What is the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is the annual play-off championship game of the NFL (National Football League) the elite level of the sport known as American Football.
It is contested between the winners of National (NFC) and American Football Conferences (AFC) and usually takes place on the first weekend in February.
Popularity
The Super Bowl is the most watched television broadcast in the United States every year, and one of the most watched annually. It is broadcast in over 130 countries and in more than 30 languages, although its audience remains predominantly North American.
In 2017, the number of people who watched it peaked at 172 million.
Only the Olympics and World Cups draw a bigger viewing audience for a sporting event.
Why is it so popular?
The primary reason for its popularity, especially in the United States, equates with the popularity of the sport itself. Despite the attraction of other sports like ice hockey, baseball, basketball and the growing appeal of soccer, American football – or grid iron as it is sometimes known – is by far the most watched and followed sport in America.
Even college games can attract crowds in the tens of thousands and television viewers in the millions
The NFL is trying to grow its global footprint by staging games in England, France, Germany and Mexico, but for the most part, American football – a combination of rugby and soccer – remains a quintessentially American pastime.
It is a cultural as well as sporting event
The Super Bowl is as much a cultural as it is a sporting event. Millions of Americans will join Super Bowl parties with families and friends where they will drink beer and eat hot dogs. And because the game is played on a Sunday, when most people do not work, it is a great excuse from them to let their hair down and relax.
It has now become as much a part of the American cultural landscape as the 4th of July or Thanksgiving.
The Razz-Ma-Tazz
The Super Bowl is designed to be a spectacle from start to finish. From the dancing bands to cavorting cheerleaders, from the singing of the Star Spangled Banner by a major star to the pyrotechnics at the end, the whole evening is a combined assault on the senses. No wonder that some people call it the “Greatest Show on Earth.”
The half-time show
Even those who have no interest in football will watch the Super Bowl for the half-time show. In fact, statistics show that 9% of viewers only tune in for the musical interlude.
Over the years some of the biggest names in music have appeared in the half-time interval of a Super Bowl including Michael Jackson, Prince, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Beyonce.
And when Janet Jackson had a wardrobe malfunction when her left breast was briefly exposed by Justin Timberlake in Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 it made headlines around the world.
The adverts
For American TV viewers at least, the adverts are part of the tradition of the Super Bowl. That is because it is the most coveted of commercial spots every year, with the cost of running a30 second ad reported at US $5 million. To make sure they get their money’s worth no expense is spared by major sponsors like Coca Cola.
But the pay-off for those who secure one of the spots during the game or half-time break is normally a substantial boost in product sales.
The broadcasters love it
For traditional network broadcasters live sporting events have become increasingly important to their business model. In an age of cable and subscription TV and increasing dilution of the audience on traditional platforms, an event like the Super Bowl is one of the few events guaranteed to have mass viewership at a specific time. No wonder the NFL signed a 11 year media right deal with a conglomerate of broadcasters in 2021 worth US $110 billion.
The grandstand finishes
The Super Bowl has produced more than its fair share of grandstand finishers over the years.
Arguably the most dramatic came in Super Bowl LI in 2017, when the Atlanta Falcons led the New England Patriots by 21 – 3 at half-time. No team had ever overturned a double-digit half-time deficit to win the Super Bowl, but, inspired by their legendary quarter-back Tom Brady, the Patriots forced the game into overtime, and then won it with a touchdown.
The Tom Brady Show
In fact the Super Bowl could almost be named the Tom Brady show. Not only did he win six Super Bowl rings with the Patriots and was named MVP on four times, but, when his contract ended and he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent, he went on to win it for a seventh time with his new franchise at the age of 43. And, needless to say, he was named MVP for a fifth time.
