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The Super Bowl, which will happen February 3, is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). It’s also the most popular sporting event in the United States, and one of the biggest media events as well.
When football was first invented in the United States in the late 1800’s, the sport was not very popular. In fact, it took almost ninety more years before American’s really noticed the game. When the first Super Bowl was played in Los Angeles in 1967, the game did not sell out. And even though the game was broadcast on television and radio, very few people watched it. However, after a couple of more years, football’s popularity grew immensely and the Super Bowl became the most-watched television program each year. In 2012, almost 112 million Americans watched the Super Bowl on television.
The Super Bowl is played in a different city each year, but attending the game in person is difficult because tickets are very expensive. So, most American’s go to a Super Bowl party, which is usually at a friend’s house. People gather together on the evening of the Super Bowl, eat snacks, have some drinks, watch the game, and cheer on their team. For some Americans, this event is almost like an “unofficial holiday.”
The Super Bowl is also an important part of American media and entertainment. Corporations pay millions of dollars to have their advertisements broadcast during the game, and big-name pop stars are paid millions to perform during the Half Time Show, which takes place midway through the game. This year’s Super Bowl, which is between the San Francisco Forty-Niners and the Baltimore Ravens, is especially interesting for the news media for one reason: the coaches of the Forty-Niners and the Ravens, Jim Harbaugh and John Harbaugh, are brothers.
