| Super Bowl is the championship game of the | | | | Bowl IV in New Orleans, the last World |
| National Football League ( NFL ) in | | | | Championship game played between the |
| professional American football. It is played | | | | champions of two leagues. |
| in the United States. | | | | |
| | | | When the NFL and AFL merged into one combined |
| On January 15, 1967, the first game was | | | | league for the 1970 season, three NFL teams |
| played as the AFL-NFL World Championship | | | | joined the 10 AFL teams to form the American |
| Game. It was the game played between NFL | | | | Football Conference (AFC), and the other 13 |
| championship team and the American Football | | | | teams became the National Football Conference |
| League (AFL) for the "World Championship of | | | | (NFC). Since then, the Super Bowl has |
| Professional Football". In 1970, both leagues | | | | featured the champions of the AFC and NFC, |
| were merged and the Super Bowl became the | | | | which are determined each season by the |
| NFL's championship game. Since then, the game | | | | league's playoff tournament. As of Super Bowl |
| has been played annually on a Sunday | | | | XL, former AFL teams have won 12 Super Bowls, |
| following the playoffs. Originally it was | | | | pre-1970 NFL teams have won 26 games, and two |
| played early to mid-January, then late | | | | games have been won by teams created after |
| January, and in 2002, the first Sunday in | | | | 1970. |
| February. | | | | |
| | | | Pete Rozelle, is often considered the |
| The Super Bowl has become one of the most | | | | mastermind of both the merger and the Super |
| popular and the most profitable broadcast of | | | | Bowl. He was the NFL commissioner at that |
| the year for US television. It earned | | | | time, His leadership guided them into the |
| millions of dollars in the form of T.V | | | | merger agreement and cemented the preeminence |
| commercials. This has caused the starting | | | | of the Super Bowl. The game remains his |
| time of the game to be pushed back later and | | | | crowning achievement. |
| later, to ensure the Sunday night prime time | | | | |
| audience on the East Coast. | | | | Vince Lombardi Trophy is lifted by the |
| | | | winning team. This Trophy is named for the |
| Instead of mentioning year of game, the Roman | | | | coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the |
| numerals are used to identify each game of | | | | first two Super Bowl games. Following his |
| the Super Bowl. The identification of the | | | | death in September 1970, the trophy was named |
| games by the year of the Super Bowl could | | | | the Vince Lombardi Trophy, first awarded at |
| casue confusion because The The NFL ( ) | | | | Super Bowl V in Miami. |
| season spreads over two calendar years. For | | | | |
| example, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winners of | | | | The Super Bowl has become very popular game |
| Super Bowl XXXVII are the champions of the | | | | in the USA. It is one of the most watched |
| 2002 NFL season, even though the championship | | | | television programs of the year. The game |
| game was played in January 2003. | | | | successfully has high Nielsen television |
| | | | ratings which usually come in around a 40 |
| The National Football League (NFL) and its | | | | rating and 60 share. This means that on |
| rival, the American Football League (AFL) | | | | average, 80 to 90 million Americans are tuned |
| were merged through an Agreement. The Super | | | | into the Super Bowl at any given moment. |
| Bowl was created as part of this agreement. | | | | |
| After its inception in 1920, the NFL fended | | | | The broadcast of the Super Bowl became the |
| off several rival leagues before the AFL | | | | premier showcase for high concept or simply |
| began play in 1960. In 1966, there were | | | | extravagantly expensive commercials. Famous |
| serious merger talks between the two leagues | | | | commercial campaigns include the Budweiser |
| keeping in view of the intensive competitive | | | | "Bud Bowl" campaign, and the 1999 and 2000 |
| war for players and fans. | | | | dot-com ads. Prices have increased each year. |
| | | | |
| According to the AFL-NFL Merger Agreement, It | | | | During Super Bowl XL in 2006, there was a |
| had a condition that the winners of each | | | | record 2.5 million (US) advertisement for a |
| league's championship game would meet in a | | | | 30 second spot. |
| contest to determine the "world champion of | | | | |
| football". During the discussions to iron out | | | | Earlier Super Bowls/NFL Championships |
| the details, AFL founder and Kansas City | | | | featured halftime show consisting of marching |
| Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt had jokingly referred | | | | bands from local colleges or high schools. |
| to the proposed interleague championship as | | | | But as the popularity of the game increased, |
| the "Super Bowl." Hunt thought of the name | | | | so did the potential of exposure. This has |
| after seeing his daughter playing with a toy | | | | led to trend where a number of popular |
| called a Super Ball. The ball is now on | | | | singers and musicians have performed during |
| display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in | | | | its pregame ceremonies, the halftime show, or |
| Canton, Ohio. The name was feasible because | | | | even just singing the national anthem of the |
| postseason college football games had long | | | | United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner". |
| been known as "bowl games". However, the | | | | Super Bowl XL in 2006 featured Stevie Wonder, |
| owners named the contest the AFL-NFL World | | | | Joss Stone, and John Legend during the |
| Championship Game. But the fans and media | | | | pregame ceremonies; Aaron Neville, Aretha |
| continued using the shorter, unofficial | | | | Franklin, and Dr. John performed the national |
| name. Starting with the third contest in | | | | anthem; and The Rolling Stones |
| January 1969, the name "Super Bowl" became | | | | |
| official. | | | | The Super Bowls has been broadcasted from |
| | | | different TV networks from year to year. Up |
| The first two Super Bowls were won by the | | | | until 2006 in the United States, ABC, CBS, |
| NFL's Green Bay Packers convincingly. It led | | | | and FOX have availed the opportunities of |
| many to doubt that AFL teams could compete | | | | telecasting the Super Bowls in rotation. NBC |
| with their NFL counterparts. That all changed | | | | will take ABC's place in the network rotation |
| with perhaps the biggest upset in American | | | | starting with Super Bowl XLIII in 2009. |
| sports history, the AFL's New York Jets | | | | |
| defeat of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl | | | | NFL chooses the location of the Super Bowl |
| III in Miami. One year later, the American | | | | well in advance. It is usually 3 to 5 years |
| Football League's Kansas City Chiefs defeated | | | | before the game. Cities compete to host the |
| the NFL Minnesota Vikings 23-7 and won Super | | | | game in a selection bidding process. |