Everything about Super Bowl totally explained
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. 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.
The Super Bowl was first played on
January 15 1967 as part of an
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 leagues
merged 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 into the New Year, 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.
Origins
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". 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.; the small, round 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's 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.
Game history
Packers' early dominance
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.
AFL/AFC dominance
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.
The NFC's winning streak
After the
Oakland Raiders won
Super Bowl XV to start then 1980s, the NFC went on to win 15 of the next 16 Super Bowls.
The 49ers lead the NFC domination of the '80s
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
New York Giants also won their first Super Bowl during this time period.
Cowboys dominate the early '90s
The
Dallas Cowboys became the dominant team in the NFL in the early 1990s. After championships by division rivals
New York Giants and
Washington Redskins 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, the first two of whom won MVP awards. 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. As both teams began to fizzle late into the decade, another NFC powerhouse, the
Green Bay Packers, led by multiple-MVP quarterback
Brett Favre, emerged, winning
Super Bowl XXXI following the 1996 season.
The AFC rises again
In
Super Bowl XXXII, quarterback
John Elway led the
Denver Broncos to an upset victory over the defending champion Packers, snapping the NFC's 13-game winning streak, and beginning a streak in which the AFC would win eight of the next ten Super Bowls. The Broncos would go on to win
Super Bowl XXXIII the next year, over the
Atlanta Falcons, in Elway's final game before retiring. After an NFC win by the
St. Louis Rams in
Super Bowl XXXIV that made it appear the league had entered a period of parity between the conferences, the AFC continued its winning ways, with wins by the
Baltimore Ravens and
New England Patriots.
The Patriots establish a dynasty
The Patriots became the dominant team of the early 21st century. In
Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl MVP quarterback
Tom Brady led his team to a 20-17 upset victory over the Rams. In the 2002 season, the Patriots missed the playoffs, but then the Patriots went on to win Super Bowls
XXXVIII and
XXXIX. The
Indianapolis Colts had the best season in 2006 and went on to win
Super Bowl XLI. The Patriots not only came back in 2007, they also accomplished what no team had ever done before: they went undefeated over the course of a sixteen game season, which included a road win over the Colts. However, despite their dominating regular season performance, the Patriots were upset by the
New York Giants in
Super Bowl XLII. In late 2007 and 2008, the legitimacy of the Patriots dynasty came into question, with revelations of the Patriots organization
illegally videotaping other teams' signalsTrends and statistics
The following trends occur regarding Super Bowl games:
- Teams scoring first are 27-15 (.643); 14-7 (.667) with a touchdown, 12-8 (.600) with a field goal and 1-0 with a safety.
- Teams scoring 32+ points are 18-0; 30+ points, 21-1 (.955); 20+ points, 37-10 (.787); under 20 points, 5-32 (.135); under 14 points, 0-17.
- Field goals have been converted in 40 of 42 Super Bowls to date.
- Teams scoring the game's first touchdown are 30-12 (.714); the game's first field goal, 22-18 (.550).
- Teams leading at halftime are 32-8 (.800). Two Super Bowls have been tied at halftime.
- Teams shutout in the first half are 0-11; in the second half 1-7 (.125).
- Higher seeded teams are 13-12 (.520) and NFC teams are 6-2 (.750) in Super Bowls matching same-numbered seeds, which thus far have always been #1 vs. #1. Playoff seedings were first instituted in the 1975 season.
- When the game matches two teams that played each other during the regular season, the regular season loser has won 7 of the 12 re-matches, including 5 of the last 6.
- Twenty-two Super Bowls have seen both teams hold the lead at least once.
- No team has ever won after trailing by more than 10 points at any time; likewise, no team has ever won after trailing by more than 7 points at halftime.
- Teams leading after three quarters are 35-6 (.854). Only one Super Bowl has been tied entering the fourth quarter.
National Special Security Event
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.
