50 Mind-Blowing Super Bowl Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Tickets to the inaugural Super Bowl were priced at just $12, equivalent to approximately $106 when adjusted for inflation.

2. As of February 2024, all of the top 10 most-watched TV broadcasts in the United States have been Super Bowls.

3. Host cities vying to hold the Super Bowl must offer the NFL exclusive access to three top-tier, 18-hole golf courses at no charge, allowing the league to organize a tournament over the Super Bowl weekend.

4. The NFL has trademarked the term "Super Bowl," compelling many events and promotions associated with the game to refer to it as "The Big Game" or use alternative descriptors.

5. Super Bowl halftime shows were often lackluster until the live special of the sketch comedy show 'In Living Color' aired opposite the Super Bowl XXVI halftime show in 1992, drawing over 20 million viewers. The following year, the NFL secured Michael Jackson for the halftime performance.

Max McGee scored the first touchdown in the inaugural Super Bowl. Despite reduced playing time due to injuries and age, McGee unexpectedly entered the game hungover, not anticipating to play. However, when the starting receiver was injured, McGee was called in and promptly scored a touchdown.

7. The Super Bowl ranks as the second-largest event for American food consumption, trailing only Thanksgiving dinner.

8. An episode of The Simpsons titled "Lisa the Greek" accurately predicted the outcome of the 1992 Super Bowl, which came true just three days later. Upon rebroadcast in '93 and '95, the episode was redubbed and again managed to predict the winners.

9. With zero appearances, the Detroit Lions hold the longest record in the NFL to not make it to the Super Bowl.

10. Shirts produced for the losing team in the Super Bowl are donated to a nonprofit aid organization, which then distributes them to impoverished nations.

The inaugural Super Bowl halftime show didn't showcase award-winning musicians; instead, it featured two men flying around with jet packs. The spectacle captivated 60,000 attendees in the stadium and an additional 50 million viewers tuning in from home.

12. Michael Jackson's Super Bowl halftime performance was so impactful that it marked the first time a halftime show garnered higher ratings than the game itself. Despite the strict 12-minute time limit imposed on performers, Jackson took a unique approach. After making a dramatic entrance onto the stage, he stood motionless, gazing at the world for a full 90 seconds.

13. Prior to the Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show, the show coordinator inquired whether Prince was comfortable performing in the downpour. Prince famously quipped, "Can you make it rain harder?"

14. During Prince's Super Bowl halftime show, volunteers accidentally ran over and severed three power cables during stage setup. To ensure the show went on, a member of the lighting crew improvised by stripping the ends of the cables and holding them in place by hand throughout the entire 12-minute performance in the rain.

15. In 2009, Miller High Life purchased just one second of ad space for the Super Bowl, resulting in an astonishing 8.6% increase in sales.

The Super Bowl XXIII halftime show in 1989 featured an Elvis impersonator named Elvis Presto, but not a single actual Elvis Presley song was performed.

17. YouTube's inception was partially motivated by co-creator Jawed Karim's difficulty in finding a platform to view a clip of Janet Jackson's Super Bowl halftime nipplegate incident online.

18. Since 1993, the Super Bowl has mandated that national anthem vocals be pre-recorded. This policy stemmed from an incident involving Garth Brooks, who declined to pre-record his performance and then refused to sing live until a dispute over debuting a music video during the game was resolved, resulting in a delayed kickoff.

19. In 1985, during a conflict between the Super Bowl and the Presidential Inauguration, President Ronald Reagan conducted the coin-toss ceremony for the Super Bowl. His public inauguration took place the following day.

20. In January 2015, Marshawn Lynch faced a $500,000 fine threat from the NFL if he failed to appear for Super Bowl Media Day. Lynch complied by attending but employed a minimalist approach, setting a timer on his phone, answering 29 questions with variations of "I'm here so I won't get fined," and departing the podium within five minutes.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon called Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula before the Super Bowl, suggesting a specific play. Similarly, he reportedly offered the same advice to the Washington Redskins the week before. Both teams followed Nixon's recommendations, but both plays ended in failure and loss of matches.

22. The Buffalo Bills endured a heartbreaking streak of losing four consecutive Super Bowls.

23. The ring awarded to the New England Patriots for their victory in Super Bowl 51 is adorned with 283 diamonds, symbolizing their historic comeback from a 28-3 deficit.

24. In 1992, Nike aired a memorable Super Bowl commercial featuring an animated Bugs Bunny playing basketball alongside real-life basketball icon Michael Jordan. The commercial's success prompted Warner Bros. to develop it into a full-length feature film, "Space Jam."

25. Following the infamous 'Nipplegate' controversy during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, the FCC received approximately 540,000 complaints. Surprisingly, in Canada, where the Super Bowl was also broadcast, only 50 complaints were registered.