For 55 years, families, friends and people of all relations have met and gathered to watch the Super Bowl. This year’s matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams is on February 13 at SoFi Stadium. Fans can find the game being televised on NBC at 6:30 PM E.S.T. 

     The Super Bowl has grown to become one of the biggest sporting events in the country. The ratings and viewership have been increasing year to year.  Last year’s Super Bowl hit 91.63 million viewers and a rating of 38.2 at its peak. 

     The all-time highest viewership and rating of a Super Bowl was in the thriller of a matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks back in 2015 with 114.44 million viewers and a rating of 47.5, Data courtesy of Sports Media Watch: Super Bowl Ratings History (1967-present).

     Looking at those numbers now they seem extreme and very high compared to everyday numbers for the league, so when comparing it to the older games these numbers seem astronomical. The first ever Super Bowl in 1967 at its peak hit 24.43 million viewers and revived a rating of 18.5. After the success of the first Super Bowl, the future was set and the championship game would now take place every year. 

     Some contributions for these numbers we see now are the special entertainment that comes along with the Super Bowl. From famous artists performing during halftime to the special advertisements, users from everywhere tune in to watch the Super Bowl.  

     The first ever Super Bowl halftime show featured the University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band who played “The Liberty Bell.” The show wasn’t as anticipated as it is today. The most viewed Super Bowl performance was in 2015 with Katy Perry with Lenny Kravitz & Missy Elliot with a peak of 120.7 million viewers.

      This year’s show includes a plethora of artists including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary .J Blige, and Kendrick Lamar. Advertisements to preview the halftime show premiered recently and fans are excited for what’s to come. 

      Senior Will Heitman says, “I like how they include the halftime show. It gives the fans who don’t really have an interest in football something to look forward to. It also is just a nice thing for everyone as we get to see various different people perform.” 

     Something else to look forward to during the Super Bowl are the advertisements. To reserve a 30-second ad time on NBC during Super Bowl weekend, it costs $6.5 million dollars. The difference between these and “regular” commercials is the awareness and visibility it generates. 

     A fun fact provided by progressivegrocer states, “In total, Americans eat a staggering 90 million pounds of snacks on Super Bowl Sunday.” Comparing 2019 shopping data from Super Bowl week with the prior week, the IRI saw a significant jump in the following categories during Super Bowl week: 

Tortilla Chips                   24.3%

Pretzels                            14.5%

Potato Chips                    11.8%

Refrigerated Dips             33.0%

Dry Dip Mixes                  53.0%

   The first Super Bowl featured the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The game ended in a 35-10 win for the Packers, giving the team and now Hall of Fame head coach Vince Lombardi the first Super Bowl win of his career.

     Lombardi went on to win five Super Bowls in his historic career and stacked up a resume that makes him one of the greatest to ever coach ever. Lombardi won five NFC championships, before the Super Bowl was implemented in the 1967 season and more notably Super bowls I and II, all with the Packers. 

     Shortly after his passing in 1970, the Super Bowl trophy was renamed to the Vince Lombardi trophy in honor of his historic and unforgettable career. Now every year since “Super Bowl V,” the winners of the Super Bowl receive the Vince Lombardi trophy to honor the great success of winning the championship that season.

     The Super Bowl success led to the continuation of the game still to this day. It has been running for 55 years and there have been 55 Super Bowls played with the next kicking off February 13. 

     Winning the Super Bowl is every team’s goal in the NFL, however some teams find themselves with a chance at the big game more than others. For example, the New England Patriots have been to the Super Bowl nine times in the last 20 years. From great coaching to great players the team was complete with superstars to compete.

     For most teams, though, things aren’t smooth sailing. Within the NFL, 12 teams have not won the Super Bowl at all, while four teams haven’t even made it into the game at all. 

     One of those teams that have never won a Super Bowl is the Cincinnati Bengals, who look to change that when they square off against the Rams this Sunday. 

     Coming into the season ESPNs “NFL Power Rankings 2021: Preseason 1-32 poll, plus players, coaches, general managers on hot seat” had the Bengals ranked at 29 out of 32. 

     With Joe Burrow coming off a season ending injury, a questionable rookie camp for the now star wide receiver Jamarr Chase, a coach in the hot seat, and many other factors the Bengals did not look to be in great shape for the upcoming season. But that didn’t seem to matter. The confidence and skill of this young group propelled the team to a 10-7 season, winning the AFC North and securing a spot in the playoffs. 

     Cincinnati earned the fourth seed in the playoffs and went on to beat the fifth seed Las Vegas Raiders. The Bengals also beat number one seed Tennessee Titans and second seed Kansas City Chiefs while being the underdogs in both games. Though they came into the Super Bowl as the underdogs, they are doing just fine. 

     On the other side of the ball, the Los Angeles Rams are filled with top known and skilled NFL players. Sean Mcvay, the head coach of the Rams, has been the mastermind behind the operation. He has led his Rams to two Super Bowls including this year’s one. 

     The Rams have had the opposite road to the playoffs. Coming into the season the ESPN article had the Rams ranked fifth out of the 32. The additions they have acquired, for example, Mathew Stafford, Von Miller, and Odell Beckham Jr. have contributed majorly to the success of this teams season. 

     Los Angeles won the NFC West with a 12-5 record and earned the fourth seed as well. They defeated the fifth seed Arizona Cardinals, second seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the sixth seed San Francisco 49ers on their path to the Super Bowl.  

     The game could go either way. Foran security guard and football coach Garrett Walker states, “I am excited for this game, it’s great to see some new teams and new faces squaring off on the biggest stage. I like the dynamic of both teams, especially at the quarterback position. The new gun slinger in Joe Burrow vs The ultimate professional Matthew Stafford. Should make for a great game. I have the Rams over the Bengals 37-24.” 

     The game kicks off on February 13, 2022 at SoFi stadium. You can watch the game on NBC at 6:30 EST.