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