Television coverage and ratings
By any measure, the Super Bowl is the most watched television program of the year in the U.S. The game tends to have high
Nielsen television ratings which usually come in around a 40 rating and 60 share (
for example, 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. 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.
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.
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. Most networks air reruns that evening, a sign of acknowledgement that their ratings will be dwarfed by the Super Bowl so they shouldn't waste a potentially highly rated new episode on that night.
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.
(External Link
)
Super Bowl on TV
| 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 |
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,
Malcolm in the Middle,
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, and ) in the lead-out slot, immediately following the Super Bowl and the post-game coverage. Note: Fox bundled the
Family Guy and
American Dad premieres with an episode of
The Simpsons.
Entertainment
Early Super Bowls/NFL Championships featured a 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". 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
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 had been restarted for
Super Bowl XLI.
Venue
Twenty-five out of forty-two Super Bowls have been played in one of three areas:
New Orleans, Louisiana (nine times), the
Greater Miami (nine total), and the
Greater Los Angeles (seven total). The three "big" hosts are then followed by
Tampa, Florida and
San Diego, California, both having hosted the Super Bowl three times.
Miami has been selected to host
Super Bowl XLIV in 2010,
Dallas in 2011, and
Indianapolis in 2012. Although
Hurricane Katrina damaged the
Louisiana Superdome and the city of New Orleans, it was renovated. Some city officials have stated that they'd 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 league's two teams vacated the city in 1995: the
Raiders moved back to
Oakland, California, and the
Rams moved to
St. Louis, Missouri. (No Super Bowl has ever been held in an area which lacks an NFL team: hence LA would be an unlikely choice as long as it lacks a team.)
Only twice have home teams appeared in the game. Interestingly, neither team played in its usual home stadium. The
San Francisco 49ers played
Super Bowl XIX in
Stanford Stadium rather than
Candlestick Park, and the
Los Angeles Rams played
Super Bowl XIV in the
Rose Bowl rather than the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The only other Super Bowl venue which wasn't the home stadium to an NFL team at the time was
Rice Stadium in
Houston, Texas: the
Houston Oilers used to play there, but they moved to the
Astrodome several years prior to
Super Bowl VIII.
Super Bowl IX was the last NFL game played at its venue: the
New Orleans Saints' last season at
Tulane Stadium was 1974, and the game was played there (and not at the newly built
Louisiana Superdome) at the end of the season in early 1975.
Tulane Stadium was the first of three Super Bowl venues to have been demolished: it was torn down in 1979. The others are
Tampa Stadium (demolished in 1999) and the
Miami Orange Bowl (demolished 2008, although it'll be replaced by a
new baseball stadium.)
Only three Super Bowls have been played in northern cities; Two in the
Detroit area (
Super Bowl XVI, in
Pontiac, and
Super Bowl XL), and one in
Minneapolis (
Super Bowl XXVI). However, both were played inside domed stadiums. There has never been a Super Bowl scheduled to be played outside in cold temperatures. The northernmost Super Bowl played outdoors has been
Super Bowl XIX in the
San Francisco Bay Area.
Super Bowl XLVI will also be played in a northern city,
Indianapolis, Indiana. The new
Lucas Oil Stadium has a retractable roof, which presumably won't be retracted when the game is played in February 2012.
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. 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. 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 couldn't agree on funding. The game was then awarded to
Dolphin Stadium in
Miami Gardens, Florida.
Selection process
The location of the Super Bowl is chosen by the NFL well in advance, usually three to five 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. Then the NFL owners meet to make a selection on the site. The sites for the next four Super Bowls have been determined, up to
Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. On
October 16,
2007, NFL commissioner
Roger Goodell suggested that a future Super Bowl might be played in
London, probably at
Wembley Stadium. The game has never been played in a region which lacks an NFL franchise. (Eight Super Bowls have been played in
Los Angeles, but none since the
Los Angeles Raiders and
Los Angeles Rams both relocated elsewhere in 1995.)
