Whether you’re a football fan or not, the Superbowl is a huge part of American culture and a popular event aired across the world. If you’re in it for the food, socializing, halftime show, football, or all of the above, here are some crazy facts about this exciting Sunday event that you may not have known.
- Attendance
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Like I said, football fan or not, many people across the country plan to go to a party on Sunday. An NRF survey stated that 60.9 million people are going to a Superbowl party and 44 million are hosting a party. Around half of those planning to attend these parties report that they are not going for the football itself. On the flip side, regarding lack of attendance, in 2019 around 12 percent of employees called off work the following day.
- Commercials
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The only time of the year you’ll see me intently paying attention to commercials. It’s another fun thing to look forward to on Superbowl Sunday. There have been many famous ones over the years that are still remembered and talked about today. My personal favorites were the Budweiser “Whassup” commercial and the CocaCola Steelers “Mean Joe” one. Companies across the country pull out all the stops for this day to make the best or funniest commercials they can. After all, there will be around 98 million people watching them. Discussing costs again, the prices rise every year and so does the competition. In 2002, the average cost of a 30-second slot was only $2.3 million, only, and now in 2020, it is up to a whopping $5.2 million. Fingers crossed that there are some good ones this year.
- Food & Drink
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The best part of the party, in my opinion. So how much food does America go through on this wild holiday? Well in 2019, the estimate was 1.3 billion wings. Dominos also estimated selling around 2 million pizzas or around 1388 pies per minute. Can’t forget the beverages either. It’s estimated that Americans go through 325 million gallons of beer. That’s not the end of it though. With all of the dips, chips, and desserts usually also served at Superbowl parties, the average amount of money that will be spent per adult is around $81.
- History
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The first Superbowl was in 1967, where the average ticket was just $12. The attendance at the game was 61,000 with over 32,000 empty seats. Another interesting thing to note is that at this game the halftime show consisted of a local marching band, not a famous rock group or celebrity performance. It’s crazy how much can change over time. As far as the history of the parties goes, there’s no set date for when they first started. As Superbowl’s became more and more popular year after year, and the attendance was rising, casual hangouts at someone’s house with friends turned into all it is today, 1.6 billion wings later.
Superbowl parties in the past have held so many good memories for me with family and friends. So, whichever team you’re rooting for this Sunday, or even if you aren’t rooting for either, I hope you’ll eat good food, laugh at some good commercials, and enjoy good company.