It’s ridiculous to get all worked up about a game – except the Super Bowl, of course. Now that’s important. – Andy RooneyThe Super Bowl. No other game commands so much attention. How many times have you asked someone if he or she watches football and they proudly answer: I watch the Super Bowl? You never hear someone who doesn’t watch basketball retort with “I watch the finals.”Among the four major sports – football, baseball, basketball or hockey – only one has a game listed in the top-10 for all-time viewer numbers by Nielsen Media Research. Football, or more aptly put, the Super Bowl, has four different games listed on the most watched list.Interestingly enough, Super Bowl XII, the Denver-Dallas bowl, is ranked No. 10 all time with just over 34 million households tuning in. In its 38-year history, the Super Bowl was the most watched event of the year three times, losing out on a fourth title to the most watched TV program ever, the MASH special of 1983.The Super Bowl is king.This year, the teams that were still alive after being whittled down to four had a number of stories surrounding them. Would the rookie quarterback and the rookie head coach make the dance? Would it be the Patriots looking to win three out of the last four and might the bridesmaid Eagles finally make it past the NFC title game.Regardless of which team lifts the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the Super Bowl is the biggest game in sports.It all started back in 1967 when Green Bay and Kansas City played the first game in front of more than 61,000 fans at Memorial Stadium in Los Angeles. Tickets were $6 each at the door. In comparison, seats for this year’s game in the upper section of the end zone are being sold on TicketLiquidator.com for $1,838.Players in that first game received $15,000 for their efforts, while players in the 2005 Super Bowl will receive a hefty $68,000 bonus.Since that first game, we have seen Broadway Joe beat the Baltimore Colts, the Steele Curtain win back to back bowls, the fridge perform his Super Bowl shuffle and John Elway ride off into the sunset, retiring after his second straight Bowl victory.The Super Bowl is king.All told, the NFC has won 21 of 38 games including a 13-game stretch from 1985 to 1997. Dallas and San Francisco are tied with the lead and five rings, while the Buffalo Bills have been on the other side of the coin toss with four straight losses in the early 1990s. Other notables include the Denver Broncos with six visits to the final game; the Pittsburgh Steelers, who hold a record of 4-1 and the Minnesota Vikings who have four trips to the big show but no trophies.Even the commercials have become an event by themselves. Apple unveiled their Orwellian classic in 1984, Bud Bowl parodied the game for a number of seasons, and, in 2004, a 30-second TV spot cost an average $2.25M. This is a far cry from the $42,000 a 30-second spot cost for the inaugural 1967 game.The city that hosts the Super Bowl will also come alive with prosperity. According to SuperBowl.com, the NFL is estimating the economic impact on Houston, the host city, will be in the neighborhood of $300 million. More than 100,000 visitors are expected to arrive for the big game and hotels are mandating a minimum four-day stay during the weekend.The league itself will also pony-up for the big game. Beyond the $68,000 each player receives, the Lombardi trophy given to the winning team is worth an estimated $12,000, and the NFL will drop a cool $750,000 on the 150 championship rings given to the winning squad.It’s no wonder this game is worth getting upset over. After all, with all the history, hoopla and dollar signs that go with it, the Super Bowl is indeed king.