Home team designation
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.
Generally the "home team" holds its practices the week before the game at the host team's practice facility and the "away team" practices at a nearby college or other practice facility in the area. For example, for
Super Bowl XLII, the "home" New England Patriots practiced at the Arizona Cardinals practice facility, and the "visiting" New York Giants practiced at nearby
Arizona State University
Stadiums to host the Super Bowl
| Name |
Location |
# hosted |
Years hosted |
| Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
Los Angeles, California |
2 |
1967, 1973 |
| Miami Orange Bowl |
Miami, Florida |
5 |
1968, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1979 |
| Tulane Stadium |
New Orleans, Louisiana |
3 |
1970, 1972, 1975 |
| Rice Stadium |
Houston, Texas |
1 |
1974 |
| Rose Bowl |
Pasadena, California |
5 |
1977, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1993 |
| Louisiana Superdome |
New Orleans, Louisiana |
6 |
1978, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1997, 2002 |
| Pontiac Silverdome |
Pontiac, Michigan |
1 |
1982 |
| Tampa Stadium |
Tampa, Florida |
2 |
1984, 1991 |
| Stanford Stadium |
Palo Alto, California |
1 |
1985 |
| Qualcomm Stadium |
San Diego, California |
3 |
1988, 1998, 2003 |
| Dolphin Stadium |
Miami Gardens, Florida |
4 |
1989, 1995, 1999, 2007 |
| Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome |
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
1 |
1992 |
| Georgia Dome |
Atlanta, Georgia |
2 |
1994, 2000 |
| Sun Devil Stadium |
Tempe, Arizona |
1 |
1996 |
| Reliant Stadium |
Houston, Texas |
1 |
2004 |
| Jacksonville Municipal Stadium |
Jacksonville, Florida |
1 |
2005 |
| Ford Field |
Detroit, Michigan |
1 |
2006 |
| University of Phoenix Stadium |
Glendale, Arizona |
1 |
2008 |
| Raymond James Stadium |
Tampa, Florida |
1 |
2001 |
italics indicate a stadium since demolished
Future Super Bowl host stadiums
2009 -
Raymond James Stadium,
Tampa (2)
2010 -
Dolphin Stadium,
Miami Gardens, Florida (5)
2011 -
Dallas Cowboys New Stadium,
Arlington, Texas (1)
2012 -
Lucas Oil Stadium,
Indianapolis, Indiana (1)
Cities/Regions to host Super Bowl
| Name |
# hosted |
Years hosted |
| Greater Los Angeles Area |
7 |
1967, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1993 |
| South Florida |
9 |
1968, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1979, 1989, 1995, 1999, 2007 |
| New Orleans |
9 |
1970, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1997, 2002 |
| Houston |
2 |
1974, 2004 |
| Detroit area |
2 |
1982, 2006 |
| Tampa |
3 |
1984, 1991, 2001 |
| San Francisco Bay Area |
1 |
1985 |
| San Diego |
3 |
1988, 1998, 2003 |
| Minneapolis |
1 |
1992 |
| Atlanta |
2 |
1994, 2000 |
| Phoenix area |
2 |
1996, 2008 |
| Jacksonville |
1 |
2005 |
Future Super Bowl host cities/regions
2009 -
Tampa (4)
2010 -
South Florida (10)
2011 -
Dallas-Fort Worth (1)
2012 -
Indianapolis (1)
NFL trademark issues
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.
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 don't regularly show sporting events can't show the Super Bowl on any television screen larger than 55 inches. 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.
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. The multi-state lottery game now known as
Mega Millions also used the name "Big Game" until 2002, and it's unclear whether or not the NFL is even eligible to trademark the phrase.
The
XFL sardonically referred to its playoff championship game at the end of its one and only season (in 2001) as "The Big Game at the End of the Season."
Further Information
Get more info on 'Super Bowl'.
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