Super Bowl

File:Superbowl Trophy Crop.jpg

The winning Super Bowl team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

In professional American football, the Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game and its ancillary festivities constitute Super Bowl Sunday. Over the years it has become the most-watched U.S. television broadcast of the year, and has become likened to a de facto U.S. national holiday. In addition, many popular singers and musicians have performed during the Super Bowl's pre-game and halftime ceremonies. Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest U.S. food consumption day, following Thanksgiving.

The Super Bowl was first played on January 15 1967 as part of an agreement between the NFL and its younger rival, the American Football League (AFL) in which each league's championship team would play each other in an "AFL-NFL World Championship Game". After the leagues merged in 1970, the Super Bowl became the NFL's championship game, played between the champions of the league's two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).

Since the NFL season extends into the New Year, the Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year it was held. For example, Super Bowl XLII, played in February 2008, was actually part of the 2007 season.

Origins

The Super Bowl was created as part of the merger agreement between the National Football League (NFL) and its competitive rival, the American Football League (AFL). After its inception in 1920, the NFL fended off several rival leagues before the AFL began play in 1960. The intense competitive war for players and fans led to serious merger talks between the two leagues in 1966, culminating in a merger announcement on June 8, 1966.

One of the conditions of the AFL-NFL Merger was that the winners of each league's championship game would meet in a contest to determine the "world champion of football". According to NFL Films President Steve Sabol, then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted to call the game "The Big One". During the discussions to iron out the details, AFL founder and Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt had jokingly referred to the proposed interleague championship as the "Super Bowl". Hunt thought of the name after seeing his kids playing with a toy called a Super Ball.; the small, round ball is now on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The name was consistent with postseason college football games which had long been known as "bowl games". The "bowl" term originated from the Rose Bowl Game, which was in turn named for the bowl-shaped stadium in which it is played. Hunt only meant his suggested name to be a stopgap until a better one could be found. Nevertheless, the name "Super Bowl" became permanent.

After the NFL's Green Bay Packers convincingly won the first two Super Bowls, some team owners feared for the future of the merger. At the time, many doubted the competitiveness of AFL teams compared with NFL counterparts. That perception all changed with the AFL's New York Jets defeat of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in Miami. One year later, the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs defeated the NFL Minnesota Vikings 23-7 and won Super Bowl IV in New Orleans, the last World Championship game played between the champions of the two leagues. The game is played annually on a Sunday as the final game of the NFL Playoffs. Originally the game took place in early to mid-January following a 14-game regular season and playoffs. Over the years the date of the Super Bowl has progressed from the second Sunday in January, to the third, then the fourth Sunday in January; the game is now played on the first Sunday in February, given the current 17-week (16 games and one bye week) regular season and three rounds of playoffs. This progression of the date of the Super Bowl has been caused by the following: the expansion of the NFL regular season in 1978 from 14 games to 16, the expansion of the pre-Super Bowl playoffs from two rounds to three (also in 1978), the addition of the regular season bye-week in the 1990s, and the decision prior to the 2003 season to start the regular season the week after Labor Day, moving the start of the season to a week later than it had been (in 1997, for example, the regular season started on Sunday, August 31). Former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle is often considered the mastermind of both the merger and the Super Bowl. His leadership guided them into the merger agreement and cemented the preeminence of the Super Bowl.

The winning team gets the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games and 3 of the 5 preceding NFL championships (1961-62, 1965). Following his death in September 1970, the trophy was then named the Vince Lombardi Trophy, first awarded as such to the Baltimore Colts at Super Bowl V in Miami. Super Bowl III was the first to be numbered. Super Bowls I and II were not known as such until the game's third year.

Game history

See also: List of Super Bowl champions

Packers' early dominance

The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders. The Packers were led by quarterback Bart Starr, who was named MVP for both games. These two championships, along with the Packers' NFL championships in 1961, 1962,and 1965 have many people consider the Packers to be the "Team of the 1960s." Green Bay, Wisconsin is often referred to as "Title Town" due to the five championships the Packers won in the 1960s and it's twelve championships since the team began playing in 1919.

AFL/AFC dominance

Super Bowl III featured one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history as the New York Jets, behind the guarantee of Joe Namath, defeated the 18-point favorite Baltimore Colts 16-7. Namath, the MVP of the game, and Matt Snell, 121 yards on 30 carries with a touchdown, led the Jets to victory.

