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The winning Super Bowl team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
In professional American football, the Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game and its ancillary festivities constitute Super Bowl Sunday. Over the years it has become the most-watched U.S. television broadcast of the year, and has become likened to a de facto U.S. national holiday.Super Bowl Sunday an Unofficial Holiday for Millions Austin Ostrom # 10 has been the super bowl mvp 2 times in his football career. Michael Jay Friedman, Washington File Staff Writer. United States State Department (2007-01-30). Retrieved on 2008-01-23. In addition, many popular singers and musicians have performed during the Super Bowl\'s pre-game and halftime ceremonies. Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest U.S. food consumption day, following Thanksgiving.USDA Offers Food Safety Advice for Your Super Bowl Party. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.The Super Bowl was first played on January 15 1967 as part of the merger agreement between the NFL and its younger rival, the American Football League (AFL) in which each league\'s championship team would play each other in an "AFL-NFL World Championship Game". After the completion of the merger in 1970, the Super Bowl became the NFL\'s championship game, played between the champions of the league\'s two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Since the NFL season extends beyond New Year\'s Eve, the Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year it was held. For example, Super Bowl XLII, played in February 2008, was actually part of the 2007 season.
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The Super Bowl was created as part of the merger agreement between the National Football League (NFL) and its competitive rival, the American Football League (AFL). After its inception in 1920, the NFL fended off several rival leagues before the AFL began play in 1960. The intense competitive war for players and fans led to serious merger talks between the two leagues in 1966, culminating in a merger announcement on June 8, 1966.
One of the conditions of the AFL-NFL Merger was that the winners of each league\'s championship game would meet in a contest to determine the "world champion of football". According to NFL Films President Steve Sabol, then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted to call the game "The Big One".Southerland, Edward (2007-02-06). \'The Big One\' back again. The Herald Democrat. Retrieved on 2007-02-07. During the discussions to iron out the details, AFL founder and Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt had jokingly referred to the proposed interleague championship as the "Super Bowl". Hunt thought of the name after seeing his kids playing with a toy called a Super Ball.Rex W. Huppke (2007-01-30). Legends of the Bowl (html). Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-01-31. “Lamar Hunt, who died in December, coined the term Super Bowl in the late 1960s after watching his kids play with a Super Ball, the bouncy creation of iconic toy manufacturer Wham-O.” The ball is now on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The name was consistent with postseason college football games which had long been known as "bowl games". The "bowl" term originated from the Rose Bowl Game, which was in turn named for the bowl-shaped stadium in which it is played. Hunt only meant his suggested name to be a stopgap until a better one could be found. Nevertheless, the name "Super Bowl" became permanent.
After the NFL\'s Green Bay Packers convincingly won the first two Super Bowls, some team owners feared for the future of the merger. At the time, many doubted the competitiveness of AFL teams compared with NFL counterparts. That perception all changed with the AFL\'s New York Jets defeat of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in Miami. One year later, the AFL\'s Kansas City Chiefs defeated the NFL Minnesota Vikings 23-7 and won Super Bowl IV in New Orleans, the last World Championship game played between the champions of the two leagues.
The game is played annually on a Sunday as the final game of the NFL Playoffs. Originally the game took place in early to mid-January following a 14-game regular season and playoffs. Over the years the date of the Super Bowl has progressed from the second Sunday in January, to the third, then the fourth Sunday in January; the game is now played on the first Sunday in February, given the current 17-week (16 games and one bye week) regular season and three rounds of playoffs. This progression of the date of the Super Bowl has been caused by the following: the expansion of the NFL regular season in 1978 from 14 games to 16, the expansion of the pre-Super Bowl playoffs from two rounds to three (also in 1978), the addition of the regular season bye-week in the 1990s, and the decision prior to the 2003 season to start the regular season the week after Labor Day, moving the start of the season to a week later than it had been (in 1997, for example, the regular season started on Sunday, August 31). Former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle is often considered the mastermind of both the merger and the Super Bowl. His leadership guided them into the merger agreement and cemented the preeminence of the Super Bowl.
