This Sunday (5th Feb) sees the Super Bowl take place at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots, as reported on the Prime Sport website. But as we delve into the subject matter, one question stands out; why is it so popular?
Why is the Super Bowl so popular?
Although there has been a decline in recent years, for Super Bowl 50 (2016), 111.9 million viewers watched on TV to see the Denver Broncos defeat the Carolina Panthers as reported on CNN. But this was just in the United States (US). In answering the question, the game is so popular for a few key reasons.
The fact is that, unlike most other professional sports today, no matter where you live, your team has an "equal chance" of winning the Super Bowl according to the Bleacher Report website. In addition, more and more fans are now "interacting with the sport" due to technological advancements. There is also the case that there are more and more "films, shows and games" about the NFL shown on TV, which further increases its popularity, according to the Fans Speak website. The popularity of the sport was backed up by a new poll, which found that nearly a third of US adults surveyed said that the NFL was their favourite sport.
What demonstrates its popularity?
The popularity of the Super Bowl can be demonstrated in three major ways.
First of all there is a day especially marked for the game; Super Bowl Sunday. This is the day on which the game is played; usually the last Sunday in January or the first Sunday in February. Second of all is the live performances during the game. At half time during the game itself, there is always a high profile singer or group who perform.
This has included Katy Perry, Michael Jackson, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce and many more. It is an event within itself. Third of all is the cost of commercials during the show. In 2016, according to the Go Banking Rates website, CBS received $5 million per 30-second Super Bowl commercial.
What all this adds up to is that the Super Bowl is one of, if not, the most popular game in sport.
