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Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League, the pinnacle of American football. The game is almost like a national holiday in the United States. It is held annually on the last Sunday in January or the first Sunday in February, and is one of the most watched television broadcasts of the year.

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

History

Origins

An AFL-NFL Championship Game was first played after the 1966 football season on January 15, 1967, between the champions of the American Football League and the NFL. The game was a result of the merger agreement between the two leagues that took full effect for the 1970 season. The third such game, after the 1968 season, was called the "Super Bowl", and that name is now used to refer to the first two AFL-NFL Championship Games as well.

The name was inspired by Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt's daughter playing with a small rubber ball with high bouncing powers called a super ball. After the 1970 season, the game reverted from an essentially interleague championship to the NFL championship, featuring the champions of the NFL's two conferences, the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference. The winning team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games. The trophy was named prior to Super Bowl V in his honor following his death in 1970.

Previous to the 1966 football season, American professional football's championship games were played for various league championships, and games were not played between league champions. The game was called the "All-America Football Conference Championship Game", the "AFL Championship Game" or the "NFL Championship Game", depending on the league playing it. (See: Professional American football championship games and National Football League championships).

Ratings and commercials

The Super Bowl 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. Also it is estimated that 130-140 million tune into some part of the game. The most watched Super Bowl was 1998's Super Bowl XXXII between the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers which received a 44.5 rating and 67 share, attracting 90 million viewers. In terms of household percentage, the most watched was Super Bowl XVI in 1982 which was watched in 49.1% of households (73 share) or 40,020,000 households at the time.

Following Apple Computer's 1984 commercial introducing the Apple 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, reaching $2.4 million (US) for a 30 second spot during Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.

Las Vegas is the only city that is not allowed to run commericals during the game. This ban includes the pre and post game shows.

Venue

The location of the Super Bowl is chosen well in advance, usually 3-5 years before the game. The chosen venues have either been located in the southern regions of the United States where the wintertime weather is expected to be mild, or in domed stadiums where weather is not an issue.

No NFL team has ever played the Super Bowl on its own home turf. However, Super Bowl XIV (which involved the then-Los Angeles Rams) was played in the Rose Bowl in nearby Pasadena; and Super Bowl XIX (which involved the San Francisco 49ers) was played at the nearby Stanford Stadium on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto.

The designated "home team" alternates between the NFC team in odd-numbered years (the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005), and the AFC team in even-numbered years (the New England Patriots in 2004). The home team is given the choice of either wearing their colored jerseys or their white ones, this started with Super Bowl XIII. Prior to that, the home team always wore the dark jerseys. The Dallas Cowboys wore their rarely-used blue uniform tops in Super Bowl V, and lost to the then-Baltimore Colts, which has led to the belief that many people believe that the Cowboys do not play well in their blue shirts. While most home teams in the Super Bowl pick to wear their colored ones, only the Cowboys in XIII and XXVII and the Washington Redskins in XVII have worn white as the home team.

The television network showing the game changes from year to year. In the United States it is shared between three of the four major television networks - ABC, CBS, and FOX. Super Bowl XXXVIII was shown on CBS, Super Bowl XXXIX was shown on FOX, and Super Bowl XL will be shown on ABC.

With the new television contracts beginning in 2006, NBC, which last telecast Super Bowl XXXII in 1998, will take ABC's place in the network rotation starting with Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.

Trivia

  • In the months leading up to Super Bowl XXX (30) it was discovered that some proxy servers were blocking the web site for the event. The reason for this was that "XXX" is usually associated with pornography, and proxy servers thought those trying to visit that site were trying to access pornography.
  • Super Bowl XXXVI was originally scheduled to be played on January 27, 2002. But the game was moved back one week to February 3, 2002 because of the September 11, 2001 attacks. This was the first Super Bowl to be played in February. Most of the events two years afterward were scheduled in February. Also, because of the attacks, the Super Bowl was a National Special Security Event.
  • Super Bowl XXXIX was the first such game to be tied after three quarters of play.

Game history

AFL-NFL Championships

Final inter-league standings: NFL 2 wins, AFL 2 wins.

NFL Championships

(*) Note: New York City is scheduled to host Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 only if the proposed West Side Stadium, future home of the New York Jets, is built.

