Every February, millions of TVs across the US switch to the biggest sports event in the country, Super Bowl Sunday. As the grand finale of the whole NFL regular season and playoffs, the league puts on a tremendous show each year.
To help get anyone with even a fleeting interest in the sport of American football ready for Super Bowl Sunday, we’ve answered a whole heap of questions and answers for the annual event and the upcoming Super Bowl LVII.
Here’s your definitive guide to the Super Bowl.
What is the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is the last game of the NFL season. It’s contested by the two teams that ranked well enough at the end of the regular season to make it into the playoffs and then defeated every team in the knockout-style rounds.
Each year, the Super Bowl is played by one team from the National Football Conference and one team from the American Football Conference.
Teams from either side of the National Football League, which is comprised of two conferences, are split into brackets for the playoffs. This way, the Super Bowl is always played for by an NFC team and an AFC team.
Many pundits and commentators talk about the Super Bowl as a huge, one-off event each year, and while it is made into a colossal spectacle, it’s a part of and the culmination of the annual NFL season.
The two teams will compete in one game that decides the winner of the season to be crowned Super Bowl winners and NFL champions. The winning team hoists the trophy and keeps the “champions” label for the year.
Where is the Super Bowl Held?
Long before the start of its corresponding season, the league will determine a venue at which the two finalist teams will compete for the Super Bowl.
Four teams have made it to the Super Bowl that was predetermined to be held in their region, but only the 2020 Buccaneers and 2021 Rams managed to win the big game on home soil.
In 2023, the Super Bowl will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Arizona is in the Mountain Standard Time zone (UTC-7).
When is the Super Bowl?
Since 2004, the Super Bowl has been held on a Sunday in February.
In 2023, the Super Bowl will be held on February 12, with kickoff scheduled for 16:30 MST.
What Do You Get for Winning the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl winners get to be named champions, hoist the trophy, get various contractual payouts for helping the team win the league’s ultimate prize, and get other payouts.
The Super Bowl LVII winners will reportedly receive $157,000 each, and the losing team’s players will receive over $80,000.
As well as these monetary rewards, winners also get a Super Bowl Ring from their teams – which are said to cost the franchise some $5 million to produce – and will visit the White House to meet the president of the United States.
What Happens if the Super Bowl Ends in a Tie?
The Super Bowl cannot end in a tie and will always be won by one of the teams. However, if the game is tied at the end of regulation (60 minutes), it goes to overtime.
In overtime, both teams will be able to possess the football once, regardless of who the coin flip gives the ball to first. If it remains a tie after a single possession each, it becomes a sudden-death game.
As many overtime periods as are needed to break the tie will be played, but only the 2017 Super Bowl has been decided in overtime in the NFL’s history.
What Teams are in the Super Bowl this Year?
The 2023 Super Bowl, also known as Super Bowl LVII, will be played by the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
What are the Odds for Super Bowl 2023?
The NFL odds for Super Bowl 2023 see the Philadelphia Eagles as the favourites at -125, while the Kansas City Chiefs are narrowly the underdogs at +105.
SUPER BOWL HERE WE COME
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 29, 2023
What is the Super Bowl Trophy Called?
The Super Bowl trophy is called the Vince Lombardi Trophy, or just the “Lombardi Trophy,” for short.
The 22-inch, 7-lb trophy is made of sterling silver and is named after Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi who steered the team to victory in the first two Super Bowl games.
What is the Super Bowl Era?
The Super Bowl Era is the period of the NFL from 1967 to the present season, but the first instalments of the Super Bowl were only named as such after a retroactive change.
It came out of a merger between the NFL and AFL in 1966, which was finalized in 1970, with the first such championship game competed between the two leagues being in 1967 – called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game.
In 1969, the first championship game to be called the “Super Bowl” took place, but the Super Bowl Era is considered to have started with the 1967 championship game.
What is the Super Bowl MVP Award?
The Super Bowl MVP Award is given to the player deemed to be the most valuable on the field for just the Super Bowl game. It isn’t to be confused with the AP NFL MVP Award, which is based on regular season efforts.
For Super Bowl LVII, the two quarterbacks, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes, lead the odds for the Super Bowl MVP Award at +120. Next in the odds is tight end Travis Kelce of the Chiefs at +1300.
Von Miller: Super Bowl MVP
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 8, 2016
He becomes the 4th LB to do so (Malcolm Smith, Ray Lewis, Chuck Howley) pic.twitter.com/SOZ1OdKiTx
Why Does the Super Bowl have Roman Numerals?
