The biggest sporting event in the United States is upon us.Watched by over 100 million people in the US, the Super Bowl is much more than a sporting event, it is one of the biggest spectacles in the world.
The underlying story is the duel between the two best quarterbacks in the NFL, Tom Brady andPatrick Mahomes.Brady will play in his tenth Super Bowl, while Mahomes will try to become the youngest QB to win back-to-back titles.
For the Kansas City Chiefs , they could become the eighth team to win back-to-back titles in NFL history, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the first team in Super Bowl history to play on their home field. There are many interesting facts about Super Bowl LV, take a look at 25 of them!
25. Buccaneers and Chiefs Super Bowl Appearances
Super Bowl LV head to head
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this will be their second Super Bowl appearance, they previously played in 2002 where they claimed their only Super Bowl title in a 48-21 win over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.
For the Kansas City Chiefs, it will be the team’s fourth appearance in the big game. They won in 2019, lost to the Green Bay Packers in 1966 and won their first title in Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings.
24. Just how expensive are Super Bowl tickets?
Super Bowl LV tickets. (NBC Sports)
While due to the COVID-19 pandemic an allocated 14,500 seats have been sold to the general public. According to various sources some seats cost as low as $5,950 and as high as $21,500 for two tickets.
Resold tickets on the other hand are as low as $6,130 and can run as high as $336,000! Literally the price of a house! It is rumored that a Super Bowl ticket can change hands an estimated 3 times through resell.
23. Patrick Mahomes youngest quarterback in NFL history to win back-to-back titles?
Patrick Mahomes (Getty)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is looking to become the youngest QB to win the Super Bowl on back-to-back occasions. Last season Mahomes was 24 when the Chiefs won the title.
Now at 25 no NFL quarterback has ever done it back-to-back at his age. It is also interesting to point out that Mahomes was also the MVP of the Super Bowl in 2019 after a stellar performance by the young man.
22. Miley Cyrus to headline TikTok Super Bowl tailgate party
Miley Cyrus (Getty)
The NFL has a lot of followers on social media and given the recent pandemic the NFL will look to use all their platforms to get fans engaged and ready for the big game. 28-year-old super star singing sensation Miley Cyrus has been given the keys to rock the house before kick-off!
Cyrus will join a series of special guests from across the NFL, a tailgate cooking segment, and more content on the NFL TikTok account starting at 2:30 PM EST. The NFL invited 7,500 vaccinated, Florida-based health care workers to attend the tailgate.
21. First time one of the teams has home field advantage in a Super Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Getty)
Super Bowl LV will go down in history for many reasons, but one that can’t be lost is the first time in NFL history that a team competing for the Super Bowl will play in their own stadium! Yes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the first team in Super Bowl history to host and play in their home turf.
Raymond James Stadium has hosted two other Super Bowls before this one, in 2000 and 2008. In 54 editions it is an amazing stat to know that no other team has had home field advantage in a Super Bowl.
20. Sarah Thomas first female official in Super Bowl history
Sarah Thomas (Getty)
The Super Bowl will break another barrier as Sarah Thomas will become the first female official in the NFL’s premiere event. Thomas will serve as a down judge and be a part of a seven-person officiating team.
Sarah Thomas was quoted as saying “I never set out, at all, to be the first in any of this, but knowing the impact I’m having on not just my daughter, but young girls, women everywhere – and young men and men too – is remarkable.”
19. 7th time championship winning QBs face each other
Ben Roethlisberger (Getty)
Super Bowl LV will mark the 7th occasion two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks will face each other to win the big prize. Both Brady and Mahomes have won the Super Bowl before while the first duel was in Super Bowl X between Roger Staubach and Terry Bradshaw.
The other occasions in which two Super Bowl winning QB’s faced off was in Super Bowl XIII where Terry Bradshaw and Roger Staubach had their rematch. In Super Bowl XVIII it was Jim Plunkett vs. Joe Theismann, in Super Bowl XLIII — Kurt Warner vs. Ben Roethlisberger, Super Bowl XLVI — Eli Manning vs. Tom Brady, and Super Bowl XLIX -Tom Brady vs. Russell Wilson.
18. Over 11 million tons of Potato chips are consumed during the Super Bowl
Super Bowl Sunday is the second day where more food is consumed in the U.S. (Free image bank)
It’s not all touchdowns and half-time shows, in millions of homes around the world NFL fans host Super Bowl watch parties. The Super Bowl is only behind Thanksgiving as the day that more Americans consume food. Super Bowl Sunday is also the day that most Americans order take out.
