Superbowl: An explanation of the hype to football fans, non fans and non Americans

[smahala1991]

The Superbowl is this Sunday in the USA. Many people may not understand the history or prominence of it because they either don't watch football, do not live in America, or never really considered it. But there is quite a bit of history with the super bowl and how it came to be an American phenomenon.

In the beginning the NFL as we know it today was divided up into two professional leagues,the NFL and the AFL. In 1966 the NFL and AFL agreed to a 4 year merger plan that included: 4 new teams to be added between 1967 and 1976, 4 future teams to be added in the 90s, division of two conferences the AFC and NFC, then it called for a world championship game between the two conference champions to start the next year in 1967. The actual NFL AFL merger did not become finished until 1970. So in 1967 the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs met at the first Super Bowl at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The trophy awarded at the super bowl ever since then was named after Vince Lombardi who was the Packers head coach at the time.

The Super bowl is also the second biggest day for food sales each year in the USA behind Thanksgiving.

This means the number of potato chips consumed on super bowl Sunday can fill 39 Boeing 747 jet planes! Over one Billion pounds of wings are consumed, over 325 million gallons of beer, 8 million pounds of popcorn, 55 million pounds of avacados fo into guacamole, 14 billion hamburgers,2 million pizzas delivered by Pizza Hut alone, 12 million by Dominos. Let that all soak in for a second, we eat that much food all just for one football game. Personally I believe that food could all feed homeless and starving people all around the world.

The Super bowl is also well known for its halftime shows performed by big name talents such as:Michael Jackson,Madonna,Justin Timberlake,lady gaga,Bruno Mars,Rolling Stones,The Who, Paul McCartney,Beyonce,Katy Perry,and the list goes on and on. The Super bowl is also well known for producing some of the most memorable commercials ever. Examples include : The Budweiser frogs, The Coca-Cola mean Joe Green ad from 1979,The Apple Macintosh two ad from 1984, and the E Trade baby. These commercials cost 5 million dollars on average for a thirty second spot. That is advertising power right there!

So there is a brief explanation of the super bowl hype in the USA. How it brings in money and why it is such a big deal in the USA

[gobsmacked3]

The interesting part of the Super Bowl for I is the current focus on head trauma legacy.

Having played rugby and AFL and never seeing similar in them, I firmly believe these injuries have a lot to do with the helmuts they wear to protect them.

As for the game- Newton to rule and send 'Forrest Gump' into retirement

[smahala1991]

So you're going for the Carolina Panthers

[gobsmacked3]

yes, can't stand 'Gump'-Manning

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

don't disrespect the sheriff. way better than that fuck bag, tom brady :P

[smahala1991]

How would you compare American football to Aussie rules football

[gobsmacked3]

One is a 'mans game' (AFL ), whereas the other has pads and helmuts (NFL )

[Sunflower19]

I'm just there for the food. I don't really pay attention to football but the food... Man oh man!!

[SexyStudent]

50 years ago there was no such thing as superbowl. Hundred and 50 years ago there was no such thing as football or baseball for that matter. However dating back nearly 800 years there was such a thing in Europe called soccer. It was so boring that people left Europe across the Atlantic Ocean just to get away from it.
The Super Bowl is an outgrowth of the protest of soccer. People were burned at the stake for not liking soccer. Their children and children's children left the old country to be allowed to have a Super Bowl in the United States. They came in thousands all by using methods of transportation called Boeing 727. And that's the history of the fascination with the three words, "Super Bowl."

[BrieLove]

Still don't get what all the hype is about.
scoopempire. com/.../giant-bowl22. jpg

[oddwaffle]

Why do you call it football when you are carrying the oddly shaped object by hand anyways?

Also, the 'ball' is not round.

[smahala1991]

Don't really know the history of that myself.

[OrdinaryGentleman]

Its going on 25 miles away from me, still gonna ignore it lol

[Indigocloud]

Ok so Americans eat a shit ton. Tell us something we don't already know