Joel Wilson – Staff Writer

jnw5443@psu.edu

Every Feb., millions of Americans gather around their televisions in anticipation of the Big Game. With pizza and wings in hand, they watch the two remaining teams take the field to battle for the title of champion. 

Because the NFL does not have expansive international appeal, the Super Bowl has become a uniquely, albeit unofficial, American holiday. How did this tradition begin, though? 

The NFL has been crowning champions since its inception in the early twentieth century. The 1920’s champions were decided by whoever finished with the best record. The league was disorganized at this time, so the authenticities of such achievements can easily be called into question. 

The first NFL playoff game took place in 1932 between the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans. In modern times, the Spartans play in Detroit under the moniker of the “Lions.” Due to frigid temperatures in Chicago, the game was moved from outdoor Wrigley Field to indoor Chicago Stadium. 

The game was so popular that, starting in 1933, the NFL implemented a playoff game as a yearly event. This playoff system operated the same way as MLB playoffs did before 1969: whoever finished at the top of their respective division went to the championship round to play against their cross division counterpart. 

In 1960, the American Football League was created and posed a serious threat to the NFL. The two leagues competed separately from each other, although as early as 1961 the AFL had proposed a championship game between them. 

The two leagues would not come together for a championship game until January of 1967. The first Super Bowl was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Colosseum in Los Angeles, California. Vince Lombardi – who the Super Bowl trophy is now named after – and his Green Bay Packers defeated Hank Stram and his Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 35-10. 

Where did the name come from? The term was first used by Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt during a meeting between the NFL and the AFL. He said that the name was most likely inspired by the “Super Ball” toy that his children played with. The name was also not meant to be permanent. Hunt himself said years later, “I have kiddingly called it the ‘Super Bowl,’ which obviously can be improved upon.”

Even though he was not a fan of the name, it stuck and became iconic. Nobody would have guessed that a place-holder name could have given birth to one of the most, if not the most, iconic sporting event names in the world. It also would have been impossible to forecast how big of a cash cow the advertising would become. The Super Bowl played between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals saw 30-second ad spots sell for $5,500,000 apiece. Super Bowl advertising has since become almost more famous than the game itself. There is no other television program in which people pay attention to the advertisements like they do during the Super Bowl. 

Another iconic feature of the championship game is its use of Roman numerals. This tradition started with Super Bowl V and has been used every year with the exception of Super Bowl 50. 

The NFL and AFL combined into one entity in 1970, thus ending their rivalry. Despite there no longer being a rivalry between two separate leagues, the tradition of the Super Bowl endured. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots hold the distinction of having the most Super Bowl rings with six-a-piece. Perhaps the most frustrating, if not somehow spectacular, string of Super Bowl failures belong to the Buffalo Bills. They famously appeared in four consecutive games and subsequently lost each of them. 

This year, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs meet in the desert for a chance at bragging rights and glory for the upcoming offseason. As the latest installment of the Super Bowl approaches, please take a moment to enjoy this uniquely American holiday and its place in our culture.