021.
10. Miami has hosted 11 Super Bowls.
(Statista)
The following cities hosted the Super Bowl more than once.
- New Orleans – 10 times
- Los Angeles – 8 times
- Tampa – 5 times
- San Diego, Atlanta and Houston – 3 times
- San Francisco, Detroit, Glendale, Minneapolis – 2 times
11. Half-time show performers aren’t paid.
(County Living)
Although the NFL is one of the most profitable sports leagues it still doesn’t pay the artists and bands who are part of the half-time show. They only cover expenses and production costs.
12. The Super Bowl uses a special coin for the coin toss.
(Florida Coin)
The Melbourne Highland Mint makes the special coin used for the Super Bowl coin toss, first used at the Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994.
According to a Super Bowl fun fact, the unique coin landed 17 times on tails and 11 times on heads.
13. The Super Bowl cannot be held in temperatures below 50°F.
(Bleacher Report)
If the football field is located in a climate where temperatures drop below 10°C, the NFL does not award Super Bowls. One of the crazy NFL facts shows that the game won’t occur unless a dome or retractable roof covers the field entirely.
14. The Lombardi Trophy is made by Tiffany & Company.
(Pro Football Hof)
Every Super Bowl champion team gets a Lombardi Trophy which looks like a pyramid stand for a football. The $10 000 Trophy is 20.75 inches tall and weighs 107.3 ounces.
Fun Super Bowl Stats
15. In 2022, 15% of the surveyed Americans planned to throw a Super Bowl Party.
(Statista)
Furthermore, 20% of the respondents planned to attend a Super Bowl Party and 5% planned to watch the game at a bar.
Before the Covid pandemic hit, 17% of the respondents planned to throw a party, 24% planned to attend and 5% planned to watch the Super Bowl at a bar.
16. 10% of US adults surveyed said they would bet on the Super Bowl LVI.
(Statista) (Statista)
13% of the surveyed said they would probably wager on the 2022 Super Bowl. 58% stated that they would not bet their money on the Super Bowl LVI.
55% of the respondents said they would place their betting on the Los Angeles Rams and 45% on Cincinnati Bengals.
17. In 2021, an average of 6 million people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl.
(Statista)
The biggest football match in America has a constant year-over-year growth in the average streaming viewership. The most significant change was noticed from the 3.4million viewers in 2020 to 5.7 million in 2021.
18. The Super Bowl demographics show that all generations watch the game.
(Morning Consult)
The survey for the 2022 Super Bowl showed that 75% of Americans aged 18 to 34 years are planning to watch the game. Between 35 and 44 years old, the age group had 70% interest in watching the game.
In addition, 63% of people aged 45-64 and 62% of people aged 65 and older reported that they would likely watch the Super Bowl in 2022.
19. The advertising revenue of the 2021 Super Bowl hit $545 million.
(Statista)
The spending on advertising for the Super Bowl is getting higher as they counted $449 million in 2020 and $339 million in 2019.
20. 81% of the Super Bowl audience surveyed stated that they would watch the game on live TV.
(Morning Consult)
14% of the respondents planned to watch the game via streaming service, and only 5% tended to cheer on the Super Bowl from their mobile or other devices.
21. The day of the football game is the second day when Americans eat the most food next to Thanksgiving.
(World Food Program USA)
One of the fun facts about the Super Bowl is that on Super Bowl Sunday, people drink approximately 300 million gallons of beer while watching The Big Game, accompanied by 28 million pounds of potato chips and 1.42 billion chicken wings.
Super Bowl Team Facts
22. The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots have the most Super Bowl wins.
(Sporting News)
Both the Steelers and Patriots have won the Super Bowl 6 times, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have a higher winning percentage of 6 wins out of a total of 8 games played. In contrast, the Patriots have appeared in 11 Super Bowls.
Next come the 49ers and Cowboys, with 5 Super Bowl wins each. The Green Bay Packers and New York Giants which is one of the most valuable sports teams have 4 wins in Super Bowl history.