The winning team gets the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games and 3 of the 5 preceding NFL championships (1961-62, 1965). Following his death in September 1970, the trophy was then named the Vince Lombardi Trophy, first awarded as such to the Baltimore Colts at Super Bowl V in Miami. Super Bowl III was the first to be numbered. Super Bowls I and II were not known as such until the game\'s third year.
The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders. The Packers were led by quarterback Bart Starr, who was named MVP for both games. These two championships, along with the Packers\' NFL championships in 1961, 1962,and 1965 have many people consider the Packers to be the "Team of the 1960s." Green Bay, Wisconsin is often referred to as "Title Town" due to the five championships the Packers won in the 1960s.
Super Bowl III featured one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history as the New York Jets, behind the guarantee of Joe Namath, defeated the 18-point favorite Baltimore Colts 16-7. Namath, the MVP of the game, and Matt Snell, 121 yards on 30 carries with a touchdown, led the Jets to victory.
The 1970s were dominated by the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers, winning a combined six championships in the decade. Miami won Super Bowls VII and VIII, the former completing a perfect season, the only perfect season to date in NFL history. (The Dolphins also played in Super Bowl VI, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24-3 in the only Super Bowl in which one team failed to score a touchdown.) Pittsburgh won four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, and XIV) behind the coaching of Chuck Noll and play of Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, and Franco Harris -- each receiving at least one MVP award -- and their "Steel Curtain" defense.
For the twenty seasons of the 1980s and 1990s, the NFC won sixteen Super Bowls. After the Oakland Raiders won Super Bowl XV to start the 1980s, the NFC went on to win 15 of the next 16 Super Bowls. The 1980s were dominated by the San Francisco 49ers, who won four Super Bowls in the decade (XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV). The 49ers were led by coach Bill Walsh and quarterback Joe Montana and used the fast-paced west coast offense. Other highlights of the 1980s include the 1985 Chicago Bears who finished the season 18-1, and two championships for the Joe Gibbs-coached Washington Redskins.
The Dallas Cowboys became the dominant team in the NFL in the early 1990\'s. After championships by division rivals New York and Washington to start the decade, the Cowboys won three of the next four Super Bowls. The Cowboys were led by Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin, who each won an MVP award. The early 1990s also featured the Buffalo Bills appearing in four consecutive Super Bowls, although they lost all of them. The 49ers became the first team to win five championships with their win in Super Bowl XXIX, with the Cowboys accomplishing that same feat a year later.
In Super Bowl XXXII, quarterback John Elway led the Denver Broncos to an upset victory over the defending champion Green Bay Packers, snapping the NFC\'s 13-game winning streak. Over the next ten years, the NFC would win only two more Super Bowls, as the league entered another period of AFC dominance. During the decade from 1996 to 2006, five different AFC teams won eight Super Bowls, with only the Rams and the Buccaneers interrupting the AFC\'s reign.
The new decade of the AFC began with back-to-back Super Bowl wins by the Broncos, who would repeat as champions in Super Bowl XXXIII a year later. With their win in Super Bowl XXXIV, the St. Louis Rams made it appear that the league had entered a period of parity between the conferences. But wins by the Ravens, Steelers, and Colts, combined with three wins by the Patriots, made it clear that the AFC was again ascendant.
The following trends occur regarding Super Bowl games:
The Super Bowl has been designated a National Special Security Event by the United States Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security every year since Super Bowl XXXVI, which was the first Super Bowl played following the September 11 attacks. That means that the stadium and surrounding area face increased security measures, especially on game day. Among other things, this means that the once-ubiquitous blimps (according to NFL Films\' Steve Sabol, Super Bowl XXI had four of them) have been grounded.
