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What is so special about the Super Bowl?

Fri 26 Jan 2018

On 4 February 2018 America will go crazy – this is the date of the Super Bowl this year.  The Super Bowl is the annual culmination of the football season (not soccer, but American football) in the US. Newspapers and TV shows will be obsessed with forecasting which team will win, which company will air ads, who will be singing the national anthem, and who will be doing the halftime entertainment. It can be a baffling time for non-Americans, but with some background, you can enjoy the Super Bowl as well.

The game  

The Super Bowl is the final game of the National Football League (NFL) season to determine the champion. The first Super Bowl was played in 1967 and Roman numerals are used to count the games; 2018 will be Super Bowl LII and will be played at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. As you can imagine, the lead up to the game is emotionally charged. If you happen to live in one of the cities that is home to one of the teams playing in the Super Bowl, you can experience fan craziness first hand!

So far, the Pittsburgh Steelers have won the most number of Super Bowls, with 6 wins. The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons played for the Super Bowl trophy in 2017 and the Patriots won with what is considered the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. This year, it will be the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles to battle it out. 

Halftime entertainment

Although watching the game is an important tradition, watching the halftime entertainment show is just as important. Because so many people watch the Super Bowl, the halftime show has become an increasingly important entertainment extravaganza – last year, 150 million people watched the halftime show that featured Lady Gaga. Many world famous performers have been involved in the Super Bowl halftime entertainment, including Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Gloria Estefan, Katy Perry, Madonna, Michael Jackson and many more.

However, the most infamous halftime show was in 2004, with Janet Jackson and Justine Timberlake, which led to a wardrobe malfunction that exposed Janet Jackson’s breast. Taking this incident into consideration, it has been somewhat controversial that Justin Timberlake has again be invited to perform the halftime show this year. 

The Ads

Because the Super Bowl is watched by so many people, the ads during the Super Bowl have become major media events as well. For this year, it is estimated that a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl will cost up to $5 million! Because of all this fanfare, the ads themselves have become huge productions and a cultural phenomenon. So much so that some people say they watch the Super Bowl for the ads! Iconic ads in the past have been placed by Budweiser, Chrysler, Doritos, Honda, Nike, Pepsi, and Volkswagen. Because the ads are such big productions and sometimes controversial, even if you miss them during the Super Bowl, you will probably be able to see them on the internet.

Find a way to watch Super Bowl LLII

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30PM ET / 3:30PM PT at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. If you don't have a ticket or would prefer to watch in the comfort of your own home, here are some suggestions to view the game.

If you already pay for cable or satellite TV or have an over-the-air antenna hooked up, just head over to your local NBC affiliate channel and enjoy the game! Prefer the internet? Good news! NBC is streaming the game for free through both the NBC and NBC Sports apps and websites. Usually, you would need a log in to the cable service to access a live stream from NBC, but for the Super Bowl, the company is opening the streaming gates to everyone for free.

For other options to watch the game check out the alternatives listed here


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