On Sunday, February 11 a goodly portion of Americans will enjoy the NFL Championship game, aka the Super Bowl. This will be SBLVIII. For those of you that are Roman Numeral challenged, that’s # 58. The viewing audience will include not only serious football fans, but also casual fans who typically only watch the SB and perhaps a few other games throughout the year, as well as people who know next to nothing about football but who are drawn to the spectacle. These fans enjoy the halftime show and, believe it or not, the commercials.
The SB annually attracts a huge TV audience. According to Wikipedia the seven most viewed broadcasts in American history are all SBs. The SB creates a “coattail effect” with respect to other network programming. Typically, the network broadcasting the SB will use it as a “lead-in” to new shows. For example, this year following the SB CBS will introduce us to a new show starring Justin Hartley (This Is Us) called Tracker, for which it has high expectations.
As always, it’s fun to test your knowledge of the SB with a little quiz, so here goes. You know the drill. No peeking at the internet. No consulting Siri or Alexa.
- The first SB took place in (a) 1964; (b) 1965; (c) 1966; (d) 1967.
- The two franchises with the most SB wins are the Patriots and (a) Steelers; (b) Cowboys; Giants; (d) 49ers.
- Each of the following franchises has never appeared in a SB EXCEPT: (a) Jaguars; (b) Lions; (c) Browns; (d) Bengals.
- According to Wikipedia the SB is the second largest food consumption day behind (a) Christmas; (b) New Years Eve; (c) July 4th; (d) Thanksgiving.
- The winning percentage of teams scoring first is (a) 60%; (b) 68%; (c) 75%; (d) 80%
- Who won the first SB? (a) Vikings; (b) Cowboys; (c) Raiders; (d) Packers.
- Who scored the first touchdown? (a) Paul Hornung; (b) Max McGee; (c) Len Dawson; (d) Willie Wood
- Which city has hosted the most SBs? (a) Miami; (b) LA; (c) New Orleans; (d) Dallas
- Tom Brady has won the most SBs (7). What player is next? (a) Terry Bradshaw; (b) Joe Montana; (c) Charles Haley (5); (d) Roger Staubach
- What player has won the most consecutive SBs? (a) Tom Brady; (b) Ken Norton, Jr.; (c) Troy Aikman; (d) Richard Seymour
- Which field goal kicker has the most game-winning kicks? (a) Jim O’Brien; (b) Jan Stenerud; (c) Steve Gostkowski; (d) Adam Vinatieri
- The name SB was derived from (a) a book; (b) a child’s toy; (c) vote by fans; (d) a comic strip.
- Who made the famous “helmet catch?” (a) Mario Manningham; (b) David Tyree; (c) Plaxico Burriss; (d) Randy Moss
- Who was the only player from a losing team to win the MVP? (a) Chuck Howley; (b) Lawrence Taylor; (c) Jim Kelly; (d) Chuck Foreman
- Who won the only SB decided by one point? (a) Patriots; (b) Rams; (c) 49ers; (d) Giants.
- Who will be the featured performer at this year’s halftime show? (a) Taylor Swift; (b) Lady Gaga; (c) Usher; (d) Bruce Springsteen
- Which team lost SBs in four consecutive years? (a Cowboys; (b) Bills; (c) Vikings; (d) Chiefs
- Each of the following teams is undefeated in SBs EXCEPT: (a) Ravens; (b) Bucs; (c) Packers; (d) Jets.
- Which team has played in four SBs and never held the lead? (a) Vikings; (b) Bills; (c) Raiders; (d) Dolphins
- Who was the first QB to win the SB with two different teams? (a) Tom Brady; (b) Bart Starr; (c) Jim Plunkett; (d) Peyton Manning (Colts & Broncos)
Answers: (1) d; (2) a; (3) d; (4) d;(5) b; (6) d; (7) b; (8) (a); (9) c; (10) b (3); (11) d (2); 12. b; (13) b; (14) a; (15) d [{20-19 over the Bills (“wide right”)]; (16) c; (17) b; (18) c; (19) a; (20) d.
Well, there you have it. Good luck. Let me know how you did.
Finally, something to ponder. How many times will CBS show Taylor Swift? And will Jason Kelce be wearing a shirt?
We Built It Blog by Larry Jacob 