The super bowl is the championship of the NFL (National Football League) and is every year amongst much fanfare and following. The finalists of the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC) play this game. Hence, they bring two huge sporting entities together. The super bowl marks the end of the regular season of football or rugby which begins in the summer months of the previous year. The event starts with a ‘kick off’ which people await with bated breath. The super bowl kickoff time is something that everyone knows and everyone looks forward to it. Here, we will tell you exactly what it is and what to expect from the next game.
Table of Contents
Origin
The NFL and the AFC used to be arch-rivals and didn’t play off against each other. However, these two entities came together for a merger agreement and as a part of that, the super bowl was born. They declared that the winner of the NFL and the AFC would have a face-off in the super bowl. Subsequently, both the AFC and the NFL merged and started existing as ‘Conferences’.
Since then, the champions of both the conferences play the super bowl to determine the true champion of the NFL’s league. The change after the merger did not affect the amount of following super bowl had, and people still wait for the super bowl kickoff time every year.
Rivalry
The super bowl has seen some spectacular rivalries in its time and different rivals wait for the super bowl kickoff time to prove their mettle. The New England Patriots are tied with Pittsburgh Steelers for the spot of bringing the greatest number of titles home. Both these teams have brought back six titles each. The New England Patriots also hold the record for the greatest number of appearances in the super bowl. They have played eleven times in the super bowl and maybe they will also make it to the super bowl 2020 game time.
The National Football Conference tops the league when compared to the American Football Conference. The National Football Conference has 27 wins while the American Football Conference has 26 wins to their name. This year’s contest is interesting since the American Football Conference is just a single win behind their rivals and a win is just what they need to level the score. The fans of The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers are especially keen on super bowl 2020 kickoff time. This is because they get to see if the tie amongst them for the maximum number of wins finally ends.
Popularity
The super bowl is one of the most popular and important days in the United States. This is evident from the fact that after Thanksgiving, super bowl happens to be the second-largest day for food consumption in the States. The super bowl is also the most-watched television broadcast in the United States almost every year. If super bowl 2019 was any indication, the next Super Bowl is going to be phenomenal as well.
The Super bowl held in 2015 was the most-watched television broadcast in the history of the United States. This was also the fifth time in a total of six years that the super bowl managed to achieve this feat. Not just the United States, the super bowl is one of the most-watched sporting events around the world and the next super bowl kickoff time is also expected to set new records every time. People have already marked the super bowl 2020 time on their calendars so that they don’t forget it.
Super bowl kickoff time
The super bowl kickoff time is always accompanied by much fanfare. A lot of popular artists, singers and musicians have performed during its opening ceremony and the half-time ceremony. During the super bowl broadcast, the commercial airtime is the highest throughout the year. Many companies save their most expensive and exquisite advertisements for this slot. The NFL has trademarked ‘super bowl’ and hence the usage of this term is restricted commercially.
The Super Bowl these days is held on the first Sunday of the month of February. This schedule has been set since Feb 2004. This is because the opening weekend is the one immediately after the Labour Day according to the NFL schedule. Earlier the super bowl was held around mid-January of every year.
Entertainment
Earlier, the only entertainment during the game was a brief ceremony during the half-time. High-school, college and local marching bands performed at this ceremony. Over time, the fame of the event increased tremendously and this caused a significant paradigm shift. Many popular singers, musicians, and artists starting performing during the super bowl kickoff time and during the half-time ceremonies. The super bowl half time is of thirty minutes and super bowl hires only the A-category talent to participate at its ceremonies.
A performance by Michael Jackson during the half-time ceremony ended up garnering more views than the entire game itself. In 2002, the singer U2 performed during the half-time ceremony and paid a tribute to victims of September 11 attacks. In 1991, Whitney Houston performed a rendition of national anthem of the United States. This rendition has been considered as the best rendition ever. Renee Fleming ended up becoming the first-ever opera singer to sing her rendition of the national anthem at the super bowl.
Popular Celebrities at the Super Bowl
Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, U2 and Renee Fleming are some of the popular artists who have graced the stage at the super bowl kickoff time. After a controversial performance by Justin Timberlake, pop singers were not called upon to perform at the super bowl ceremonies. Subsequently, the super bowl invited veteran artists like Bruce Springsteen, Prince, The Who, and Paul McCartney. Since Super Bowl XLV, the practice of calling pop stars was resumed and stars like Katy Perry and The Black Eyes Peas then ended up performing at the super bowl.