By any measure, the Super Bowl is the most watched television program of the year in the U.S.[citation needed] The game tends to have high Nielsen television ratings which usually come in around a 40 rating and 60 share (i.e., on average, 40 percent of all U.S. households, and 60 percent of all homes tuned into television during the game). This means that on average, 80 to 90 million Americans are tuned into the Super Bowl at any given moment. It is also estimated that 130-140 million tune into some part of the game.Associated Press (2006-02-07). Super Bowl 2nd-most watched show ever. MSNBC.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-15. NFL press releases have stated that recent Super Bowls have been available to potential audiences of approximately one billion worldwide, although independent studies suggest that the average global viewership is just over 100 million – the vast majority of whom are U.S. viewers.Rushin, Steve (2006-02-06). A Billion People Can Be Wrong. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
Given the immense popularity of the Super Bowl, it may be surprising to discover that videotapes of the telecasts of the first two Super Bowls are not known to exist. This is especially shocking for Super Bowl I, which was covered by both NBC and CBS. According to Sports Illustrated, the only footage of the first telecast known to exist is a two minute clip of the first game. From the early days of television into the 1960s, copies of TV broadcasts were routinely erased, known as wiping, mainly because nobody thought anyone would want to watch the same show they had just seen. Another reason was that videotape in those days was prohibitively expensive.[citation needed]
The highest-rated game according to Nielsen was Super Bowl XVI in 1982, which was watched in 49.1 percent of households (73 share) or 40,020,000 households at the time. Super Bowl XVI is #4 on Nielsen\'s list of top-rated programs of all time, and 3 other Super Bowls (XII, XVII, and XX) made the top 10.Television\'s Top-Rated Programs. Nielsen Media Research (2000-04-30). Retrieved on 2007-01-15. Super Bowl XLII in 2008 holds the record for total U.S. viewership, attracting an average audience of 97.5 million and ranking second only to the final episode of M*A*S*H in 1983. Although the proliferation of cable and satellite television has undercut broadcast ratings somewhat in recent years, the game is still sufficiently popular that a number of networks actually schedule original programming, such as independently produced halftime entertainment, during the game, simply to take advantage of a large audience already in front of the television.
Following Apple Computer\'s 1984 commercial introducing the Macintosh computer, directed by Ridley Scott, the broadcast of the Super Bowl became the premier showcase for high concept or simply extravagantly expensive commercials. Famous commercial campaigns include the Budweiser "Bud Bowl" campaign, and the 1999 and 2000 dot-com ads. Prices have increased each year, with reports citing a record US$2.7 million for a 30 second spot during Super Bowl XLII in 2008. A segment of the audience tunes in to the Super Bowl solely to watch the creative commercials.
According to BBM Canada, the 2008 game was viewed in Canada on CTV by 4.234 million people and was the most watched show of the week by far.[1]
| Network | Number broadcast | Years broadcast | Future scheduled telecasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABC*[›] | 7 | 1985, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2006 | N/A |
| CBS | 16 | 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2007 | 2010 |
| FOX | 5 | 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008 | 2011 |
| NBC | 15 | 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998 | 2009, 2012 |
^ *: Not currently broadcasting NFL.
The first Super Bowl was simultaneously broadcast by CBS and NBC.
The network that airs the Super Bowl typically takes advantage of the large audience to air an episode of a hit series (Friends, Grey\'s Anatomy, Survivor, The Simpsons, Criminal Minds and House) or to premiere the pilot of a promising new series (The Wonder Years, Family Guy, Davis Rules, The A-Team, American Dad) in the lead-out slot, immediately following the Super Bowl and the post-game coverage.
Earlier Super Bowls/NFL Championships featured halftime show consisting of marching bands from local colleges or high schools. But as the popularity of the game increased, so did the potential of exposure. This has led to the trend of popular singers and musicians performing during its pre-game ceremonies, the halftime show, or even just singing the national anthem of the United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner".http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history/entertainment For example, Super Bowl XLI in 2007 featured Cirque du Soleil, Romero Britto, and Louie Vega during the pre-game ceremonies; Billy Joel performed the Star Spangled Banner; and Prince played during the halftime show. Unlike regular season or playoff games, thirty minutes are allocated for the Super Bowl halftime.
