IT’S SUPER BOWL SUNDAY 2024 Here are some FUN facts:
- In 1967, the first Super Bowl was held and the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10. The first Super Bowl MVP was Packers quarterback Bart Starr. The game was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and about 60 million people watched the broadcast on TV. Today, that number is around 100 million.
- The Super Bowl is the second-highest eating day for Americans (behind Thanksgiving).
- The University of California at Berkeley is the top school for producing quarterbacks that start in the Super Bowl. The most recent was Jared Goff in 2019 (Rams) and before that was Joe Kapp, Craig Morton, Vince Ferragamo, and Aaron Rodgers. Alabama (Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler), Notre Dame (Daryle Lamonica, Joe Montana, Joe Theismann), and Purdue (Len Dawson, Bob Griese, Drew Brees) rank second with three Super Bowl quarterbacks each.
- You would think artists would be paid big for a gig like this, but nay. The NFL only covers the expenses and production costs, but does not pay the performers themselves. Even Queen Bey (Beyonce) herself was not paid a penny to perform in the Super Bowl. What they do get is exposure, and lots of it. Millions of people are tuned in, often even more so than to the actual game. After the 2020 halftime show, Shakira’s Spotify streams went up by 230% and Jennifer Lopez’ went up by 335%. So, the artists end up benefitting quite a bit anyway.
- Last year’s Super Bowl marked the first time that two brothers had played against each other in the big game. It was Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce against Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Momma Kelce wouldn’t take sides, but of course, it was the Chiefs who came out on top. This year, she’s just got one son to root for in the big game.
- This is the Super Bowl we’re talking about. Everything is over-the-top and that includes the coin toss. A quarter simply will not do, I say! Thus, Highland Mint crafts a specific unique coin to use for the toss, with an image of the Lombardi Trophy to signify “heads” and another image representing the current Super Bowl for “tails”.
If you have time, watch the Netflix documentary series “Quarterback” to learn a treasure trove of information, statistics, rituals, and mindsets of a professional quarterback, specifically Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota. It’s a great show.
As I watch, along with 100 million fans, I will scream, eat my chili (Thank you, Jeanne, for the recipe!), and enjoy the game/business of one of the greatest games: American Football. This girl loves football.
Aloha,
Denise
