Here in New York, this is not about the Giants, Jets, or the Bills. Sunday, this is about the Chiefs and Eagles, Kansas City and Philadelphia. It’s the premiere sporting event of the year. Super Bowl Sunday or should it be known as the NFL championship game.
Logistics aside, and bypassing the Roman Numeral designation, who calls this the NFL championship? Just call this Super Bowl Sunday. Regardless of your fan affiliation, whether or not football is your game, millions will watch the FOX Sports telecast,
The projected numbers for Super Bowl LV11: Courtesy wallethub.com
-
$6,372: The average cost of a ticket to the past five Super Bowls
-
$5,738: Lowest price of a Super Bowl LVII ticket on the resale market just after the Conference Championships (35% increase from 2022)
-
$1B: Estimated economic impact for the greater Phoenix area economy in 2023
-
17.8M: Number of Americans who plan to watch the game at a bar or restaurant
-
204%: 20-year increase in the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad (hitting a record cost of $7million for a spot in 2023)
And the best cities for football fans. I recall writing a similar study two years ago and nothing has changed since:
-
Pittsburgh, Pa
-
Green Bay, Wi
-
Dallas, TX
-
Boston, MA
-
Los Angeles, CA
-
New York, NY
-
Miami, FL
-
Cincinnati, OH
-
New Orleans, LA
-
Kansas City, MO
That last one is a surprise. The Chiefs are possibly building a dynasty with QB Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid. They have won one Super Bowl and return in their third title game in four years.
“Remember the Chiefs played Lombardi and the Packers in 1967 at the LA Coliseum in 1967,” said Victor Mastrovincenzo, a Bronx native and NFL historian.”
That was the beginning of what is known as the Super Bowl, then known as the AFL-NFL championship that was won by the Packers, 35-10. Since then, there have been many more facts and numbers. There have been many New York connections about the game with the Joe Namath Jets and the Giants.
But as Mastrovincenzo says, December of 1958 at Yankee Stadium, and many years before they called this the Super Bowl, there was “The Greatest Game Ever Played” between the Colts and Giants. That game was decided in sudden death overtime and set the stage. The Colts would beat the Giants 23-17. The rest is history to get where we are today as Super Bowl Sunday is a holiday of sorts and a giant for business.
Some more about the commercials that have been a historic part of the Super Bowl:
Apple commercial 1984: Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984. Audiences for the first time saw a commercial that proved to be effective and was produced by Bronx native Jay Chiat. It has been described as iconic with technology.
Mean Joe Greene and Hey Kid, Catch! ” was a television commercial for Coca-Cola starring Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene. The commercial debuted on October 1, 1979, and was re-aired multiple times, most notably during Super Bowl XIV in 1980. The 60-second commercial won a Clio Award for being one of the best television commercials of 1979
Sunday, an estimated $500 million in ad revenue is expected, approximately 70 ads, and those 30 second spots sold for $7 million, numbers that are compiled to go along with the statistics and percentages of the Chiefs and Eagles.
There is a Super Bowl connection with Fordham University and Rose Hill up in the Bronx. The Vince Lombardi history and name of the trophy is presented to the winning team.
And more numbers:
Place a Bet: $500 million plus will be legally wagered on the game Sunday and more than 26 million adults are likely to place a bet. But also consider that 92 percent who bet on the Super Bowl lose money.
Social Media: Over 50 million live social media interactions on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
And the game analysis. Two of the top seeds deserve to be here, the storylines of Kelce brothers on opposite sides, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts (First time two black QB’s) opposing each other, Andy Reid coaching against his former team.
There is the offensive line of the Eagles and the ability of Hurts to run and pass the ball with efficiency. Hurts’ team was fourth in the league in rushes, and 70 sacks was third best in the league. The Eagles defensive line has sacked the quarterback, 27.9 percent of the time when they hold the ball three or more seconds.
Low scoring game? Perhaps if the defenses can contain the quarterbacks, but most experts are picking the Eagles and a high scoring Super Bowl. I am not one to wager on this game or any other, but a majority will with a box or legitimate bet via the sportsbooks. I do expect a high scoring game.
My Pick: Eagles 40- Chiefs 38. Remember, the numbers are the NFL Championship, oops the Super Bowl.
Rich Mancuso: Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com/Rch Mancuso Watch “Sports With Rich” with Rich Mancuso and co-host Robert Rizzo Tuesday evening live 8pmET on the SLG Network and YouTube