FIND OUT MORE. Olympics 356–357 • Sports 352–353
SUPER BOWL
The Super Bowl is the biggest event in the
American sporting year. It is a one-off game
between the winners of the NFL (National
Football League) and the winners of the
AFL (American Football League) to decide
the national champion.
WHEN DID SUPER BOWL START?
The NFL was started in 1920 and was the only
national football league until the AFL began in
1960. In 1967, the two leagues merged for a single
end-of-season play-off between the two champions.
The first Super Bowl was won by Wisconsin’s Green
Bay Packers, who beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10.
WHO ARE THE BIGGEST SUPER BOWL TEAMS?
The most successful team is the Pittsburgh Steelers
who have won six Super Bowls. They are followed
by the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers,
who have each won five Super Bowls. The Green
Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, New York Giants,
Oakland Raiders, and New England Patriots have three
titles each.
SPONSORSHIP
Big sporting events need lots of money to
organize, promote, and pay prize money
and wages. Companies pay competition
organizers, venues, teams, and individual
sports stars to display their logos and
advertising. Sponsors also use their
connections with sports stars to promote
their brands in the media in general.
HOW BIG ARE SPONSORSHIP DEALS?
The biggest personal sponsorship deals are with the
clothing firm Nike. The golfer Tiger Woods has a deal
worth US $125 million (£75 million) over five years,
and the basketball star LeBron James is receiving
US $90 million (£54 million) over seven years. Nike
also has the biggest deal with a team – sponsoring
Brazil’s football team for US $100 million (£60 million).
HOW MUCH INFLUENCE DO SPONSORS
HAVE OVER SPORTING COMPETITIONS?
Many organizations now design their events to attract
sponsors and TV audiences. In the USA, basketball
introduced a rule called the 24-second shot – a team
has to shoot within 24 seconds of getting the ball.
This increased the pace and excitement of the game,
and made it more appealing to TV broadcasters.
1 SERENA WILLIAMS, 2003 AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
In 1998 this American tennis star signed a five-year deal with clothes
firm Puma for US $11.7 million (£7.2 million). The deal was dependent on
her becoming one of the world’s top 10 players, which she did.SUPER BOWL XXXVII 3
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (in white) won their first Super Bowl in San
Diego, January 2003. They beat the Oakland Raiders 48–21. XXXVII is 37
in Roman numerals, and means the 37th year of the competition.Football is
streamlined oval
shape and made
from leatherShoulder pads
provide protection
during hard contact