Super Bowl appearances

8 - Dallas Cowboys (won 5, lost 3)
6 - Denver Broncos (won 2, lost 4)
5 - San Francisco 49ers (won 5)
5 - Pittsburgh Steelers (won 4, lost 1)
5 - Oakland Raiders (won 3, lost 2; one win as Los Angeles Raiders)
5 - Washington Redskins (won 3, lost 2)
5 - New England Patriots (won 3, lost 2)
5 - Miami Dolphins (won 2, lost 3)
4 - Green Bay Packers (won 3, lost 1)
4 - Buffalo Bills (lost 4)
4 - Minnesota Vikings (lost 4)
3 - New York Giants (won 2, lost 1)
3 - St. Louis Rams (won 1, lost 2; one loss as Los Angeles Rams)
2 - Baltimore Colts (won 1, lost 1; franchise now Indianapolis Colts)
2 - Kansas City Chiefs (won 1, lost 1)
2 - Cincinnati Bengals (lost 2)
2 - Philadelphia Eagles (lost 2)
1 - Baltimore Ravens (won 1)
1 - Chicago Bears (won 1)
1 - New York Jets (won 1)
1 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (won 1)
1 - Atlanta Falcons (lost 1)
1 - Carolina Panthers (lost 1)
1 - San Diego Chargers (lost 1)
1 - Tennessee Titans (lost 1)


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Louis Rams (won 1, lost 2; one loss as Los Angeles Rams)
2 - Baltimore Colts (won 1, lost 1; franchise now Indianapolis Colts)
2 - Kansas City Chiefs (won 1, lost 1)
2 - Cincinnati Bengals (lost 2)
2 - Philadelphia Eagles (lost 2)
1 - Baltimore Ravens (won 1)
1 - Chicago Bears (won 1)
1 - New York Jets (won 1)
1 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (won 1)
1 - Atlanta Falcons (lost 1)
1 - Carolina Panthers (lost 1)
1 - San Diego Chargers (lost 1)
1 - Tennessee Titans (lost 1)
. Will's father, Lee Ferrell, is a musician for the Righteous Brothers. 8 - Dallas Cowboys (won 5, lost 3)
6 - Denver Broncos (won 2, lost 4)
5 - San Francisco 49ers (won 5)
5 - Pittsburgh Steelers (won 4, lost 1)
5 - Oakland Raiders (won 3, lost 2; one win as Los Angeles Raiders)
5 - Washington Redskins (won 3, lost 2)
5 - New England Patriots (won 3, lost 2)
5 - Miami Dolphins (won 2, lost 3)
4 - Green Bay Packers (won 3, lost 1)
4 - Buffalo Bills (lost 4)
4 - Minnesota Vikings (lost 4)
3 - New York Giants (won 2, lost 1)
3 - St. Since meeting his wife, he has learned to speak some Swedish. (*) Note: New York City is scheduled to host Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 only if the proposed West Side Stadium, future home of the New York Jets, is built.. He married Swedish actress Viveca Paulin in August 2000, and became father to Magnus Paulin Ferrell in 2004. With the new television contracts beginning in 2006, NBC, which last telecast Super Bowl XXXII in 1998, will take ABC's place in the network rotation starting with Super Bowl XLIII in 2009. He hosted the USC School of Cinema-Television’s 75th Anniversary Gala [1] (http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/story.php?id=10406), where his alma mater was recognized as the first educational institution of its kind in the country.

Super Bowl XXXVIII was shown on CBS, Super Bowl XXXIX was shown on FOX, and Super Bowl XL will be shown on ABC. His latest movie is Bewitched. In the United States it is shared between three of the four major television networks - ABC, CBS, and FOX. Ferrell has appeared in many films, including The Ladies Man (2001), Zoolander (2001), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Old School (2003), and has had leading roles in Elf (2003), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), and Kicking and Screaming (2005). The television network showing the game changes from year to year. Gene Frenkle was not a real member of Blue Öyster Cult. While most home teams in the Super Bowl pick to wear their colored ones, only the Cowboys in XIII and XXVII and the Washington Redskins in XVII have worn white as the home team. Also on the same episode, during the preformance of the song Little Sister by musical guests Queens of the Stone Age, Ferrell came onstage playing the cowbell: this was in reference to a famous 2000 sketch in which he portrayed a member of Blue Öyster Cult, manically but arrhythmically playing the instrument during the band's recording of (Don't Fear) The Reaper.