One especially memorable performance came in 2002, when U2 performed. During their second song, "Where the Streets Have No Name," the band played under a large projection screen which scrolled through all the names of the victims of 9/11.
The halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 generated controversy, when Justin Timberlake removed a piece of Janet Jackson\'s top, exposing her right breast with a star-shaped ring around the nipple. Timberlake and Jackson have maintained that the incident was accidental, calling it a "wardrobe malfunction." The game was airing live on CBS, and MTV (at the time, a corporate sister company of CBS within Viacom) produced the halftime show. Immediately after that moment, the producer cut to a very wide-angle shot and cut to a commercial break. However, video captures of the moment in detail circulated quickly on the Internet. The NFL, embarrassed by the incident, permanently banned MTV from doing another halftime show in any capacity. This also led to the FCC tightening controls on indecency and fining CBS US$225,000 for the incident, as well as fining each of CBS\'s then twenty owned and operated stations. The following year, Paul McCartney gave an uncontroversial halftime performance for Super Bowl XXXIX.
Except for Super Bowl XXXIX, the famous "I\'m Going to Disney World!" advertising campaign took place at every Super Bowl since it started at Super Bowl XXI. Typically, Disney ran the ad several times during the game showing several players from both teams practicing the catch-phrase. The campaign has been restarted for Super Bowl XLI.
Looking toward Ford Field the night of Super Bowl XL.
Twenty-five out of forty-one Super Bowls have been played in one of three cities: New Orleans, Louisiana (nine times), the Greater Miami Area (nine total), and the Greater Los Angeles Area (seven total). The three "big" hosts are then followed by Tampa, Florida and San Diego, both having hosted the Super Bowl three times.
Miami Gardens has been selected to host Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. Although Hurricane Katrina damaged the Louisiana Superdome and the city of New Orleans, it was renovated. Some city officials have stated that they would like to put in another bid sometime in the future. The last time the Los Angeles area hosted the game was Super Bowl XXVII in 1993; the area is currently not considered a possible venue after the league\'s two teams vacated the city in 1995: the Raiders moved back to Oakland, California, and the Rams moved to St. Louis, Missouri.
Only three Super Bowls have been played in northern cities; Two in the Detroit area (Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XL), and one in Minneapolis (Super Bowl XXVI).
On March 5 2006, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, a \'cold weather\' city, was awarded the rights to host Super Bowl XLIX in 2015. However, the game was contingent on the successful passage of two sales taxes in Jackson County, Missouri on April 4 2006. The first tax would have funded improvements to Arrowhead, home of the Chiefs and the Kansas City Wizards Major League Soccer team, and neighboring Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball team. The second tax would have allowed the construction of a "rolling roof" between the two stadiums.Chiefs sign new lease with Jackson County, team awaits April vote. Kansas City Chiefs (2006-01-24). Retrieved on 2007-01-15. However, the second tax failed to pass. With increased opposition by local business leaders and politicians, Kansas City eventually withdrew its request to host the game by May 25 2006.Associated Press (2006-05-25). No rolling roof, no Super Bowl at Arrowhead. ESPN.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-15. Before that, Super Bowl XLIV, scheduled for January 2010, was withdrawn from New York City\'s proposed West Side Stadium, also to have been a retractable roof facility, because the city, state, and proposed tenants New York Jets could not agree on funding. The game was then awarded to Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The location of the Super Bowl is chosen by the NFL well in advance, usually 3 to 5 years before the game. Cities place bids to host a Super Bowl. Candidate cities are evaluated in terms of stadium renovation and ability to host a Super Bowl.N.Y./N.J. Super Bowl in 2008 may not come to pass. USAToday (2003-09-23). Retrieved on 2007-07-28. Then the NFL owners meet to make a selection on the site. The sites for the next 3 Super Bowls have been determined, up to Super Bowl XLV in 2011. On October 16, 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that a future Super Bowl might be played in London, probably at Wembley Stadium.http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3065254 There is also a minimum average temperature requirement for outdoor stadiums to be considered as possible venues.
