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Super Bowl Description

In professional American football, the Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL) in the United States. Since 1967, it has been played annually after the regular season and the playoffs end, either on the last Sunday in January or the first Sunday in February.

The game and its ancillary festivities constitute Super Bowl Sunday (sometimes "Super Sunday"), which over the years has almost become a de facto American national holiday. The game is one of the most-watched American television broadcasts of the year, attracting many companies to spend millions of dollars (USD) on commercials. In addition, many popular singers and musicians have performed during the Super Bowl's pre-game and halftime ceremonies.

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What happend the last SuperBowl

Steelers capture Super Bowl XL title, 21-10

Paint this Super Bowl black and gold. With a whole lot of satisfaction for Jerome Bettis, Bill Cowher and his Pittsburgh Steelers.

The final Bus stop featured a little trickery starring MVP Hines Ward, a bunch of help from the Seattle Seahawks and a huge boost from the Terrible Towels, a handful of football fortune that added up to "One for the Thumb."

The Steelers' 21-10 victory in the Super Bowl was their record-tying fifth, but the first since 1980 and the first ever for Bettis and Cowher.

It's been an incredible ride, Bettis said.

Moments after the Rolling Stones rocked a Ford Field that could easily have been Heinz Field -- or Hines' field -- Willie Parker broke a record 75-yard touchdown run. The Steelers earned that elusive ring and completed a magic Bus ride that made Bettis' homecoming -- and farewell -- a success.

I'm a champion. I think the Bus' last stop is here in Detroit, Bettis said. It's official, like the referee whistle.

On this night, satisfaction was more than Mick Jagger's signature song that closed the halftime show.

It was sweet validation for Cowher with a title in his 14th season as their coach, the longest tenure in the NFL. The tough guy, who lost his only previous Super Bowl 10 years ago to Dallas, teared up as he walked to midfield to embrace Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren.

A lot of people tell you you can't do it, but you know what, it doesn't mean you don't go out and try, Cowher said. History was not going to determine our fate. Our effort today decided this game and that's what's great. It's surreal. I'm going to tell you, this is a special group of coaches, a special group of players. I was one small part of this.

Pittsburgh tied San Francisco and Dallas with its five Super Bowl titles.Perhaps the most special moment for Cowher came when he presented the Vince Lombardi Trophy to 73-year-old owner Dan Rooney.

I've been waiting a long time to do this, Cowher said. This is yours, man.

The Steelers certainly got plenty of help from the Seahawks. Seattle was plagued by penalties, drops, poor clock management and a critical fourth-quarter interception of Matt Hasselbeck just when the NFC champions seemed ready to take the lead.

Instead, Pittsburgh (15-5) got the clinching score with the kind of trickery that has carried it through an eight-game winning streak.Versatile wideout Antwaan Randle El, a quarterback in college, took a handoff from Parker, sprinted right and threw perfectly to Ward for a 43-yard TD with 9:04 remaining. It was the first Super Bowl touchdown pass by a receiver.

Bettis, with 43 yards on 14 carries, had a minimal role in what was the final game for the NFL's No. 5 career rusher.So did quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The most noteworthy play for the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl was a horrid pass that Kelly Herndon of the Seahawks (15-4) returned a record 76 yards.

That set up the Seahawks' only touchdown, a 16-yard pass to Jerramy Stevens -- Joey Porter, his verbal sparring partner all week, was nowhere in sight. Neither was All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu.But with Parker's burst and Seattle's self-destructive tendencies, the Steelers completed their postseason march through the NFL's top four teams: Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Denver and Seattle, with all the wins coming away from Heinz Field.

I could've had an even better day, said Ward, who had five receptions for 123 yards and the touchdown.Seattle, looking nothing like a team that rampaged through its conference, damaged itself all day. It had four penalties for 40 yards in the opening half, one that nullified a touchdown pass.

The second half wasn't much better, and Ike Taylor's 24-yard return with Hasselbeck's poor throw gave Pittsburgh the one last opportunity it needed.This is a tough pill to swallow, Holmgren said, but we accomplished a lot this year. While you don't have a great feeling after a game like this, I want them to remember this feeling, so they can build on it.

he 23-year-old Roethlisberger achieved it more with his legs than his arm. He dived into the end zone from the 1 late in the first half, barely reaching the goal line -- if at all -- according to a replay, and converted enough second-half first downs to wind down the clock.Usually, that is Bettis' job. But this day, he was just along for his final ride.