The 1970s were dominated by the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers, winning a combined six championships in the decade. Miami won Super Bowls VII and VIII, the former completing a perfect season, the only perfect season to date in NFL history. Pittsburgh won four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, and XIV) behind the coaching of Chuck Noll and play of Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, and Franco Harris—each receiving at least one MVP award—and their "Steel Curtain" defense.

The only NFC franchise to win a Super Bowl during the decade was the Dallas Cowboys winning Super Bowls VI and XII.

Two decades of NFC dominance

After the Oakland Raiders won the Super Bowl at the conclusion of the 1980 season, the NFC went on to win 15 of the next 16 Super Bowls.

The 49ers lead the NFC domination of the '80s

The most successful franchise of the 1980s was the San Francisco 49ers, who won four Super Bowls in the decade (XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV). The 49ers were led by coach Bill Walsh and quarterback Joe Montana. They were known for using the fast-paced west coast offense. The 1980s also included the 1985 Chicago Bears who finished the season 18-1, and two championships for the Joe Gibbs-coached Washington Redskins. The New York Giants also won their first Super Bowl during this time period.

The Cowboys dominate the early '90s

The Dallas Cowboys became the dominant team in the NFL in the early 1990s. After championships by division rivals New York and Washington to start the decade, the Cowboys won three of the next four Super Bowls. The Cowboys were led by Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin, the first two of whom won MVP awards. The early 1990s also featured the Buffalo Bills appearing in four consecutive Super Bowls, although they lost all of them. The 49ers became the first team to win five championships with their win in Super Bowl XXIX, with the Cowboys accomplishing that same feat a year later. As both teams began to fizzle late into the decade, another NFC powerhouse, the Green Bay Packers, led by multiple-MVP quarterback Brett Favre, emerged, winning Super Bowl XXXI following the 1996 season.

The AFC rises again

In Super Bowl XXXII, quarterback John Elway led the Denver Broncos to an upset victory over the defending champion Packers, snapping the NFC's 13-game winning streak, and beginning a streak in which the AFC would win eight of the next ten Super Bowls. The Broncos would go on to win Super Bowl XXXIII the next year, over the Atlanta Falcons, in Elway's final game before retiring. After an NFC win by the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV that made it appear the league had entered a period of parity between the conferences, the AFC continued its winning ways, with wins by the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots.

The Patriots establish a dynasty

The Patriots became the dominant team of the early 2000s, winning the championship in three of the first five years of the decade. In Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl MVP quarterback Tom Brady led his team to a 20-17 upset victory over the Rams. In the 2002 season, the Patriots missed the playoffs, but went on to win Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX. The Indianapolis Colts had the best season in 2006 and went on to win Super Bowl XLI. The Patriots not only came back in 2007, they also accomplished an NFL first, going undefeated over the course of a sixteen game season, which included a road win over the defending champion Colts. However, despite their dominating regular season performance, the Patriots were upset by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. In late 2007 and early 2008, the legitimacy of the Patriots dynasty came into question, with revelations of the Patriots organization illegally videotaping other teams' signals and practicing players put on injured reserve. However in May 2008 the illegal videotaping investigation was determined by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to be completed with no further punishment needed. No conclusion was ever made as to how the videotaping affected the outcome of the games played in the 2007-08 season or if any effects existed at all.

See also: Dynasty (sports)

Trends and statistics

File:Stamp-ctc-first-super-bowl.jpg

The first Super Bowl was played in 1967, as commemorated by this stamp issued in 1999 by the United States Postal Service featuring a ticket for that first game.

The following trends occur regarding Super Bowl games:

• Teams scoring first are 27-15 (.643); 14-7 (.667) with a touchdown, 12-8 (.600) with a field goal and 1-0 with a safety.
• Teams scoring 32+ points are 18-0; 30+ points, 21-1 (.955); 20+ points, 37-10 (.787); under 20 points, 5-32 (.135); under 14 points, 0-17.
• Field goals have been converted in 40 of 42 Super Bowls to date.
• Teams scoring the game's first touchdown are 30-12 (.714); the game's first field goal, 22-18 (.550).
• Teams leading at halftime are 32-8 (.800). Two Super Bowls have been tied at halftime.
• Teams shutout in the first half are 0-11; in the second half 1-7 (.125).
• Higher seeded teams are 13-12 (.520) and NFC teams are 6-2 (.750) in Super Bowls matching same-numbered seeds, which thus far have always been #1 vs. #1. Playoff seedings were first instituted in the 1975 season.
• When the game matches two teams that played each other during the regular season, the regular season loser has won 7 of the 12 re-matches, including 5 of the last 6.
• Twenty-two Super Bowls have seen both teams hold the lead at least once.
• No team has ever won after trailing by more than 10 points at any time; likewise, no team has ever won after trailing by more than 7 points at halftime.
• Teams leading after three quarters are 35-6 (.854). One Super Bowl has been tied entering the fourth quarter.
• No team or coach has ever won more than two consecutive Super Bowls.
• No Super Bowl has gone to overtime.

National Special Security Event

The Super Bowl has been designated a National Special Security Event by the United States Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security every year since Super Bowl XXXVI, which was the first Super Bowl played following the September 11 attacks. That means that the stadium and surrounding area face increased security measures, especially on game day. Among other things, this means that the once-ubiquitous blimps (according to NFL Films' Steve Sabol, Super Bowl XXI had four of them) have been grounded.

Television coverage and ratings

By any measure, the Super Bowl is the most watched television program of the year in the U.S. The game tends to have high Nielsen television ratings which usually come in around a 40 rating and 60 share (i.e., on average, 40 percent of all U.S. households, and 60 percent of all homes tuned into television during the game). This means that on average, 80 to 90 million Americans are tuned into the Super Bowl at any given moment. It is also estimated that 130-140 million tune into some part of the game. NFL press releases have stated that recent Super Bowls have been available to potential audiences of approximately one billion worldwide, although independent studies suggest that the average global viewership is just over 100 million – the vast majority of whom are U.S. viewers.

The highest-rated game according to Nielsen was Super Bowl XVI in 1982, which was watched in 49.1 percent of households (73 share) or 40,020,000 households at the time. Super Bowl XVI is #4 on Nielsen's list of top-rated programs of all time, and 3 other Super Bowls (XII, XVII, and XX) made the top 10. Super Bowl XLII in 2008 holds the record for total U.S. viewership, attracting an average audience of 97.5 million and ranking second only to the final episode of M*A*S*H in 1983. Although the proliferation of cable and satellite television has undercut broadcast ratings somewhat in recent years, the game is still sufficiently popular that a number of networks actually schedule original programming, such as independently produced halftime entertainment, during the game, simply to take advantage of a large audience already in front of the television. Most networks air reruns that evening, a sign of acknowledgement that their ratings will be dwarfed by the Super Bowl so they shouldn't waste a potentially highly rated new episode on that night.

Following Apple Computer's 1984 commercial introducing the Macintosh computer, directed by Ridley Scott, the broadcast of the Super Bowl became the premier showcase for high concept or simply extravagantly expensive commercials. Famous commercial campaigns include the Budweiser "Bud Bowl" campaign, and the 1999 and 2000 dot-com ads. Prices have increased each year, with reports citing a record US$2.7 million for a 30 second spot during Super Bowl XLII in 2008. A segment of the audience tunes in to the Super Bowl solely to watch the creative commercials.

According to BBM Canada, the 2008 game was viewed in Canada on CTV by 4.234 million people and was the most watched show of the week by far.[1]

Super Bowl on TV

Network	Number broadcast	Years broadcast	Future scheduled telecasts
ABC	7	1985, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2006	N/A
CBS	16	1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2007	2010
FOX	5	1997, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008	2011
NBC	15	1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998	2009, 2012

^ *: Not currently broadcasting NFL.
The first Super Bowl was simultaneously broadcast by CBS and NBC.

The network that airs the Super Bowl typically takes advantage of the large audience to air an episode of a hit series (Friends, Grey's Anatomy, Survivor, The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle, Criminal Minds and House) or to premiere the pilot of a promising new series (The Wonder Years, Family Guy, Davis Rules, The A-Team, American Dad, and Homicide: Life on the Street) in the lead-out slot, immediately following the Super Bowl and the post-game coverage. Note: Fox bundled the Family Guy and American Dad premieres with an episode of The Simpsons.