Pizza and Chicken Wings is the most popular food consumed during the Super Bowl. Ranch dressing is the most used dressing during Super Bowl food parties, while 11.2 million pounds of potato chips are eaten!
17. Super Bowl hangover
More than 1.5 million Americans call in sick to work after the Super Bowl. (depositphotos.com)
The Super Bowl is a mega event, it can literally last over 8 hours if you include pre game- game-half-time- post game and celebrations. You literally spend the whole day in front of a television set.
With the amount of food and liquor that is consumed during the Super Bowl festivities an estimated 1.5 million Americans call in sick to work following the Super Bowl. The sale of antacids increases roughly 20% following the big game!
16. Teams in Red
Wide receiver Tyler Johnson #18 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Getty)
Super Bowl LV will be the second straight championship game in which both the teams have primary red uniforms. The Kansas City Chiefs team colors are red, gold, and white, while the Buccaneers have Buccaneer red, pewter, orange, and black.
At least one of the teams will wear their traditional white away jerseys for this one. In 53 Super Bowls at least one of the teams will be wearing red on their jerseys, it would seem that red has begun to dominate as the primary color of the big game.
15. Raymond James Stadium will only be opened atone-third of capacity
Raymond James Stadium will only be filled to one third of it’s capacity. (Getty)
For the first time ever, the host stadium of a Super Bowl will NOT be sold out. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the NFL and Florida have stipulated that Raymond James Stadium will only be open to one-third of it’s capacity. Only 14,500 seats will be made available to the general public plus another 7,500 seats to vaccinated healthcare workers, other members of the NFL and Kansas City and Tampa Bay’s organization, and media round out the rest in attendance.
Florida can’t complain, they get the Super Bowl more than any state in the United States. This will be the 17th Super Bowl played in Florida. For Tampa Bay it’s the fifth time the city hosts the event. Miami has hosted it 11 times while Jacksonville hosted the game once.
14. Super Bowl LV halftime show
The Weeknd (Getty)
Besides the game and the television commercials, the Super Bowl halftime show is one of the most watched events on the planet. This year Grammy Award winning artist The Weeknd will perform and headline the show.
The Weeknd’s halftime set will last an estimated 13 minutes and it has been said that he has contributed $7 million dollars of his own money to beef up the show. Weeknd stated that he wants the audience at home to have a cinematic experience. We will see if it lives up to its billing.
13. Cost of Super Bowl LV TV commercials
Budlight ad.
The Super Bowl is designed to keep you watching, glued to your TV for HOURS! Not only is the game, and the halftime show there to draw you in, even the television commercials are designed to not make you move from your seat.Super Bowl commercials run up to $5.5 million for a 30 second spot based on last year’s numbers. CBS has already stated that the ad inventory for the game has been sold out. Still nonetheless due to the times we live in brands like Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, will not run spots.
Other brands like Doritos have already dropped trailers of their ads and it has been announced that categories for this year’s Super Bowl will be consumer products, automotive, financial services, and telecommunications.
12. Kansas City Chiefs could win back-to-back Super Bowls
San Francisco 49ers players celebrate during Super Bowl XXIII against the Cincinnati Bengals (Getty)
Only seven teams have won back-to-back Super Bowls and they are the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowls 1 and 2. The Miami Dolphins in Super Bowls 7 and 8, The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only team to win back-to-back titles twice in their history in Super Bowls 9 and 10 and 13 and 14.
The San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowls 23 and 24, America’s team the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowls 27 and 28, the Denver Broncos in Super Bowls 32 and 33 and rounding out the list the Tom Brady led New England Patriots in Super Bowls 38 and 39.
11. Chiefs and Buccaneers have never faced each other in a Super Bowl
Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Getty)
Super Bowl LV will mark the first time that the NFL Kansas City and Tampa Bay franchises meet for the biggest prize in Football. The Kansas City Chiefs posted a 14-2 record in 2020/2021 and defeated the Browns and the Bills to play in the Super Bowl.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 11-5 during the regular season and defeated Washington in the wild card game and went on to beat the Saints and upset the Packers in the conference finals.