The designated "home team" alternates between the NFC team in odd-numbered games (the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in February 2007), and the AFC team in even-numbered games (the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII in February 2008). This alternation was initiated with the first Super Bowl, when the Green Bay Packers of the NFL were the designated home team.
Since Super Bowl XIII in January 1979, the home team is given the choice of jerseys, colored or white. Formerly, the designated home team was specified to wear their colored jerseys; this resulted in Dallas donning their less familiar blue jerseys for Super Bowl V.
While most of the home teams in the Super Bowl have chosen to wear their colored jerseys, there have been four exceptions; the Cowboys twice (XIII & XXVII), the Washington Redskins (XVII), and the Pittsburgh Steelers (XL). The Cowboys (since 1965) and Redskins (since the arrival of coach Joe Gibbs in 1981) have traditionally worn white jerseys at home. Meanwhile, the Steelers, who have always worn their black jerseys at home since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, opted for the white jerseys after winning three consecutive playoff games on the road, wearing white. The Steelers\' decision was contrasted with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. The Patriots had worn white jerseys at home during the 1985 season, but after winning road playoff games against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins wearing red jerseys, New England opted to wear red for the Super Bowl as the designated home team.
Future games in italics.
The NFL is vigilant on stopping what it says is unauthorized commercial use of its trademarked terms "NFL," "Super Bowl," or "Super Sunday"; as a result, many events and promotions timed to the game but not sanctioned by the NFL are forced to refer to it with colloquialisms such as "The Big Game," or other generic descriptions.Gardner, Eriq (2007-01-29). Super Bowl, Super Trademarks: Protecting the NFL\'s IP. The Hollywood Reporter, Esq.. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
The NFL claims that the use of the phrase "Super Bowl" implies an NFL affiliation, and on this basis the league asserts broad rights to restrict how the game may be shown publicly; for example, the league says Super Bowl showings are prohibited in churches or at other events that "promote a message"; and venues that do not regularly show sporting events cannot show the Super Bowl on any television screen larger than 55 inches.Alter, Alexandra (2008-02-02). God vs. Gridiron. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 2008-02-02. Some critics say the NFL is exaggerating its ownership rights by stating that "any use is prohibited", as this contradicts the broad doctrine of fair use in the United States.Alter, Alexandra (2008-02-02). God vs. Gridiron. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
In 2006, the NFL made an attempt to trademark "The Big Game" as well. However, it withdrew their application in 2007 due to growing commercial opposition to the move, mostly from fans of both Stanford and Cal who compete in The Big Game which concludes their Pac-10 season.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/23/SPGUAQ07LN6.DTL
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| I 1967 · II 1968 · III 1969 · IV 1970 · V 1971 · VI 1972 · VII 1973 · VIII 1974 · IX 1975 · X 1976 · XI 1977 · XII 1978 · XIII 1979 · XIV 1980 · XV 1981 · XVI 1982 · XVII 1983 · XVIII 1984 · XIX 1985 · XX 1986 · XXI 1987 · XXII 1988 · XXIII 1989 · XXIV 1990 · XXV 1991 · XXVI 1992 · XXVII 1993 · XXVIII 1994 · XXIX 1995 · XXX 1996 · XXXI 1997 · XXXII 1998 · XXXIII 1999 · XXXIV 2000 · XXXV 2001 · XXXVI 2002 · XXXVII 2003 · XXXVIII 2004 · XXXIX 2005 · XL 2006 · XLI 2007 · XLII 2008 · XLIII 2009 · XLIV 2010 · XLV 2011 |
| Super Bowl Champions · Vince Lombardi Trophy · Most Valuable Players · Records · Broadcasters · Officials · National Anthem · Halftime · Advertising · Pre-Super Bowl NFL champions |
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