One of the biggest TV events broadcasted around the world!
American Football’s championship, also known as the Super Bowl is held on the first Sunday of February after the five-month season of the league.
The game is watched by over a hundred million people annually and is second only to the UEFA Champions League in European soccer. The event is known for being an occasion for people to gather together and party. In the United States, it is second in food consumption only to Thanksgiving.
The National Football League is a hundred years old and managed to fend off competitors until the American Football League gained popularity due to the spread of television. The leagues began discussing a merger in the 1960s. The process began in 1966 with an inter-league “World Champions” game. In 1970, the leagues formally merged. The champions of each would compete at the rebranded “Super Bowl”. The word “bowl” came to mean game or championship because of the stadium’s resemblance to a bowl. Executives were not satisfied with the name but the public and media loved it!
Almost as much attention is paid to advertising as to the game itself.
Companies will spend millions on producing elaborated ads with celebrities. The ads helped in launching products such as the Apple Macintosh in 1984 and symbolized corporate excess such as the pets.com campaign in 2000, right before the tech bubble burst. Many non-sport fans watch the Super Bowl just for the ads and for the half-time show, which is the biggest musical event of the year.
Every year some of the most talented singers and bands are called in to perform. Often the show is used for hidden political statements. An example was Lady Gaga’s message to Americans in support of equality, and Beyonce homage to the Black Panthers.
American Football is a brutal contact sport filled with dramatic moments of tackling, running, and scoring.
Many of these historical moments were captured on film.
IMS Vintage Photos has many original prints of American Football games and players in its archive and you can find your favorite player and the most memorable moments in the history of the game!