Entertainment

Early Super Bowls/NFL Championships featured a halftime show consisting of marching bands from local colleges or high schools. But as the popularity of the game increased, so did the potential of exposure. This has led to the trend of popular singers and musicians performing during its pre-game ceremonies, the halftime show, or even just singing the national anthem of the United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner". For example, Super Bowl XLI in 2007 featured Cirque du Soleil, Romero Britto, and Louie Vega during the pre-game ceremonies; Billy Joel performed the Star Spangled Banner; and Prince played during the halftime show. Unlike regular season or playoff games, thirty minutes are allocated for the Super Bowl halftime.

One especially memorable performance came in 2002, when U2 performed. During their second song, "Where the Streets Have No Name," the band played under a large projection screen which scrolled through all the names of the victims of 9/11.

The halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 generated controversy, when Justin Timberlake removed a piece of Janet Jackson's top, exposing her right breast with a star-shaped ring around the nipple. Timberlake and Jackson have maintained that the incident was accidental, calling it a "wardrobe malfunction." The game was airing live on CBS, and MTV (at the time, a corporate sister company of CBS within Viacom) produced the halftime show. Immediately after that moment, the producer cut to a very wide-angle shot and cut to a commercial break. However, video captures of the moment in detail circulated quickly on the Internet. The NFL, embarrassed by the incident, permanently banned MTV from doing another halftime show in any capacity. This also led to the FCC tightening controls on indecency and fining CBS US$225,000 for the incident, as well as fining each of CBS's then twenty owned and operated stations. The following year, Paul McCartney gave an uncontroversial halftime performance for Super Bowl XXXIX.

Except for Super Bowl XXXIX, the famous "I'm Going to Disney World!" advertising campaign took place at every Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXI. Typically, Disney ran the ad several times during the game showing several players from both teams practicing the catch-phrase. The campaign had been restarted for Super Bowl XLI.

Venue

Looking toward Ford Field the night of Super Bowl XL.

Twenty-five out of forty-two Super Bowls have been played in one of three areas: New Orleans, Louisiana (nine times), the Greater Miami (nine total), and the Greater Los Angeles (seven total). The three "big" hosts are then followed by Tampa, Florida and San Diego, California, both having hosted the Super Bowl three times.

Miami has been selected to host Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, Dallas in 2011, and Indianapolis in 2012. Although Hurricane Katrina damaged the Louisiana Superdome and the city of New Orleans, it was renovated. Some city officials have stated that they would like to put in another bid sometime in the future. The last time the Los Angeles area hosted the game was Super Bowl XXVII in 1993. The league's two teams vacated the city in 1995: the Raiders moved back to Oakland, California, and the Rams moved to St. Louis, Missouri. (No Super Bowl has ever been held in an area which lacks an NFL team: hence LA would be an unlikely choice as long as it lacks a team.)

Only twice have home teams appeared in the game. Interestingly, neither team played in its usual home stadium. The San Francisco 49ers played Super Bowl XIX in Stanford Stadium rather than Candlestick Park, and the Los Angeles Rams played Super Bowl XIV in the Rose Bowl rather than the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The only other Super Bowl venue which wasn't the home stadium to an NFL team at the time was Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas: the Houston Oilers used to play there, but they moved to the Astrodome several years prior to Super Bowl VIII. Super Bowl IX was the last NFL game played at its venue: the New Orleans Saints' last season at Tulane Stadium was 1974, and the game was played there (and not at the newly built Louisiana Superdome) at the end of the season in early 1975. Tulane Stadium was the first of three Super Bowl venues to have been demolished: it was torn down in 1979. The others are Tampa Stadium (demolished in 1999) and the Miami Orange Bowl (demolished 2008, although it will be replaced by a new baseball stadium.)

Only three Super Bowls have been played in northern cities; Two in the Detroit area (Super Bowl XVI, in Pontiac, and Super Bowl XL), and one in Minneapolis (Super Bowl XXVI). However, both were played inside domed stadiums. There has never been a Super Bowl scheduled to be played outside in cold temperatures. The northernmost Super Bowl played outdoors has been Super Bowl XIX in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Super Bowl XLVI will also be played in a northern city, Indianapolis, Indiana. The new Lucas Oil Stadium has a retractable roof, which presumably will not be retracted when the game is played in February 2012.

