More Than A Game: The Cultural Phenomenon of the Super Bowl
While the recent Super Bowl 60 has sparked much attention, with Bad Bunny’s controversial halftime show leading to endless online debate, the Super Bowl has been a staple of American culture, and households across the world, for decades. Whether a football fanatic or just interested in the music performance, millions each year huddle in front of their TV screens, throwing viewing parties, or forking over thousands of dollars for a ticket (the average cost of a ticket is about $8,400 USD on Tick Pik), as it’s pretty much impossible to get a ticket at face value. So, how did the Super Bowl grow from a simple championship game to a multi-billion-dollar spectacle of sport, often described on the same level as the Olympics?
Superbowl Adds
The average cost per second for an ad slot in the 2026 Super Bowl 60 is approximately $266,666 – $333,333 USD. This means a 30 second ad costs roughly $8 million USD, while some brands have reported paying over $10 million USD! This doesn’t include the production of the advertisement, which rounds the cost up to about $16 to $20 million USD. It’s worth it though, as these ads have incredible reach. Not only do millions watch them, but they enjoy them, and even look forward to them. The average profit turnover of these ads is around 460%, but it’s a risky business, which is why most ad slots are filled by the same brands every year. The slots are generally sold out by November the year before but sometimes are full by as early as June.
Half Time Show
The Super Bowl halftime show is a strategic and genius move by the NFL. It expands its audience immensely and has attracted some of the most famous artists ever over the years. Now musicians commonly use the stage to make statements about racism, immigration, and cultural pride, which has led to some intense debate in recent years. Some of the most well-known performances have been by artists such as Michael Jackson, Prince, Beyonce, Madonna, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and many more. The first Super Bowl in 1967 featured university marching bands, and small bands continued to play up until 1993, when Michael Jackson performed, and drew in 133.4 million viewers. This marked the change for halftime shows, being the first where the viewer numbers increased during halftime. This trend often continues in halftime shows today, and the NFL still has some of the most famous artists of this time perform each year.
Super Bowl History
Although the NFL (National Football League) formed in 1920, the AFL-NFL World Championship Game (now known as the Super Bowl) didn’t begin until 1967. In 1960, a group of businessmen got together, with a goal of owning a football franchise. After the NFL stopped them, they launched the AFL (American football league). These leagues were rivals until 1966, when they agreed to merge. The first game was on the 15th of January 1967, where the two championships of each league played each other. These teams were The Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL and The Green Bay Packers of the NFL, in which The Green Bay Packers emerged victorious, 35-10 (who also won Super Bowl II the following year). They played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and ticket prices averaged $12. This game was the only non-sellout in its history, with 61,000 fans watching. The trophy for the team that wins the Super Bowl is called the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the Green Bay Packers coach. The AFL and NFL split into the AFC (American football conference) and NFC (National football conference), which the champions of each now play in the Super Bowl. The name for the Super Bowl came from a letter in 1966, where Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt wrote to the NFL commissioner Peter Rozelle, in which he said, “I have kiddingly called it the ‘Super Bowl,’ which obviously can be improved upon.” The super comes from a toy Hunt’s kids were supposedly playing with at the time, called a Super Ball, and the bowl from a common term already being used for college football events. This was published in The Kansas City Star newspaper, and although the NFL pushed back against the name, by the third championship in 1969 Super Bowl was the official name.
Overall, the Super Bowl has a culture that goes beyond sport. It has roots going back to the 1960s, and is a platform for unity, expression, and pride for many. It’s not just a football game, but a carefully constructed global entertainment platform. As USA Today once wrote “Baseball is known as America’s pastime, but football is woven into the country’s fabric.”
Elena C, Year 8