The Super Bowl is a blast because it brings together amazing athletic showdowns, awesome halftime entertainment, and those hilarious and creative commercials we all love. It's not just about football – it's a chance for everyone, whether you're a die-hard fan or just there for the snacks, to come together and have a great time. It's one of the few days where people forget about their differences and enjoy a game.
If you are part of the few people that don't know or don't remember the history of how it all started, this is a post for you.
Fifty-seven years ago, two significant football leagues were the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). The NFL was established 40 years before the AFL.
Either way, each league had a critical number of players and followers. And that created a big problem because both wanted the best players and popularity among the public. Which championship wouldn't want to sell more tickets, right?
In 1966 both leagues decided to have a sit-down and create an agreement that would eventually merge the leagues. But for the moment, they were building the most important championship. Where the best teams of both leagues would play, and the winning team would have the honor of being the "World Champion." The magnificent name they came up with? The AFL-NFL World Championship Game.
So yeah, it was not always called "The Super Bowl." The name came two years after their start, in 1969. And although, indeed, the championship's first name could have been more catchy, the records say they tried coming up with another name, but the term stuck.
There are a lot of anecdotes that explain how they got to this name; here are the two most popular:
One of them has to do with a pop culture toy. History says that Lamar Hunt, founder of the AFL, was watching his kid play with a rubber "Super Ball," hence he got the idea.
The second theory is that many College Football Finals had already used the term "bowl" for their games, starting in 1902 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in California (a Stadium which looks like a bowl).
But let's return to the AFL-NFL agreement; the first significant event was celebrated at the Los Angeles Coliseum on January 15, 1967, with the Green Bay Packers as their winners. They defeated the Kansas City Chiefs with a score of 35-10. Commercially this game didn't sell out, but it did significantly impact live Tv, collecting 65 million viewers. Of course, such a show made all the coming Super Bowls a sell-out.
In 1970 the merger of both leagues finally happened, so the AFL disappeared, and the NFL grew. That year a crucial figure in the NFL passed away. Vince Lombardi, coach and executive with zero losing seasons and 105 wins as head coach of the NFL, died from cancer. Since that year, and to honor him, the Super Bowl trophy carries his name.
There are a lot of memorable moments in this game, like the coin toss, the national anthem, or the halftime show, which is another important topic that could have a whole post on its own. As another Super Bowl approaches, the question arises: who will you be cheering for? In this clash of champions, the game's excitement, unity, and pure thrill remain constant, keeping the spirit of the Super Bowl alive year after year.
Who are you rooting for this Super Bowl?