23. The Patriots and the Broncos have recorded the most losses in the Super Bowl.
(Stat Muse)
The Patriots being on the list of teams with the most wins and losses in the Super Bowl is one of the best Super Bowl fun facts. They have lost the Super Bowl 5 times which is the same number of losses the Denver Broncos have. Furthermore, the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings count 4 losses.
24. Both Super Bowl winners and losers get bonuses.
(News Nation Now)
The championship outcome doesn’t affect the bonuses of the football players as both get it in the 15 following days after the Super Bowl. The NFL agreement predicts $150,000 for the winners of the Super Bowl and $75,000 bonuses for the defeated team.
25. Some of the NFL teams that have never won a Super Bowl are the Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers.
(Sportsnaut) (Sporting News)
There are NFL teams that have never got the chance to play at the Football-Con, and they are the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions. This Super Bowl fact can help you decide what NFL team you should be a fan of in the future.
26. The Super Bowl contestants get 108 footballs per team.
(Sports Illustrated)
Half of the footballs are for the official game, and the other half is for the teams’ practice. However, the game rules are that the teams are obligated to have 12 footballs for the offence.
Super Bowl 2022 Facts
27. The Super Bowl LVI was held on February 13, 2022, in the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
(NFL) (NFL)
The Super Bowl LVI was played between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams. With a final score of 20-23, the Los Angeles Rams took the Lombardi Trophy home.
28. The Rams got $20 000 more than the previous Super Bowl Winners, totalling $150 000 for each Rams player.
(NBC Los Angeles)
For the future Super Bowl champions, bonuses are expected to rise to $228 000 for each player by 2030, according to Super Bowl stats in 2022.
29. The 2022 Super Bowl got an astonishing 112 million viewers.
(CNBC)
The Super Bowl viewership statistics in 2022 show that this year’s Super Bowl was close to the most-watched Super Bowl game in 2015 between the Patriots and Seahawks with 114 million viewers.
30. 66% of the surveyed US adults stated that they liked the Super Bowl LVI half-time show.
(Statista)
The percentage of generations that enjoyed the performance of the celebrities Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and 50 Cent is:
- 89% of Gen Z
- 83% of Millennials
- 66% of Gen X
- 39% of Baby Boomers
31. The Super Bowl LVII will be held in Glendale, Arizona.
(NBC Sports)
Let’s take a look at the list of future Super Bowls trends:
- Super Bowl LVII: February 12, 2023, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
- Super Bowl LVIII: 2024, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Super Bowl LIX: 2025, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
10 More Random Super Bowl Facts
32. The Super Bowl Rings are valued between $30,000 and $50,000.
33. In 1980, the Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, visited the White House for the first time.
34. From 1967 till now, there hasn’t been a year without a Super Bowl.
35. Chuck Howley is the only player who has been chosen for MVP from the losing team in the Super Bowl.
36. Tom Brady is the most successful quarterback in the history of the Super Bowl.
37. The highest single-game point total is the Super Bowl XXIV between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos, with 55–10.
38. Not a single American President has watched the Super Bowl live while serving in the White House.
39. The song Super Bowl Shuffle from the Chicago Bears was nominated for a Grammy.
40. With 11 appearances, the New England Patriots hold the record for most Super Bowl appearances.
41. With 114.4 million viewers, Super Bowl XLIX proudly holds the place for the most-watched show on American television.
Bottom Line
With the leverage of knowing the Super Bowl facts, you are entirely ready to host the perfect Super Bowl party and enjoy The Big game without being on the sideline of the conversations.
Don’t forget to pass the information on to the next generations because now you have great Super Bowl facts for kids.
Sources:
- History
- History
- Distractify
- Time
- AS
- Dictionary
- Global Sport Matters
- Business Insider
- Seat Geek
- Bleacher Report
- Bloomberg
- Statista
- Statista
- County Living
- Florida Coin
- Bleacher Report
- Pro Football Hof
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Morning Consult
- Statista
- Morning Consult
- World Food Program USA
- Sporting News
- Stat Muse
- News Nation Now
- Sporting News
- Sportsnaut
- Sports Illustrated
- NFL
- NFL
- NBC Los Angeles
- CNBC
- Statista
- NBC Sports