The Super Bowl has Roman numerals attached to its name because the season finale always takes place in the new year.
So, it’s a way to keep track of what Super Bowl is being competed for without using a cross-year date system, such as 2020/21 for Super Bowl LV.
What is the Number of Super Bowl 2023?
The number of Super Bowl 2023 is LVII.
What is the Super Bowl Halftime Show?
The Super Bowl Halftime Show is one of the major draws for viewers who wouldn’t instinctively want to watch the Super Bowl for the football as it brings in major recording artists to perform.
The time frame between the second and third period of the Super Bowl used to stage college bands and variety acts for the crowd, but in the 90s, the league started to bring in popular musicians like New Kids on the Block, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, and Stevie Wonder.
What is the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show?
Performing at halftime at State Farm Stadium in Arizona is Rihanna, who will be headlining the famous Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2023.
In recent years, headline artists have also been accompanied by surprise or special guests. Many assume that Rihanna will follow suit for her Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show.
— Rihanna (@rihanna) September 25, 2022
What Team Has Won the Most Super Bowls?
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowls at six NFL championships each.
Close behind the Patriots and the Steelers are the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys: both teams have five Super Bowls and featured in this year’s postseason.
Which Player has Won the Most Super Bowls?
Tom Brady has won the most Super Bowls, now boasting seven Super Bowl rings.
The quarterback won his first Super Bowl in 2002 with the New England Patriots and added Super Bowl Rings as the team’s quarterback in 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019.
In 2021, as the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady added his seventh Super Bowl triumph.
Which Coach has Won the Most Super Bowls?
Bill Belichick is the NFL head coach with the most Super Bowl wins.
Always as the coach of the New England Patriots for his triumphs, Belichick has gone to the Super Bowl nine times and won the big game six times.
Belichick’s first Super Bowl win came in 2002, with his most recent ring coming in 2019.
Why Do Players Throw Gatorade on Their Coach at the Super Bowl?
The “Gatorade Shower” is a tradition said to have taken root in the 1986 Super Bowl, when the coach of the New York Giants, Bill Parcells, had a cooler of Gatorade thrown over him by his championship-winning players.
It’s now commonplace to see players give their coaches a “Gatorade Dunk” when they win their league’s championship in US sports, and some bookmakers will offer odds on the colour of the Gatorade set to shower the winning coach.
What is the Best Super Bowl Game of All Time?
Every Super Bowl has its merits, from the stories that have unfolded during the season to the incredible performances on the night.
However, one of the best from an entertainment point of view has to be Super Bowl LVI. It saw the New England Patriots come back from 28-3 down in the third quarter to win 34-28 in overtime.
Another would be the New York Giants’ 17-14 win over the Patriots at Super Bowl XLII, which has long been seen as one of the greatest upsets in the sport’s history and witnessed the infamous “Helmet Catch.”
Why is the Super Bowl Played on a Sunday Night?
Super Bowls continue to be played on Sundays because the league still sees Sunday as the best day to get the most viewers. The term “Super Bowl Sunday” has also become ingrained in American pop culture, helping its branding.
Why is it Called the Super Bowl?
When the NFL and AFL merged, the game was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game.
The name didn’t stick too well, so the league eventually changed the game’s name retroactively to the “Super Bowl” after Lamar Hunt, owner of the Chiefs, suggested the name.
The biggest game in the National Football League was named by none other than our founder, Lamar Hunt. pic.twitter.com/bCAiPCvtKJ
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 4, 2023
How Many People Watch the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl Sunday is one of the biggest television events in the US, peaking at over 114 million viewers in the country for the 2014 Super Bowl – contested by the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
Since 2006, every Super Bowl has reportedly had over 90 million TV viewers in the US. While the NFL is growing its footprint in countries like the UK, Germany, and Mexico, Super Bowl viewership overseas remains relatively low.
The 2021 broadcast of the Super Bowl reportedly drew in a high of 4 million viewers in the UK across free-to-view TV and premium channels.
How Much Do Super Bowl Commercials Cost?
NBC reported that its 30-second ad slots would cost up to $7 million in 2022 for placements during the Super Bowl.
With some 100 million viewers for the Super Bowl, broadcasting companies charge hefty sums for commercial spots throughout the game and around its programming.
Now, the commercials are seen as a highlight of Super Bowl Sunday, with companies going all-in on big reveals and important trailers for the show.
The Super Bowl has been made into one of the biggest sporting events of each year and will continue to be a massive draw for football fans and entertainment-seekers alike.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 6th February 2023
