Campus football fans share love of sport, significance of football

Super Bowl I roped in an averaged 25 million viewers in 1967. In 2015, Super Bowl XLIX (49) reached the most viewers for any Super Bowl so far with a viewer count of 114 million people.

As one of the most watched sporting events of the year, the Super Bowl attracts millions of viewers each year and has grown in popularity over it’s 52 championship games. Super Bowl Sunday ranks 2nd in US food consumption with Thanksgiving at 1st.

The first Super Bowl attracted around 61,000 fans, while only airing on 2 stations, Jan. 15, 1967. Competing in the game were the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers took home the victory 35-10. The Packers also defeated the Raiders 33-14 in Super Bowl II. These wins of the first two championships gave the Super Bowl trophy the name of the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Vince Lombardi coached the Packers through both of the championship titles.  

Statistics state that about 45.5% of Americans plan to celebrate Super Bowl Sunday or attend a celebration, plus another 5% who plan to watch in a bar or restaurant. Just over half of Americans surveyed would take part in the festivities.

John Monke, ’19, wrote an article on The Feather about his visit to Super Bowl LII (52). In the article, Monke shares that his parents surprised him on his birthday with the tickets. He, his dad, and his uncle attended the game. Monke described the experience with an emphasis on how it felt to be at the game in person.

“I sat with my dad around the 20-yard line,” Monke said. “When I sat down and looked around, I was completely speechless. Between the noise and frantic fans everywhere, it will remain one of the craziest, yet amazing events I have witnessed. Watching the Patriots and Eagles warm up in front of my own eyes at the Super Bowl was something I never thought I would ever do in my life.”         

The following tweet from the NFL contains a photo of brackets for competing teams, Jan. 18.

Who will advance to #SBLIII? #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/6rnDrsNrzA

— NFL (@NFL) January 14, 2019

Lifelong football fan, Bryson Graham, ‘21 believes that the Super Bowl creates an atmosphere of togetherness among dedicated football fans and casual fans. Graham roots for the Minnesota Vikings. However, he still plans to spectate the big game if they fail to compete in the Super Bowl.   

“I watch the Super Bowl for the game, commercials, and halftime show,” Graham said. “I think most people watch it for the same reason. I believe it brings families and friends closer together. It allows people to bond and have fun over a common interest.”

Football player, Blake Burdan, ’22, enjoys watching the Super Bowl every year. Burdan explains how his family celebrates the Super Bowl and why he thinks others celebrate it in the following podcast.

The game itself is only one of the many different forms of entertainment that take place during the Super Bowl. Apart from the game, people watch creative commercials and above all, the halftime show. Over the years, the Super Bowl halftime show evolved from local marching bands to popular singers. Some of the entertainers that have performed in the past include Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Prince, U2, and Justin Timberlake.

Commercials featured in the Super Bowl sell for 5.5 to 6 million dollars for 30 seconds. In the last 3 years, the price of a 30-second advertising slot rose by $500,000 each year. If prices keep rising at that rate, companies could be looking at a $1 million increase in 2 years to keep their commercial in the Super Bowl.

In the graph, Super Bowl viewership from 1990 to 2018 is analyzed in the graph originally published on statista.com.

Football coach, Russ Counts, sees the Super Bowl as an unofficial U.S. holiday. Counts states that the culture holds it in high regards and this leads to why the Super Bowl exists as an icon in America. He also mentions that the NFL teams represent most of the areas in the US, enabling the football fan bases to unite over the common interests, no matter where they live in the country.

“Our culture loves the Super Bowl because it has become almost a national holiday,” Counts said. “The entire week prior to the Super Bowl is preparations for parties and get-togethers. Football has been around long enough that all of the teams have very large and committed fans base. The truth is deep down we all like to win even if we are not personally playing, if our team wins then we feel like we win.”

With the big event coming soon, tickets become harder to come by. At the moment, there are tickets available at nflonlocation.com. Super Bowl LIII is to be held in Atlanta, Georgia and is expecting a large turnout.

Student Super Bowl Predictions from The Feather Online on Vimeo.

For more articles, read The Feather Looks to Engage in Community Events and Baskin Robins Updates Store. 

Brayden Iest can be reached via Twitter and email.