10. Tom Brady and a record number of Super Bowl Appearances
Tom Brady (Getty)
Tom Brady may go down in history as the best NFL player of all-time and it is hard to argue when a player of his experience and magnitude can claim that he has played in… TEN! Super Bowls. Brady has been named the MVP of the Super Bowl 4 times and has won the Super Bowl on 6 occasions.
At the moment Brady has won 66.6% of all his Super Bowl appearances, 6 out of 9! He has the most touchdown passes in Super Bowl history with 18, and most passes completed in a single Super Bowl at 43.
9. Andy Reid vs Bruce Arians head-to-head
Andy Reid and Bruce Arians (Getty)
Coaches Andy Reid and Bruce Arians have faced each other on two occasions with each coach winning one game. For Arian it will be his first Super Bowl appearance as a head coach, he won 2 as a player with the Steelers.
For Reid it will be his fifth Super Bowl and third as a head coach. Reid lost to the Patriots in 2004 when he coached the Eagles and won his first Super Bowl last season as coach of the Chiefs.
8. Tom Brady will play in his third Super Bowl in his 40s!
Tom Brady at 43. (Getty)
Tom Brady will enter Super Bowl LV at 43 years-old, he is the only NFL QB to play a Super Bowl in his 40’s. Brady will set another record playing in his third Super Bowl since turning 40!
Brady has aged like a fine wine and after a rocky start with the Bucs he has led the team to another Super Bowl appearance and Brady has a 2-1 record in Super Bowls since turning the big 4-0.
7. How much do the teams playing in the Super Bowl get in prize money?
Last year the winning team received a bonus of $118,000 for each player. (Getty)
Aside from their regular salaries, players do get bonuses and both teams will receive bonuses for participating in the Super Bowl. Last year the winning team received a bonus of $118,000 for each player that was on the squad.
The losing team received a bonus of $59,000 for each player, players can make up to $201,000 in bonuses if they go all the way and win the Super Bowl. Not a bad hunk of change for doing something you love!
6. The Chiefs are rolling in Pro-Bowlers
Tyrann Mathieu (Getty)
The Kansas City Chiefs will have seven players on their roster that will represent the team in the Pro Bowl they are: Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Eric Fisher, Frank Clark, Chris Jones and Tyrann Mathieu.
On the other hand, the Bucs have only one Pro Bowler on their roster and that player is pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul, who had an exceptional season for Tampa Bay.
5. Two key players will be out injured for Super Bowl LV
Eric Fisher (Getty)
For every player that makes it to the Super Bowl, some unfortunately will have to miss the big event due to injury. In this case Kansas City’s Eric Fisher will miss the Super Bowl after suffering a torn Achilles in the AFC championship game.
While the Chiefs will also not have their right tackle, Mitchell Schwartz in their starting team. Schwartz is recovering from a back injury and will miss the big game.
4. Who will sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl?
R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan and country singer Eric Church (Getty)
The traditional signing of the national anthem is a show of its own in the Super Bowl. It can also be the most nerve racking, as some celebrities have flubbed the anthem. In this case the duties to sing The Star-Spangled Banner go to R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan and country singer Eric Church.
Sullivan has been active since 2003 and Church since 2005, both artists have won numerous awards and will be a contrast in styles when they sign their duet.
3. Tom Brady will look to win the Super Bowl with two teams
Peyton Manning (Getty)
Football is a team sport, and no matter how great a quarterback is, you are only as good as your teammates. That is why only Peyton Manning is the only QB in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with two different teams.
Manning won the championship with the Colts in 2007 and Broncos in 2016. Brady has won all six of his Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, and at 43 to win with the Bucs would place him in select company.
2. How many people will watch the Super Bowl on Television?
A Super Bowl watch party (Getty)
It is estimated that over 100 million people in the United States will watch the Super Bowl on American television at some point during the game. The Super Bowl is traditionally the most viewed sporting event in the United States.
Worldwide the Super Bowl is viewed in an average of 4 million homes in Mexico and could be watched by a worldwide audience of 50 to 65 million people.
1. Strangest Super Bowl PropBets
Super Bowl LV kicks off at 6:30 PM EST.
The Super Bowl is one of the most betted on events in the World, not only do sports bettors bet on the game and it’s many prop bets, but they also bet on some pretty strange occurances.
For example there are prop bets that have odds on Miley Cyrus’ hair color for the tailgate, how long the national anthem will last, or if one of the performers will forget the words to the anthem. If the word Groin or Hamstring will be said first in the broadcast and if LeBron James will be mentioned during the broadcast.
