The Super Bowl is the National Football League’s (NFL) championship game, and it is regarded as the pinnacle of achievement in American gridiron football. The Super Bowl is always played on a Sunday, hence the name Super Bowl Sunday, and is held at the end of the football season in January or February each year. It has the highest viewership of any annual sporting event in the United States, as well as the second-highest worldwide.
History:
The Super Bowl is the National Football League’s (NFL’s) championship game. It marks the culmination of a season and is the final professional game played until the following season. The champions of the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC) face off in a winner-take-all game. The NFL Playoffs, which include seven teams from each conference, determine the conference champions.
Since 1967, the Super Bowl has been played once a year. The winner receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the first two Super Bowls’ coach, Vince Lombardi. The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl victories with six each. The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars are the only NFL teams to have never won a Super Bowl.
The most recent one was Super Bowl LVII, which took place on February 12, 2023 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles with a score of 38–35.
Super Bowls are usually the most watched television broadcasts in the United States. It is frequently watched by more than 100 million people. The game has also evolved into one of America’s most important unofficial holidays, with many people throwing or attending Super Bowl parties.
The halftime show is a crucial part of the Super Bowl experience. It usually includes prominent musical artists. Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, and Justin Timberlake have all performed at halftime in the past.
When and where the Super Bowl is played?
The Super Bowl is held the second Sunday of February. It was played on the first Sunday of February from 2004 to 2021, but was moved back a week when an additional game was added to the regular season schedule. The game is always played at a stadium that is picked before the season begins.
How do football teams qualify for Super Bowl?
To be eligible for the Super Bowl, a club must win its conference championship. The AFC and NFC conferences each send one team from their respective playoff brackets to the Super Bowl. To qualify for the playoffs, a team must first win its division, and the conference bracket includes an additional three teams with the best records in their conference (wild cards). A team has to go through three single-elimination rounds to win the conference and earn a position in the Super Bowl.
Fun Facts:
- The only global sporting event to outperform the Super Bowl in terms of viewing is the UEFA Champions League final, a European soccer game.
- Nine out of ten of the most-watched TV events in America were Super Bowl games. The only exception was the last episode of the TV show M*A*S*H.
- Former football players or other famous personalities are generally honoured with the coin toss.
- In 1967, the average Super Bowl ticket cost only $10. The same ticket would now cost $5,000!
- The Super Bowl is not seen by everyone. Because so many football fans pack stadiums or stay at home to watch the game, others who aren’t fans often take advantage of the absence of crowds and go shopping as a Super Bowl Sunday tradition.
- Super Bowl ads have become a big and pricey deal. In 1967, a commercial during the Super Bowl cost $40,000. But by 2015, that same commercial time had shot up to $5 million.
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