Every year, two teams compete for the title of the football world champion. One of these teams will be crowned, and the other will be remembered as the second-place team that couldn’t get it done. This tradition began in 1967, when the Green Bay Packers faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers were crowned the first champions, winning 35-10 with Packers quarterback Bart Starr winning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Since then, there have been 59 Super Bowls with the 60th Super Bowl being on Sunday, Feb. 8. Second year quarterback Drake Maye will face off with veteran Quarterback Sam Darnold who, in the past year, took the Vikings to a 14-3 record and led the seahawks to a 14-3 record this year, following with a Superbowl appearance.
Tom Brady, now a Fox News sports analyst, has won seven Super Bowls and five Super Bowl MVPs throughout his 22-year career. He led one of the most successful dynasties in NFL history, the New England Patriots, who everyone thought would not be back to the Super Bowl for a very long time after they drafted Mac Jones out of Alabama in 2021. He had some signs of being a solid young quarterback but never reached the Super Bowl. Then in 2024, they drafted Drake Maye, who played well in his first year but made a huge jump in his second season and brought the Patriots back to the Super Bowl.
“Going to the Superbowl was an amazing experience,” Jackson McDonell (10), who attended the Super Bowl in 2021 in Tampa, said. “It was by far one of the best experiences in sports I have ever had. It wasn’t just a football game, watching the halftime show in person was way better than watching it on TV.”
The halftime show is another big part of the Super Bowl. Many big artists have done shows including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Prince and The Weeknd.
The most-watched halftime show of all time is Kendrick Lamar’s solo performance in Super Bowl LIX, which drew 133.5 million viewers, compared to the 191.1 million who watched the game itself.
There are so many other traditions that go along with the Super Bowl outside of game day. When the Super Bowl was in Tampa, there was an experience set up for weeks leading up to the game. The game also brings many tourists to the city.
Not only do the teams and players get money from playing and winning the games, but the cities also get huge sums from travel sales, hotel rentals and even merchandise sales. Big cities like Miami and New Orleans have hosted the Super Bowl 11 times.
One of the biggest traditions is that at the end of the game, a player from one of the winning teams will go up to the camera and say, “I’m going to Disney.” Then the winning team will have a parade through Disney. The location between Disney World and Disneyland is selected based on which park is closest to the game’s location.
The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched championship events in sports. Over 200 million people watch it every year, and many people host parties and events for it. If you have never watched a Super Bowl, it is highly recommended, and this year’s game is projected to be close.