The annual league championship game of the National Football League (NFL), called the Super Bowl, is one of the biggest sporting events of the year throughout the world. It has been the last game of the season in the NFL since 1966.
The game was originally played on the first Sunday of February all the way up till 2022, when the game was played on the second Sunday in February. The Super Bowl is played by the winners of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC).
The game is hosted by a different city each year to make it a neutral game like this year’s Super Bowl being in Las Vegas, who is hosting the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, but sometimes the city that hosts will be in it like the recent champions like the Buccaneers and Rams.
The history of the game came out of the merger of the NFL and rival American Football League (AFL) in 1966. The agreement wasn’t made until 1970 but there still was a season ending championship game.
The season ending game was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, which was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 15, 1967. The game had the NFL’s Green Bay Packers defeat the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, 35–10. The name “Super Bowl” first appeared in 1969.
The day of Super Bowl Sunday has evolved into an unofficial American holiday, with watch parties held in homes, restaurants and many other places throughout the country. The week prior to the game is highlighted by extensive media buildup as it is right now and a festival-like party in the host city.
The game now has pregame and halftime ceremonies with other entertainments happening around the stadium. This year’s pregame ceremonies featured performers Reba McEntire, Post Malone and Andra Day. The halftime performer is the king of R&B, Usher.
Who will headline one of the most-awaited performances of the evening? All Super Bowls except the first one have been sellouts and with many Super Bowls being the most televised sporting events of all time.
Some small details about the Super Bowl is that to have commercial time during the game is the most expensive of the year. For example, in the 2016 game, a 30-second spot cost approximately $4.8 million. The advertisements have featured celebrities and filmmakers as well as new technologies in hopes of making an impression on the huge Super Bowl audience. Since the 1980s, public interest in Super Bowl commercials have nearly matched that accorded the game itself.