What a journey it has been.

The Steelers were 7-5, then won their final four regular-season games to secure the AFC's last playoff spot. They went to Cincinnati and won a wild-card game. They won at Indianapolis, which had the league's best record. And then they handed Denver its first home loss in the AFC Championship Game.And now they have their One for the Thumb -- the first four came in their Steel Curtain days, won by the likes of Mean Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris.

Early on, the noise seemed to unnerve the Steelers, who had two motion penalties on their first offensive series. Of course, none of their active players ever played in a Super Bowl.Seattle forced another three-and-out on Pittsburgh's next possession, keeping Bettis on the sideline, then took the lead.

Josh Brown made a 47-yard field goal with 22 seconds left in the first quarter after the Seahawks lost a touchdown on Darrell Jackson's pass interference in the end zone. Jackson still had 50 yards on five receptions in the quarter.Bettis made his Super Bowl debut 2:47 into the second quarter with the Pittsburgh offense in dire need of a boost. The Steelers got it, but from an 8-yard completion to Randle El for their initial first down -- 19 minutes into the game.

Ward followed with an 18-yard run on an end-around, but Roethlisberger's ill-advised lob on the next play was picked off by safety Michael Boulware at the Seattle 25.With Seattle's other safety, Marquand Manuel, sidelined in the second quarter with a right ankle injury, Roethlisberger began finding open receivers. Ward gained 12 yards, Cedrick Wilson got 20 and, moments after Ward dropped a pass in the corner of the end zone, he outwrestled Boulware for a 37-yard completion.

The Bus couldn't roll in on two tries, then the 6-foot-5 Roethlisberger dived left and barely squeezed the ball over the goal line. A replay review upheld the touchdown with 1:55 remaining in the half.Perhaps unnerved themselves by the ruling, the Seahawks squandered much of that time before Brown missed a 54-yard field goal wide right. Holmgren argued as he walked off the field that the ball never crossed the goal line, but referee Bill Leavy told him it did.

Seattle also could bemoan a holding call on Peter Warrick 's 32-yard punt return to open the second quarter, and a goal-line completion to Jackson on which he barely was out of bounds.It didn't get a lot better in the second half for Seattle, and Holmgren failed to become the first coach to win Super Bowls with two franchises. In 1997, his Green Bay Packers beat New England.

But his Seahawks didn't give themselves much of a chance. By the end, the crowd was singing Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go." Who knows, maybe Jagger was singing along.

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Super Bowl Ratings and commercials

The Super Bowl tends to have high Nielsen television ratings which usually come in around a 40 rating and 60 share (i.e. on average, 40 percent of all U.S. households, and 60 percent of all homes tuned into television during the game). This means that on average, 80 to 90 million Americans are tuned into the Super Bowl at any given moment. Also it is estimated that 130-140 million tune into some part of the game. The most watched Super Bowl was 1998's Super Bowl XXXII between the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers which received a 44.5 rating and 67 share, attracting 90 million viewers. In terms of household percentage, the most watched was Super Bowl XVI in 1982 which was watched in 49.1% of households (73 share) or 40,020,000 households at the time.

Following Apple Computer's 1984 commercial introducing the Apple Macintosh computer, directed by Ridley Scott, the broadcast of the Super Bowl became the premier showcase for high concept or simply extravagantly expensive commercials. Famous commercial campaigns include the Budweiser "Bud Bowl" campaign, and the 1999 and 2000 dot-com ads. Prices have increased each year, with reports citing a record $2.5 million (US) for a 30 second spot during Super Bowl XL in 2006.

In recent years, the NFL has denied the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority the opportunity to run Super Bowl ads for the city as a tourist destination. The ban includes the game, as well as the pre-game and post-game shows. Many groups are denied the chance to run Super Bowl ads on various grounds, but Las Vegas is the only city to be denied in such a fashion; the NFL has stated that it does not want the Super Bowl to be associated with the perception of Las Vegas as a gambling mecca. If the television show Las Vegas stays on the air when NBC gets their next Super Bowl Broadcast (which will be Super Bowl XLIII in 2009), they may not be allowed to promote the series during the entire block of programming.

