The Super Bowl is by far the biggest TV event in the United States, attracting well over 150 million viewers every year. It’s such a popular event that the day it’s held, known as Super Bowl Sunday, is widely considered to be an unofficial national holiday. Here are some facts you may not have known about the sporting event that just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
For the 2019-2020 events, the cost of a 30-second ad has been a cool more than $5 million
2. However, polls have found that 90% of people wouldn’t actually buy anything they saw advertised during the Super Bowl
3. For each game, a total of 108 regulation footballs are used; they’re specifically made just for Super Bowl games
4. It’s estimated that over 1.5 million people call in sick the day after the Super Bowl
5. Eight winning teams have gone on to win the following year; no team has ever won three years in a row
6. The first two Super Bowls weren’t actually known as Super Bowls; it wasn’t until the third event in 1969 that the game was given its current name
7. Upwards of $120 million is wagered on the game in Las Vegas casinos
8. The event is broadcast around the world in no fewer than 34 different languages
9. Players on both the winning and losing teams get paid; those on the winning team get around $97,000, whereas losers get around $49,000
10. The stadium hosting the game is decided three to five years before the game takes place; there’s a very thorough selection process to determine which venue will get to host the event
11. Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest day of the calendar for food consumption in the US; the only day where more food is consumed is Thanksgiving
