The Super Bowl

By Dee Dee Smith

The Super Bowl, the national championship of the National Football League, is one of the most watched sporting events of the year.  First held in 1967, the Super Bowl was played as part of the merger agreement between the American Football League and the National Football League.   

Playoffs begin following the league’s 16-week regular season.  The winner of each division gets an automatic playoff bid, along with two wild card teams who have the highest winning percentage behind the division leaders.  These teams are selected and seeded based upon their season records.   Thus, the four teams with the top records (the Division Champions) are seeded one through four, and the next two teams (teams with the best record of non-division winners) numbers five and six. 

The first week of the NFL Playoffs is known as Wild Card Weekend.  In this round, seeds three and six and seeds four and five compete for a Divisional Playoff berth.  In the next round of the playoffs, the Wild Card winners will face the best teams in the conference, with the winner of that game advancing to the Conference Championship game.  The two Conference Champs meet in the Super Bowl two weeks after the third round of the playoffs.

The Super Bowl is a winner-take-all contest.  The greatest games in Super Bowl history are usually decided in the final minutes or seconds and include career-defining plays.  Most recently in Super Bowl XLII, Eli Manning completed a pass to David Tyree that set up a Giants scoring drive in the final seconds of the game.  Manning’s throw and Tyree’s catch was so spectacular that it is already being referred to simply as “the Play” and is a serious contender for the best play in Super Bowl history.

Winners of the Super Bowl are awarded the Vince Lombardi (named for head coach and Hall of Famer Vince Lombardi) or Super Bowl Trophy.  The trophy is made of sterling silver and valued at over $12,000.   The football on top of the trophy has the same dimensions as a regulation ball.  To commemorate the win, the NFL logo and name of the winning team is engraved on the trophy. 

Almost as notable as the trophy, each winning player along with the general manager and coaching staff is given a Super Bowl Ring.  An award is also given to the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player.  Past winners of the Super Bowl MVP award include Joe Namath, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Emmitt Smith, Tom Brady and brothers Peyton and Eli Manning. 

  The most winning teams in the NFL Championships or Super Bowl are the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers both have five wins. 

Did you mean:  The Supper Bowl, The Soper Bowl?