Get ready for Super Bowl LIII! Millions of people will gather around their television screens to settle in for one of the biggest sports events of the year as football aficionados across the nation and beyond will watch the New England Patriots face the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta.
As fans prepare for the game, are you up to date on your football trivia? We’ve compiled a list of quirky and historical facts to study up on before the big game!
- The Super Bowl was created after the NFL and AFL merged. Together they decided there had to be a championship game.
- The founder of the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Hunt, came up with the championship name after watching kids play with a bouncy toy called “Super Ball.”
- The first ever Super Bowl game was played on January 15th, 1967. The Kansas City Chiefs played against the Green Bay Packers. The game ended with a 35-10 victory for the Packers. However, the game failed to sell out as the $6, $10, $12 and $15 tickets were considered “overpriced”. Fast forward to present day and the cheapest ticket available runs around $3000.
- The ball is made by hand in the US by Wilson craftsmen and the process takes 25 steps.
- Each team gets 108 balls, 54 for practice and 54 for the game.
- Every player gets a car for the week.
- Halftime performers do not get paid as the exposure they get is worth millions. Sometimes this show has better ratings than the game itself.
- There are no e-tickets, just paper tickets.
- Every single Super Bowl football has these words “Commissioner” “Wilson” and “made in the USA”.
- While the audience enjoys the half time show, the players exercise and rest.
- The ball on the Lombardi Trophy is the exact size of the official “The Duke” football. The silver Championship Trophy is made by Tiffany & Co and weighs 7 pounds.
- The families of players get a lot of perks during the weekend, such as luxury hotels, loaner cars and attendance to exclusive events.
- Corporate sponsors host parties during the week before the Super Bowl. Some events are open to the public, but the average ticket cost ends up around $2000.
- The price for an Ad during Super Bowl is crazy expensive!! A 30 second Ad costs around $4.5 million. To date, the most expensive Ad was in 2011 for Chrysler which cost $12.4 million.
- The coin used during the flip is not an ordinary coin. Each game gets its own unique coin crafted by Highland Mint. On the front are the Lombardi Trophy and the helmets of each the teams playing.
- There are 13 teams that have never won a Super Bowl.
- Excluding Thanksgiving, Americans consume more food during Super Bowl than any other day.
- The game is broadcast in 34 languages.
- Super Bowl LIII will have the oldest and youngest coach playing against each other.
So how many facts did you know? As the tradition continues, whether you’re a hardcore fan or just tuning in for the halftime show, we truly hope you enjoy Super Bowl Sunday!