On March 5, 2006, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, a "cold weather" city, was awarded the rights to host Super Bowl XLIX in 2015. However, the game was contingent on the successful passage of two sales taxes in Jackson County, Missouri on April 4, 2006. The first tax would have funded improvements to Arrowhead, home of the Chiefs and neighboring Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball team. The second tax would have allowed the construction of a "rolling roof" between the two stadiums. However, the second tax failed to pass. With increased opposition by local business leaders and politicians, Kansas City eventually withdrew its request to host the game by May 25, 2006. Before that, Super Bowl XLIV, scheduled for January 2010, was withdrawn from New York City's proposed West Side Stadium, also to have been a retractable roof facility, because the city, state, and proposed tenants New York Jets could not agree on funding. The game was then awarded to Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Selection process

The location of the Super Bowl is chosen by the NFL well in advance, usually three to five years before the game. Cities place bids to host a Super Bowl. Candidate cities are evaluated in terms of stadium renovation and ability to host a Super Bowl. Then the NFL owners meet to make a selection on the site. The sites for the next four Super Bowls have been determined, up to Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. On October 16, 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that a future Super Bowl might be played in London, probably at Wembley Stadium. The game has never been played in a region which lacks an NFL franchise. (Eight Super Bowls have been played in Los Angeles, but none since the Los Angeles Raiders and Los Angeles Rams both relocated elsewhere in 1995.)

Home team designation

The designated "home team" alternates between the NFC team in odd-numbered games (the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in February 2007), and the AFC team in even-numbered games (the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII in February 2008). This alternation was initiated with the first Super Bowl, when the Green Bay Packers of the NFL were the designated home team.

Since Super Bowl XIII in January 1979, the home team is given the choice of jerseys, colored or white. Formerly, the designated home team was specified to wear their colored jerseys; this resulted in Dallas donning their less familiar blue jerseys for Super Bowl V.

While most of the home teams in the Super Bowl have chosen to wear their colored jerseys, there have been four exceptions; the Cowboys twice (XIII & XXVII), the Washington Redskins (XVII), and the Pittsburgh Steelers (XL). The Cowboys (since 1965) and Redskins (since the arrival of coach Joe Gibbs in 1981) have traditionally worn white jerseys at home. Meanwhile, the Steelers, who have always worn their black jerseys at home since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, opted for the white jerseys after winning three consecutive playoff games on the road, wearing white. The Steelers' decision was contrasted with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. The Patriots had worn white jerseys at home during the 1985 season, but after winning road playoff games against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins wearing red jerseys, New England opted to wear red for the Super Bowl as the designated home team.

Generally the "home team" holds its practices the week before the game at the host team's practice facility and the "away team" practices at a nearby college or other practice facility in the area. For example, for Super Bowl XLII, the "home" New England Patriots practiced at the Arizona Cardinals practice facility, and the "visiting" New York Giants practiced at nearby Arizona State University

Stadiums to host the Super Bowl

Name	Location	# hosted	Years hosted
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	Los Angeles, California	2	1967, 1973
Miami Orange Bowl	Miami, Florida	5	1968, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1979
Tulane Stadium	New Orleans, Louisiana	3	1970, 1972, 1975
Rice Stadium	Houston, Texas	1	1974
Rose Bowl	Pasadena, California	5	1977, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1993
Louisiana Superdome	New Orleans, Louisiana	6	1978, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1997, 2002
Pontiac Silverdome	Pontiac, Michigan	1	1982
Tampa Stadium	Tampa, Florida	2	1984, 1991
Stanford Stadium	Palo Alto, California	1	1985
Qualcomm Stadium	San Diego, California	3	1988, 1998, 2003
Dolphin Stadium	Miami Gardens, Florida	4	1989, 1995, 1999, 2007
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	Minneapolis, Minnesota	1	1992
Georgia Dome	Atlanta, Georgia	2	1994, 2000
Sun Devil Stadium	Tempe, Arizona	1	1996
Reliant Stadium	Houston, Texas	1	2004
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium	Jacksonville, Florida	1	2005
Ford Field	Detroit, Michigan	1	2006
University of Phoenix Stadium	Glendale, Arizona	1	2008
Raymond James Stadium	Tampa, Florida	1	2001

italics indicate a stadium since demolished

Future Super Bowl host stadiums

2009 - Raymond James Stadium, Tampa (2)

2010 - Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida (5)

