Football fans know all kind of statistics about the Super Bowl. Which team has won the most times? The Pittsburgh Steelers (6). Who was the first MVP? Bart Starr. And on and on. Here at AdvisorOne we decided to take at look at some of our favorite Super Bowl facts by the numbers.
Here then, are some numerical nuggets you can use to keep the conversation going in case the game turns out to be a dud.
Also find out what are AdvisorOne’s Top 10 Worst Financial Meltdowns by Athletes.
1) 1: Pre-expansion Teams Not to Appear
Detroit has seen a lot of changes since the first Super Bowl. In 1967, Detroit was Motor City, the epicenter of the American postwar boom. The city and the auto industry spiraled down over the next four decades. Lately, the automakers have made a comeback, but one thing has remained constant; the beloved Lions have only watched the big game from afar. There’s a glimmer of hope now with the team drafting well and playing better. Lions fans hope this number is soon struck from the list.
Twice in Super Bowl history a team has been favored by 17 points. The Green Bay Packers took that heavy-favorite status into Super Bowl I and didn’t disappoint. They Thrashed the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10. The other heavy favorite was the Baltimore Colts in their contest with the New York Jets in Super Bowl III. Everyone knew the upstart AFL was overmatched. Well, everyone but Joe Namath who famously guaranteed a Jets victory.
The Patriots had a shock nearly as great in Super Bowl XLII when they lost to the Giants despite being 14-point favorites. At least the Pats could think back to Super Bowl XXXVI when they beat the Rams, who were also two-TD faves.
Some investors are scientific and like to gather facts about companies, the economy and other factors before taking a chance on a stock. Then there are those who use the position of the moon or maybe which way the wind is blowing. For others there is the Super Bowl Market Predictor, which holds that if the NFC team wins the big game the market will rise for the year, with an opposite outcome should the AFC team emerge victorious. The predictor has worked 77% of the time. There have been notable misses, like 2008 when the New York Giants won, and, well, you know what happened by the end of that year. Follow the predictor at your own risk.
The Giants-Patriots match-up is a hot ticket, possibly the hottest ever judging by the average price on the NFL Ticket Exchange. The reselling service (you may have seen those ads during games showing a deflated fan and an elated child) reports that the average price for the game is $4,337. That price may be dropping though, with Bloomberg reporting a figure of less than $4,000. The face value of a ticket is $800-$1,200 depending on seat location.
The average ticket price for Super Bowl I was $12 and a cheap seat could be had for $6 (and the game was not sold out). For 2012, though, you might get a better deal if you wait, or maybe the best option is keep the cash and watch it all on TV.
Everyone loves a winner and to that end, the winners always get more loot for their efforts. The Green Bay Packers each received a cool 15 Gs for their win over the Kansas City Chiefs (who each got $7,500). The Packers’ victory checks might not sound so big (winners today walk away with $83,000, losers $42,000), but the minimum salary in the league was $9,000 at the time. Now, it’s $375,000 for a rookie and $910,000 for a 10-year veteran.
Americans love to bet on pro football’s biggest game. Last year. Las Vegas reported that more than $87 million was wagered on the game, and that doesn’t count illegal bets, office pools and wagers among friends. Some estimate that 50% of Americans have a financial stake in the game.