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Super Bowl Entertainment

The Super Bowl just got even bigger. Taking a quick break from their "A Bigger Bang" World Tour, the legendary Rolling Stones will perform in the Sprint Super Bowl XL Halftime Show on ABC at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Feb. 5.

"We are thrilled to perform for millions of fans at one of the most exciting and highly anticipated sporting events of the year," said the Rolling Stones.

"We are excited to welcome one of the greatest rock n' roll bands in history to the Super Bowl," said Steve Bornstein, the NFL's executive vice president of media and president and CEO of NFL Network. "As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Super Bowl this season, it is fitting we work with The Rolling Stones whose music has thrilled audiences around the world for years."

"Sprint's sponsorship of the Super Bowl XL Halftime show highlights our commitment to fans of the NFL and the Rolling Stones," said Steve Gaffney, Sprint's director of sports marketing. "We're looking forward to providing fans the opportunity to participate in the halftime show like never before."

Emmy Award-winning Don Mischer Productions returns as the halftime show producer, following a successful halftime show last year in Jacksonville featuring Paul McCartney. This year's Super Bowl marks the third time Don Mischer, who serves as the show's executive producer and director, has worked with the NFL. Mischer also produced Super Bowl XXVII halftime show with Radio City Music Hall Productions in 1993 featuring Michael Jackson. Among the company's vast and celebrated productions are the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, eight Emmy Award shows, the Kennedy Center Honors and the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

But before the big game even kicks off, a concert with significant inspiration will take place. Patti LaBelle will highlight the seventh-annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration along with several surprise guests and NFL stars. The concert will help kick off Super Bowl Weekend at the Masonic Temple on Friday, Feb. 3, at 7:45 p.m. ET.

Super Bowl (2007) XLI
Producer: Super Bowl
Talent: Rolling Stones

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Super Bowl Venue

The location of the Super Bowl is chosen by the NFL well in advance, usually 3-5 years before the game. Cities compete to host the game in a selection bidding process similar to ones used by the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup. To this date, the chosen venues have either been located in the southern regions of the United States where the wintertime weather is expected to be mild, or in domed stadiums where weather is not an issue.

Over half of the Super Bowls have been played in one of the following three cities: New Orleans, Louisiana (9 times), Miami, Florida (8 times) and Los Angeles (7 total, 5 times at Pasadena's Rose Bowl stadium and twice at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum). Miami has been selected to host two future games: Super Bowl XLI in 2007 and Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. After Hurrican Katrina damaged the Louisiana Superdome and the city, the game might never return to New Orleans. And the last time the Los Angeles area hosted the game was Super Bowl XXVII in 1993; the area is currently not considered a possible venue after the league's two teams vacated the city in 1995: the Raiders moved back to Oakland, California and the Rams moved to St. Louis, Missouri.

Coincidentally, no NFL team has ever played the Super Bowl on its own home turf. However, Super Bowl XIV (which involved the then-Los Angeles Rams) was played at nearby Pasadena's Rose Bowl stadium; and Super Bowl XIX (which involved the San Francisco 49ers) was played at the nearby Stanford Stadium on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto.

The designated "home team" alternates between the NFC team in odd-numbered years (the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005), and the AFC team in even-numbered years (the New England Patriots in 2004). The home team is given the choice of either wearing their colored jerseys or their white ones; this started with Super Bowl XIII. Prior to that, the home team always wore the dark jerseys. The Dallas Cowboys wore their rarely-used blue uniform tops in Super Bowl V, and lost to the then-Baltimore Colts, which has led to the widely-held belief that the Cowboys do not play well in their blue shirts. While most home teams in the Super Bowl choose to wear their colored jerseys, only the Cowboys in XIII and XXVII and the Washington Redskins in XVII have worn white as the home team.

The television network showing the game changes from year to year. In the United States it is currently shared between three of the four major television networks - ABC, CBS, and FOX. Super Bowl XXXVIII was shown on CBS, Super Bowl XXXIX was shown on FOX, and Super Bowl XL will be shown on ABC, which will be the final NFL game broadcast on on that network for the forseeable future.

With the new television contracts beginning in 2006, NBC, which last telecast Super Bowl XXXII in 1998, will take ABC's place in the network rotation starting with Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.

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