2011 - Dallas Cowboys New Stadium, Arlington, Texas (1)

2012 - Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana (1)

Cities/Regions to host Super Bowl

Name	# hosted	Years hosted
Greater Los Angeles Area	7	1967, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1993
South Florida	9	1968, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1979, 1989, 1995, 1999, 2007
New Orleans	9	1970, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1997, 2002
Houston	2	1974, 2004
Detroit area	2	1982, 2006
Tampa	3	1984, 1991, 2001
San Francisco Bay Area	1	1985
San Diego	3	1988, 1998, 2003
Minneapolis	1	1992
Atlanta	2	1994, 2000
Phoenix area	2	1996, 2008
Jacksonville	1	2005

Future Super Bowl host cities/regions

2009 - Tampa (4)

2010 - South Florida (10)

2011 - Dallas-Fort Worth (1)

2012 - Indianapolis (1)

NFL trademark issues

The NFL is vigilant on stopping what it says is unauthorized commercial use of its trademarked terms "NFL," "Super Bowl," or "Super Sunday"; as a result, many events and promotions timed to the game but not sanctioned by the NFL are forced to refer to it with colloquialisms such as "The Big Game," or other generic descriptions.

The NFL claims that the use of the phrase "Super Bowl" implies an NFL affiliation, and on this basis the league asserts broad rights to restrict how the game may be shown publicly; for example, the league says Super Bowl showings are prohibited in churches or at other events that "promote a message"; and venues that do not regularly show sporting events cannot show the Super Bowl on any television screen larger than 55 inches. Some critics say the NFL is exaggerating its ownership rights by stating that "any use is prohibited", as this contradicts the broad doctrine of fair use in the United States.

In 2006, the NFL made an attempt to trademark "The Big Game" as well. However, it withdrew their application in 2007 due to growing commercial opposition to the move, mostly from fans of both Stanford and Cal who compete in The Big Game which concludes their Pac-10 season.

The XFL sardonically referred to its playoff championship game at the end of its one and only season (in 2001) as "The Big Game at the End of the Season."

See also

• List of Super Bowl champions
• Super Bowl MVP
• Super Bowl records
• List of Super Bowl winning head coaches
• National Football League championships
• List of quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl wins
• Advertising in the Super Bowl
• List of Super Bowl broadcasters
• List of Super Bowl officials
• List of national anthem performers at the Super Bowl
• Super Bowl halftime shows
• Super Bowl ring
• National Football League lore
• List of NFL franchise post-season droughts
• Grey Cup, the equivalent event for the Canadian Football League
• AFC Championship Game
• NFC Championship Game
• Super Bowl curse

References

• 2006 NFL Record and Fact Book. Time Inc. Home Entertainment. ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
• Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. Harper Collins. ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
• The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995. ISBN 0-89204-523-X.
• The Super Bowl: An Official Retrospective with DVD. Ballantine Books. 2005. ISBN 0-345-48719-2.
• MacCambridge, Michael (2004). America's Game. Random House. ISBN 0-375-50454-0.
• Chris Jones (2 February 2005). "NFL tightens restrictions on Super Bowl advertisements". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
• John Branch (4 February 2006). "Build It and They Will Come". The New York Times.
• Super Bowl play-by-plays from USA Today. Last accessed September 28, 2005.
• All-Time Super Bowl Odds from The Sports Network. Last accessed October 16, 2005.
• 100 Greatest Super Bowl Moments by Kevin Jackson, Jeff Merron, and David Schoenfield; espn.com. Last accessed October 31, 2005.
• Various Authors - "SI's 25 Lost Treasures" - Sports Illustrated, July 11, 2005 p.114.
• "The Super Bowl I-VII." Lost Treasures of NFL Films. ESPN2. 26 January 2001.
• "MTV's Super Bowl Uncensored". MTV. 27 January 2001.
• "Talk Shows." CBS: 50 Years from Television City. CBS. 27 April 2002.
• Dee, Tommy (January 2007). ""Super Bowl Halftime Jinx"". Maxim Magazine Online. Retrieved 2007-01-25.

External links

• Official Super Bowl website
• America's Game - America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, an NFL Films documentary of all Super Bowl winning teams
• Template:Dmoz
• Super Bowl Discussion
• OUR2012SB a website chronicle of the bid to bring the 2012 Super Bowl to Indianapolis