The Dallas Cowboys wore their rarely-used blue uniform tops in Super Bowl V, and lost to the then-Baltimore Colts, which has led to the belief that many people believe that the Cowboys do not play well in their blue shirts. In one sketch, he reprised his role as Robert Goulet, advertising a series of crooned ringtones. Prior to that, the home team always wore the dark jerseys. Marking his comeback to Saturday Night Live, Ferrell appeared as a host on May 14, 2005. The home team is given the choice of either wearing their colored jerseys or their white ones, this started with Super Bowl XIII. He then followed in the footsteps of fellow SNL alumni by switching to a career focused on movies. The designated "home team" alternates between the NFC team in odd-numbered years (the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005), and the AFC team in even-numbered years (the New England Patriots in 2004). His final performance as a regular on Saturday Night Live was May 18, 2002, in which the real Alex Trebek made an appearance at the end of the last Celebrity Jeopardy! sketch.

However, Super Bowl XIV (which involved the then-Los Angeles Rams) was played in the Rose Bowl in nearby Pasadena; and Super Bowl XIX (which involved the San Francisco 49ers) was played at the nearby Stanford Stadium on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto. His original characters included "Morning Latte" co-host Tom Wilkins, music teacher Marty Culp, Spartan cheerleader Craig Buchanan, Dale Sturtevant "Dissing Your Dog", and night clubber Steve Butabi in a sketch that became the 1998 film A Night at the Roxbury. No NFL team has ever played the Super Bowl on its own home turf. During his time on SNL, Ferrell made a name for himself with impressions of. The chosen venues have either been located in the southern regions of the United States where the wintertime weather is expected to be mild, or in domed stadiums where weather is not an issue. After graduating in 1989, Ferrell developed his improvisation skills as a member of the comedy group The Groundlings. The location of the Super Bowl is chosen well in advance, usually 3-5 years before the game. He then enrolled at the University of Southern California.

This ban includes the pre and post game shows. Born John William Ferrell in Irvine, California, he attended University High School in Irvine and became interested in performing while making his school's daily morning announcements over the public address system in disguised voices. Las Vegas is the only city that is not allowed to run commericals during the game. Will Ferrell (born July 16, 1968) is a comedian, impressionist, and actor who first established himself as a cast member of Saturday Night Live (1995-2002). Prices have increased each year, reaching $2.4 million (US) for a 30 second spot during Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. professional wrestler-turned-Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura. Famous commercial campaigns include the Budweiser "Bud Bowl" campaign, and the 1999 and 2000 dot-com ads. game show host Alex Trebek, and.

Following Apple Computer's 1984 commercial introducing the Apple Macintosh computer, directed by Ridley Scott, the broadcast of the Super Bowl became the premier showcase for high concept or simply extravagantly expensive commercials. convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski,. In terms of household percentage, the most watched was Super Bowl XVI in 1982 which was watched in 49.1% of households (73 share) or 40,020,000 households at the time. Attorney General Janet Reno,. The most watched Super Bowl was 1998's Super Bowl XXXII between the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers which received a 44.5 rating and 67 share, attracting 90 million viewers. U.S. Also it is estimated that 130-140 million tune into some part of the game. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy,.

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(See: Professional American football championship games and National Football League championships). Bush ("strategery" was just one of several Bushisms he used during skits about the 2000 campaign),. The game was called the "All-America Football Conference Championship Game", the "AFL Championship Game" or the "NFL Championship Game", depending on the league playing it. President George W. Previous to the 1966 football season, American professional football's championship games were played for various league championships, and games were not played between league champions. U.S. The trophy was named prior to Super Bowl V in his honor following his death in 1970.

The winning team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games. After the 1970 season, the game reverted from an essentially interleague championship to the NFL championship, featuring the champions of the NFL's two conferences, the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference. The name was inspired by Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt's daughter playing with a small rubber ball with high bouncing powers called a super ball. The third such game, after the 1968 season, was called the "Super Bowl", and that name is now used to refer to the first two AFL-NFL Championship Games as well.

The game was a result of the merger agreement between the two leagues that took full effect for the 1970 season. An AFL-NFL Championship Game was first played after the 1966 football season on January 15, 1967, between the champions of the American Football League and the NFL. It is held annually on the last Sunday in January or the first Sunday in February, and is one of the most watched television broadcasts of the year. The game is almost like a national holiday in the United States.

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League, the pinnacle of American football. Super Bowl XXXIX was the first such game to be tied after three quarters of play. Also, because of the attacks, the Super Bowl was a National Special Security Event. Most of the events two years afterward were scheduled in February.

This was the first Super Bowl to be played in February. But the game was moved back one week to February 3, 2002 because of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Super Bowl XXXVI was originally scheduled to be played on January 27, 2002. The reason for this was that "XXX" is usually associated with pornography, and proxy servers thought those trying to visit that site were trying to access pornography.

In the months leading up to Super Bowl XXX (30) it was discovered that some proxy servers were blocking the web site for the event.