Venue
The super bowl venues are selected carefully, keeping a host of criteria in mind. 27 of the 52 super bowls held have been held in just three cities out of the many options available. These three cities are New Orleans, around Greater Miami, and the Greater LA area. Out of these, New Orleans and Greater Miami area hold have hosted the super bowl the greatest number of times which is ten times each. The region or city needs to have an active NFL franchise for it to be eligible for hosting the prestigious super bowl. However, it is not necessary that the stadium being used by NFL franchise in the area has to be the same one holding the super bowl.
It has been ensured that no team gets to play the super bowl in the home stadium as this gives one team a significant home advantage. Orange Bowl happened to be the only stadium to organize two super bowls consecutively. The NFL ensures that the temperature in the stadium on the day of the playoff is not less than 10-degree Celsius unless some sort of roofing can be arranged. Bagging a super bowl playoff is a matter of prestige for the area, city and the stadium which hosts it.
Choosing a venue
The location of a super bowl playoff is usually chosen 3-5 years in advance due to the scale of the event and the logistics involved. Different cities place their bid to host the super bowl and they are then evaluated whether or not they can host it. The stadium renovation and the ability to host are factored in while allotting a playoff to a city. The host community bears most of the financial liabilities of hosting the super bowl. The venue for the super bowl is chosen based on the following points:
1. Market and Capacity
The super bowl is hosted in a region that has an active franchise in the region and a big market for it. The region must host an NFL team and it must have at least 70, 000 seats. There should be adequate electrical and media amenities needed to host a super bowl.
2. Entertainment
There should be a huge pregame entertainment arena in the region. Moreover, it should be walking distance from the stadium proposed for the playoff to facilitate the Gameday experience.
3. NFL Experience
The NFL Experience is a fun theme park with a football theme that operates one week before super bowl event. The indoor venue is 850,000 sq. ft. and while the outdoor venue of 1 million sq. ft. should be available for this. The Media center needs to be set so there is additional space nearby. The venue should also have space of additional activities revolving around the super bowl like bowling alleys and golf courses.
4. Infrastructure
The infrastructure necessary for hosting the super bowl should exist near the stadium. This encompasses transportation, parking security, and media facilities. This is an important factor as infrastructure from the ground up cannot be set up in such a short time.
5. Hotels
Hotel accommodation corresponding to at least 35 percent of the stadium’s capacity should be present within an hour’s drive from the stadium. Hotels for performing teams, organizers, media and the dignitaries should also be available.
6. Practice and Rehearsal Space
Venues fulfilling the practicing needs of the participating teams should be present within a drive of 20 minutes from the hotels which are being used by the teams. These venues should be of comparable quality. There should be sufficient space so that all the participants in the various events can properly rehearse.
7. Overall ambiance
The overall ambiance and perception of a region also play a major role while selecting venues. The NFL tries to evenly distribute the playoffs around the region. But it always takes the overall perception of the region under consideration.
If a football stadium and region fulfill these extensive criteria, then it becomes a viable candidate to host the super bowl playoffs. However, it still faces stiff competition from other bidders who want the super bowl to come to their town. The venue is finally decided after a thorough vetting procedure and several inspections of the stadium.
Home Team
Since the super bowl is never held in the home stadium of any of the participating teams, the home team title is mostly just a designation. This designation alternates between the NFL and the AFC team. Usually, the home team wears their colored jerseys while the away team wears white jerseys. However, the home team has the option to choose between colored and white jerseys. There is no selective advantage to the home team. In fact, 30 of the 51 super bowls held till now have been won by the teams that were designated as away teams. Every team has their logo or insignia painted on one end of the ground.
Upcoming Super Bowl
The next playoff of the super bowl is scheduled to be held in the year 2020. The location that has been chosen is the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins of the NFL conference. It is going to be a stellar event with the administration in the region giving the stadium a significant facelift. As Miami gears up to host the super bowl, the super bowl kickoff time this year is going to be followed with as much fanfare as the earlier editions.
Final thoughts
The super bowl is one of the most popular sporting events in the world. People from different continents tune in to watch its live telecast. It is also an important day for the United States financially since this event generates a lot of revenue. The upcoming playoffs will be followed keenly by football fans around the world. The beautiful city of Miami has been chosen to host the playoffs. It remains to be seen which teams finally make it to the playoffs and if the tie between The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers is finally resolved. As the world waits with bated breath for the next super bowl week, you could choose to binge-watch all the previous playoffs to satisfy your eagerness.
