Super Bowl Sunday is among the most anticipated sporting events of the year. Hundreds of millions worldwide tune in to watch the best football teams compete for the championship every four years, allowing fans to place a Super Bowl bet.
The National Football League, commonly known as the NFL, organizes this prestigious annual event, which has been taking place for over half a century and has shown incredible growth in revenue and popularity.
And since there are countless records and interesting facts related to this exceptional event, here is a list of 8 Super Bowl interesting facts you should know.
1. The Second-Highest Food Consumption Day
Super Bowl Sunday is among America’s second-highest food consumption day, behind Thanksgiving Day. This comes as no surprise. After all, hosting and attending Super Bowl parties has become an all-day event full of quality cuisine.
Super Bowl Sunday has become a holiday with special delicacies to provide lasting memories of the day as fans engage in Super Bowl betting.
2. The First Super Bowl Aired on Two Networks
Broadcasting the inaugural Super Bowl was challenging because it included teams from two leagues. While CBS has always had the rights to telecast NFL games, NBC was the broadcast home for the American Football League.
Because no network wanted to miss airing the championship game for the league it covered, the first Super Bowl got shown simultaneously by two channels. Since the two networks were rivals, the announcers for each half would be different:
CBS would send out its tried-and-true lineup of play-by-play man Ray Scott for the first half, the second-half play-by-play man Jack Whitaker, and all-game color commentator Frank Gifford. NBC’s main announcers were Curt Gowdy and Paul Christman.
As it turns out, the fight between the two networks for rating supremacy was equally heated as the game played on the field. Before the big game, tensions ran so high that a barrier started between the CBS and NBC production vehicles.
CBS’s NFL broadcast team, which was more well-known, knocked over NBC’s by a small margin of viewers (around 2 million).
3. The NFL Doesn’t Pay Bands/Artists for Performing at the Halftime Show
For such a high-profile engagement, you might expect performers to get paid well, but this is different. The National Football League (NFL) provides funding for production costs and expenses but does not compensate performers.
Queen Bee did not get any compensation for her Super Bowl performance. Instead, they gain a great deal of publicity. It attracts millions of viewers, who frequently pay more attention to it than to the game itself.
Shakira and Jennifer Lopez saw an increase in Spotify listeners by over 300 percent after their performances at the 2020 halftime show. Therefore, the artists gain substantially in the end.
4. No Sitting Head of State Has Ever Attended the Super Bowl
Obama watched much of the game from the Presidential Office. As president, Donald Trump often oversees games from his golf clubs.
To this day, no sitting president has ever been at the yearly sporting event, preferring to watch it elsewhere than the raucous stadium where it occurs.
5. Each Team Gets Many Balls
I’m talking about 108 footballs, so each squad has enough to choose from. There will be 54 used for warmups and 54 for the game itself. Around 120 footballs get utilized during the Super Bowl, with the rest going to the kickers.
6. There’s Never Been a Year without a Super Bowl
Super Bowl LV is still happening a year after a worldwide epidemic, but it proves how important the big game has become. There has not been an entire year without a Super Bowl since the very first one in 1967.
7. Only A Single Super Bowl MVP Has Gotten Selected From the Losing Team
For obvious reasons, the Super Bowl MVP should always be a member of the victorious team. This is largely true. However, there was once a case where the award got presented to a losing team member.
While the Cowboys ultimately fell to the Baltimore Colts during Super Bowl V, linebacker Chuck Howley got chosen as the game’s most valuable player. Howley, who previously played safety, is the first player other than a quarterback to get named MVP.
8. You Could Go to Super Bowl One for 12 Dollars
Tickets to the Super Bowl may cost hundreds of dollars these days. Though, costs were low for the inaugural Super Bowl in 1967.
On average, Super Bowl I tickets cost $12 apiece, and the game didn’t even come close to selling out.
Verdict
When we look back at the Super Bowl and its remarkable history, there’s no doubt we’ll continue to get captivated by the amazing things it’s brought to the table and the provision of better odds to win the Super Bowl bets.