The Super Bowl is upon us once again. After a grueling NFL season, the two best teams in football meet at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to determine the champion. There will be millions watching around the world as the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Football fans will be able to reel off statistics about the big game – and for games throughout the history of the event. But there are plenty of other less well-known facts about the Super Bowl that you might find hard to believe. So, while the sports betting sites go into overdrive, here are five strange but true facts about the Super Bowl.
The Halftime Show Performers Don’t Get Paid
As popular as football is, the Super Bowl transcends the sport and one of the main reasons why is the halftime show. The biggest music stars in the world have performed over the years and there have been plenty of rumors about the exorbitant amounts of money they have paid.
But there is just one problem with those rumors – they are not true. The NFL doesn’t pay the performers anything for their time. But they do cover all expenses and production costs. There is also the incredible exposure a performance provides. Sales rocket up for all performers in the week after the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl Trophy is Made By Tiffany’s
Sometimes the trophy is almost forgotten at the end of the game as the players and officials swarm onto the field to celebrate winning the Super Bowl. But it must be said that the Vince Lombardi Trophy, as it is officially known, is an iconic piece of silverware in the world of sports.
But there is a reason why the trophy looks so good – it is made by Tiffany & Co. Yes, that’s right, the high-end jewelry maker better known as just ‘Tiffany’s’. It was designed by former company vice president Oscar Riedener, who sketched out an idea on a napkin during a meeting with the NFL Commissioner.
Americans Eat a Lot on Super Bowl Sunday
It has been said many times that there is a food problem in the US and that Americans, on average, eat too much. But there are days when everyone eats even more than normal – and Super Bowl Sunday is one of those days. Only Thanksgiving sees us eat more.
People get together to watch the Super Bowl and the natural thing is to eat and drink through the game. To reel off a few food consumption facts, over 1.4 billion chicken wings will be eaten during the Super Bowl, as well as eight million pounds of guacamole.
No US President Has Ever Attended the Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the biggest sports event in the country. So it would seem only natural that the President would have the best seats in the house. But it is a fact that no sitting US President has ever attended the big game, let alone watched it from a box on the 50-yard line.
It may be down to security issues, but the President has always preferred to watch the Super Bowl from the comfort of The White House, or anywhere but the stadium itself. There have been a number of vice presidents that have caught the game though, most recently Mike Pence in 2017.
Don Shula Was Robbed on the Field at Super Bowl VII
Fear-inducing headlines state that crime is going up everywhere these days. But back in 1973, the winning coach at the Super Bowl was robbed while he was celebrating on the field after the game. That is definitely not somewhere you expect to become a victim of crime!
The Miami Dolphins had just topped off a perfect season, recording a 14-0 record in the regular season and going on to win Super Bowl VII and Don Shula was being carried triumphantly off the field in celebration. But he felt someone grabbing his hand and discovered later that an opportunistic fan had stolen his watch.