Winning the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal of every NFL team. The AFC champion goes head to head with the NFC champion to see which conference, division, and team are the best of the season. It is the most important game of each season. The winner gets bragging rights and goes into the following season on top.The NFL and the sports industry in general are billion dollar industries. Millions of people tune into the game in February to watch the last and biggest game of the season. Today, "Super Bowl Sunday" is considered an unofficial holiday and results in the second-largest food consumption day in the U.S. It is the most watched television program. But, the Super Bowl has not been around forever.
The Super Bowl was created as a merger agreement between, then rivals, the AFC and NFC in 1966. The AFC stands for American Football Conference, and the NFC stands for the National Football Conference. The first championship game was played in 1967, and officially adapted the name "Super Bowl" in 1969. In 1970, the AFC and NFC joined together to create the NFL. A more detailed timeline can be found here.
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As of now, the NFC has won 26 Super Bowls compared to 23 wins from the AFC. The winner of the Super Bowl receives the Lombardi Trophy. It is named after former Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, who won the first (and second) Super Bowl. Here is a list of all the Super Bowl winners:
One of the most important parts of the game is halftime. Popular singers perform at halftime in between the million dollar commercials. Everyone from Michael Jackson to Cee Lo Green to Justin Timberlake to Beyoncé have had the coveted performance time. Leave it to Beyoncé to not only have an incredible performance during this year's Super Bowl, but to also announce a surprise world tour.
The historic Super Bowl 50 was played between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers. This game could be Peyton Manning's last as he's been in the NFL since he was drafted in 1998. Cam Newton is just getting started with only a couple seasons under his belt after being the first overall pick in the 2011 draft. With a final score of 24-10, the Broncos win their first Super Bowl in 17 years. This would have been the Panthers first Super Bowl in franchise history. Rumors of Peyton Manning retiring have been circulating throughout throughs season, and now would be a prime opportunity to retire on top. Super Bowl 50 was historic and goes to show that defense wins the game.
