The Super Bowl is one of the most popular sporting events in the US. It is the final playoff game of the NFL (National Football League). The game decides the winner of the tournament. From 2022, the game is being played on the second Sunday in February.
The winners are given the Vince Lombardi trophy (named after the famous coach who won the first two championships). The game is the top sporting event in the world and has the highest audience for TV broadcasts.
This guide will tell you all you want to know about this popular annual football event.
Guide to the Super Bowl
a) The History
The two key football leagues in the US were the NFL and the AFL (American Football League). In 1961, it was proposed to have a playoff game between the NFL and AFL champion teams. Lamar Hunt, the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs AFL team was the first to use the term ‘Super Bowl’ to refer to this game.
While the game was officially called the AFL-NFL championship, it began to be called the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl’s origin thus traces back to 1966. Each year’s Super Bowl is numbered serially and roman numerals are used. The only exception was 2016 when it was named Super Bowl 5.
The 2022 event was called Super Bowl LVII and the next year’s event will be Super Bowl LVIII. From its origin until 2002, Super Bowl was held in January. Due to 9/11, the game was postponed to February. Since 2004, the game is held on the first Sunday of February. From 2021, it was moved to the second Sunday.
b) The Venue
The Super Bowl is not held at any single venue but is held at different venues. The NFL team owners meet to decide the venue for the game. The venue is usually decided 3 or 5 years before the actual date. Every year, apart from the main venue, a backup venue is also chosen.
The Miami Metropolitan region has hosted 11 games while New Orleans has hosted 10 games. Greater Los Angeles has hosted 8 games. The first Super Bowl was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Louisiana Superdome (now known as Caesars Superdome), New Orleans and Hard Rock Stadium, and Miami Gardens have hosted six finals each. The Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, and Rose Bowl, Pasadena have hosted five finals each.
c) The Teams
The top teams of the NFL meet for the playoff in the Super Bowl game. There are a total of 32 clubs that participate in the NFL. The clubs have a franchise that covers their home area. Within that area, they host all professional football games. The teams are organized into two conferences known as American Football Conference and National Football Conference.
Within the Conference, the teams are grouped into four divisions each – East, West, North, and South.
The list of teams is as follows:
American Football Conference
- East
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
- North
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- South
- Houston Texas
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
- West
- Denver Broncos
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
National Football Conference
- East
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
- North
- Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
- South
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- West
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
The games are played in a preseason lasting 3 weeks followed by the regular season for 18 weeks. The playoffs are then held with the 14 top teams. The season ends with the Super Bowl where the two top teams meet to decide the winner of the league for the year.
New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers have won the Super Bowl 6 times each, which is a record. Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have won 5 times each. Green Bay Packers and New York Giants have won 4 times each.
d) Trivia
- The television rights for the Super Bowl are rotated between the top TV networks ABC, Fox, NBC, and CBS. The games are also available for online viewing.
- Super Bowl XLIX has the record for the highest viewed game with 114.4 million people watching.
- The halftime show entertainment program has become as famous as the game itself. Top artists perform at the event, attracting numerous viewers.
- In Super Bowl LV, Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the distinction of being the only team to play in their own home stadium.
