The Superbowl is one of the most popular games each year. The Superbowl is the final game of the season, being the championship for that year’s National Football League (NFL) teams. Fans watch each game throughout the season in anticipation as to which team will have the best record and be able to battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy and Championship ring.
The first Superbowl was played on January 15, 1967 at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. It was not called the “Superbowl” though, it was known as the “AFL-NFL World Championship Game”. It was a collaboration between the NFL and American Football League (AFL). It showcased the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers. The NFL’s Packers went onto win the first and second Super Bowl games, leaving many to wonder if the AFL would be able to compete with the NFL. This doubt was put to an end in 1969 when the AFL’s New York Jets beat the Baltimore Colts. The “AFL-NFL World Championship Game’ was renamed the “Superbowl” in 1969. The AFL founder and Kansas City Chiefs owner, Lamar Hunt jokingly called the game “the Super Bowl ” after watching his children playing with a “super ball” toy. He took the “Super” from that toy along with “Bowl” in line with the college bowl games that were played at the end of the season. Although the name was a joke, it stuck and has been used since.
Each Superbowl game is given a Roman numeral to differentiate each year. Each Superbowl is held at the end of the football season. Each 17 week football season ends in January, being followed up by playoff games. The playoff games include the top four teams in each conference, competing for their spot in the Superbowl. In 1970, the AFL merged with the NFL, both taking on the NFL name. They were split into two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC). The Superbowl takes the highest ranked team of each conference to compete against each other.
The Superbowl, also known as Superbowl Sunday has become known for more than just the championship game for the NFL. Many people that do not watch a single football game throughout the season will get together with friends to watch this final game. Due to the high amount of viewers, advertisers have taken advantage and will pay a high price to have their advertisements aired throughout the game. The price for these 30 second commercials go up each year, with advertisers paying over $2 million. Superbowl commercials have become widely popular because they are normally when new ideas and concepts are revealed, along with outrageous and hilarious story lines. Who else can cash in on this “holiday”? The food and snack companies. Superbowl Sunday is the second largest day for food consumption, closely following Thanksgiving day. Although it is not turkey and ham being sold out of grocery stores, you will find special deals and empty shelves for chips, dips, pizza, beer and sodas. Many grocery stores will offer special deals on finger foods for the Superbowl weekend because of the high-demand for the Superbowl parties that will be thrown.
The Superbowl has come a long way from the first game. Many will enjoy the game, while many others tune in just to watch the wild commercials that will play. For whatever reason, millions of people gather on this day and celebrate the end of the football season and enjoy a wonderful spread of food and drinks.
