What Is the ‘Super Bowl’?
The Super Bowl is the annual league championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the premier professional American football league in the United States.
It is the final game of the NFL playoffs and determines the league champion for that season. The game is played between the champion of the American Football Conference (AFC) and the champion of the National Football Conference (NFC).
The winner of the game is awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the legendary Green Bay Packers coach who won the first two Super Bowls.
More Than Just a Game
Beyond the sport itself, the Super Bowl has become a massive cultural event in the United States, often treated as an unofficial national holiday. It is famous for three main components:
- The Game: The culmination of the NFL season, pitting the league’s two best teams against each other.
- The Halftime Show: A high-production, mini-concert featuring some of the biggest names in music. Headlining the Super Bowl halftime show is considered a pinnacle achievement for an artist.
- The Commercials: Due to its massive television audience (frequently the most-watched broadcast in U.S. television history), companies pay millions of dollars for short advertising slots. These commercials are known for their high quality, celebrity cameos, and creativity, with many viewers watching just to see the ads.
When is the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is typically held on the second Sunday in February, marking the end of the NFL season that began the previous September.