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15 Fun Super Bowl Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About

These fascinating Super Bowl facts will keep you going until kickoff!

Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams v Cincinnati Bengals
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Super Bowl facts to know before the big game

Did you know that the Super Bowl always hits the turf on the second Sunday in February? If not, this is one of the most important Super Bowl facts you need to know, whether you’re a die-hard NFL fan or a casual watcher who always tunes into the big game. Brace yourself for Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11, 2024, when the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs will battle for glory (and adorable pups will duke it out at the Puppy Bowl before showtime).

But there’s also plenty of cool game-day trivia to learn about football’s biggest event. So if you’re hosting a Super Bowl party and want to impress your guests, or you’re simply wondering how much sports knowledge you actually have, check out these Super Bowl facts. Get your game face on, and see how many you’d get right in a friendly competition!

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About the experts

  • Kristina Peterson-Lohman is the former director of communications for Wilson Sporting Goods.
  • Marlin Jackson is a Super Bowl champion with the Indianapolis Colts who now runs the Fight for Life Foundation.
  • Brisa Trinchero is a Tony Award–winning entertainment and sports entrepreneur and the founder of the former ticket-sales site ShooWin.com.
Official Super Bowl XLVIII Footballs Manufactured at Wilson Football Factory
Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

The Super Bowl ball is crafted by hand in the USA

Craftsmen and craftswomen complete each step by hand with the aid of machines at the Wilson Football Factory, located in Ada, Ohio, according to the company.

AMFOOT-NFL-SUPERBOWL-NFL-EXPERIENCE
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/Getty Images

Both Super Bowl teams get a lot of balls

Each team playing in the Super Bowl gets 108 footballs, according to Kristina Peterson-Lohman, former director of communications for Wilson Sporting Goods. Of those, 54 are for practice, and 54 are for the actual game. And here’s another fun Super Bowl fact: Typically, 120 balls are used during the actual game. The additional ones are kicker footballs, used for all kicking plays.

Front Grille of Cadillac Escalade
WendellandCarolyn/Getty Images

Super Bowl players drive in style

As a perk, every player in the big game gets a loaner car to drive around the host city in the week leading up to Super Sunday, says Marlin Jackson, a Super Bowl champion with the Indianapolis Colts who founded the Fight for Life Foundation. “During Super Bowl XLI, I drove a Cadillac Escalade all week,” Jackson says.

Super Bowl LIV - San Francisco 49ers v Kansas City Chiefs
Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

Players warm up during the halftime show

Jackson shares that during the regular season, players use halftime to make adjustments and work out any muscle kinks. But since the Super Bowl’s halftime is twice as long as it is for a normal game, players wait about 20 minutes before doing anything (warmups, adjustments, etc.) in order to time it properly for the start of the second half.

NFL: FEB 02 Super Bowl LIV - Chiefs v 49ers
Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Super Bowl tickets cost big bucks

You might have known this Super Bowl fact already, but attending the big game is expensive. For 2024, the cheapest face-value tickets sold by the NFL were about $2,000. Wow!

Sports Collectibles
David Cooper/Getty Images

Game-day tickets were once less than $10

Tickets for the very first Super Bowl in 1967 cost an average of $6, which was apparently too pricey for many. According to Brisa Trinchero, founder of the former ticket-sales site ShooWin.com, there were 30,000 empty seats!

Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Super Bowl halftime performers make a lot less than you think

Jennifer Lopez, Bruno Mars and even Beyoncé didn’t get paid a single dime to perform at past Super Bowls, and Usher won’t get paid for his 2024 Super Bowl performance either. But don’t feel too badly for them. Trinchero shares that although the NFL doesn’t give them any cash, the exposure can be worth tens of millions of dollars, and the halftime show often scores higher ratings than the actual game.

Super Bowl XLII
Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Super Bowl tickets weren’t always mobile

Include this Super Bowl fact in your next trivia game: Super Bowl 2021 was the first game to go fully mobile for the 22,000 attendees, and it was also completely cashless inside the stadium.

Super Bowl I - Kansas City Chiefs vs Green Bay Packers - January 15, 1967
James Flores/Getty Images

The Super Bowl wasn’t always “super”

“The Super Bowl wasn’t actually referred to as the Super Bowl until Super Bowl III,” shares Trinchero. “At the time, what we now know as Super Bowl I and II were just called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game.”

Official Super Bowl XLVIII Footballs Manufactured at Wilson Football Factory
Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

Certain words always appear on Super Bowl footballs

The words Commissioner, Wilson and Made in the U.S.A. have been imprinted on every single Wilson Super Bowl football since day one, shares Peterson-Lohman.

Super Bowl XLVIII - Seattle Seahawks v Denver Broncos
Elsa/Getty Images

The Super Bowl’s Lombardi Trophy is the size of an actual football

And not just any football. The football on top of the Lombardi Trophy is the exact size of an official “The Duke” football, which is 55 cm through the middle and 71 cm around the ends, according to Peterson-Lohman. That’s one big trophy!

Super Bowl LIII - New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams
Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Players’ friends and family members also get serious perks

According to Jackson, players aren’t the only ones who get to enjoy the Super Bowl perks. “Family and friends enjoy the weekend with hotel stays, luxury vehicle loans and exclusive events,” says Jackson. “They also have the opportunity to attend practice the day before the game—or at least it was this way with the Indianapolis Colts.”

San Francisco 49ers' Fans Watch Their Team's Super Bowl LIV Match Up Against The Kansas City Chiefs
Philip Pacheco/Getty Images

Super Bowl weekend is full of pricey parties

A ticket to the Super Bowl isn’t the only in-demand ticket that week. According to Trinchero, there are usually multiple high-profile parties (and tons of Super Bowl chicken wings) all week long, most with corporate sponsors. You can even purchase a general-admission ticket to some of the biggest parties, but it won’t come cheap—Trinchero says these can go for more than $2,000!

Full frame shot of paper currencies
Oleg Dubyna/Getty Images

Super Bowl ads are more expensive than you think

This is another Super Bowl fact you’ve likely heard before: Those ads are big money. On average, a 30-second Super Bowl spot runs in the millions. According to Forbes, a 30-second Super Bowl commercial cost $7 million in 2023. With all the ads you get during the game, it’s almost as if you’re watching a sports movie!

SUPER BOWL VIII - Miami Dolphins v Minnesota Vikings
Diamond Images/Getty Images

The Super Bowl has a special coin

The world’s most famous coin toss doesn’t rely on any old penny or quarter. Each Super Bowl gets its own unique coin crafted by the Highland Mint. The front of the coin features the Lombardi Trophy and the helmets of the two teams playing. Superfans can purchase a replica coin after the game.

Sources:

  • Kristina Peterson-Lohman, former Director of Communications for Wilson Sporting Goods
  • Marlin Jackson, Super Bowl champion with the Indianapolis Colts and founder of the Fight for Life Foundation
  • Brisa Trinchero, founder of the former ticket-sales site ShooWin.com
  • Yahoo Sports: “Miami Super Bowl could mark end of paper tickets for big game, start of NFL collecting data on every attending fan”
  • Forbes: “90-Second Super Bowl Commercials Cost $20 Million. Here’s Why That’s A Waste”
  • CBS News: “How much are 2024 Super Bowl tickets? See prices for average, cheapest and most expensive seats”

Felissa Benjamin Allard
Felissa Allard has worked at The New York Daily News, Health, Life & Style, About.com and more. As a freelancer, she has had pieces published on What To Expect, SELF, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Modern Mom, Working Mother, and more. Her specialities are beauty, fashion, health, wellness, and parenting.