American football
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- Super Bowl - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
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- Super Bowl - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Also known as: AFL–NFL World Championship Game
Written by
Bob Carroll
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
analysis of Super Bowl game results
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- American football
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Top Questions
What is the Super Bowl?
What is the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the U.S. National Football League (NFL), a federation of professional gridiron football teams. It is played by the winners of the NFL’s American Football Conference and National Football Conference championships, usually in January or February, and is hosted in a different city each year.
When was the first Super Bowl held?
When was the first Super Bowl held?
The first Super Bowl was held on January 15, 1967. Arising out of a merger of the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL), it was originally called the “AFL-NFL World Championship Game.” It was hosted in Los Angeles, California, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Which football teams competed in the first Super Bowl?
Which football teams competed in the first Super Bowl?
In 1967 the National Football League’s Green Bay Packers competed against the American Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs for the first Super Bowl championship title. The Packers defeated the Chiefs 35–10.
How has the Super Bowl’s halftime entertainment changed over time?
How has the Super Bowl’s halftime entertainment changed over time?
The Super Bowl’s halftime entertainment has been a major attraction of the championship game since the first Super Bowl in 1967. Originally featuring marching bands, military drill teams, and even astronauts, it has since changed with the decades. At various times, performers have included Broadway singers, classic rock bands, and sensational pop star acts.
Why are Super Bowl ads so important?
Why are Super Bowl ads so important?
The Super Bowl has topped television ratings in the United States every year since the first championship game in 1967. This has made commercial time during its broadcast the most expensive of any televised event in the United States. In 2016, for example, a 30-second spot cost approximately $4.8 million. Since the 1980s, the Super Bowl’s commercials have garnered nearly as much interest as the game itself, particularly after Apple’s blockbuster 1984 ad.
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Super Bowl, in U.S. professional football, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), played by the winners of the league’s American Football Conference and National Football Conference each January or February. The game is hosted by a different city each year.
(Read Walter Camp’s 1903 Britannica essay on inventing American football.)
Britannica QuizGreat Moments in Sports QuizThe game grew out of the merger of the NFL and rival American Football League (AFL) in 1966. The agreement called for an end-of-season championship game, and, although the merger was not finalized until 1970, the first such game, then called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 15, 1967. Broadcast on two television networks and played before less than a sellout crowd, the game saw the NFL’s Green Bay Packers defeat the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, 35–10. The name “Super Bowl” first appeared in 1969, as did the use of Roman numerals, which, because the game is played in a different year from the season it culminates, are used to designate the individual games.
The day of the Super Bowl game, known as Super Bowl Sunday, has evolved into an unofficial American holiday, with viewing parties held in homes, taverns, and restaurants throughout the country. The week prior to the game is highlighted by extensive media buildup and a festival atmosphere in the host city. The game itself is accompanied by elaborate pregame and halftime ceremonies and entertainment.
All Super Bowls since the first have been sellouts and consistent TV-ratings leaders, with many Super Bowls among the highest-rated televised sporting events of all time. As a result, commercial time during the game is the most expensive of the year; for example, in 2016 a 30-second spot cost approximately $4.8 million. The high-profile advertisem*nts have featured celebrities and noted filmmakers as well as new technologies in hopes of making an impression on the huge Super Bowl audience. Since the 1980s, media scrutiny of and public interest in Super Bowl commercials have nearly matched that accorded the game itself.
The table provides a list of Super Bowl results.
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Learn More
| season | result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *NFL-AFL championship 1966–70. NFL championship from 1970–71 season onward. | |||||
| **The game was won in overtime. | |||||
| I | 1966–67 | Green Bay Packers (NFL) | 35 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) | 10 |
| II | 1967–68 | Green Bay Packers (NFL) | 33 | Oakland Raiders (AFL) | 14 |
| III | 1968–69 | New York Jets (AFL) | 16 | Baltimore Colts (NFL) | 7 |
| IV | 1969–70 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) | 23 | Minnesota Vikings (NFL) | 7 |
| V | 1970–71 | Baltimore Colts (AFC) | 16 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 13 |
| VI | 1971–72 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 24 | Miami Dolphins (AFC) | 3 |
| VII | 1972–73 | Miami Dolphins (AFC) | 14 | Washington Redskins (NFC) | 7 |
| VIII | 1973–74 | Miami Dolphins (AFC) | 24 | Minnesota Vikings (NFC) | 7 |
| IX | 1974–75 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 16 | Minnesota Vikings (NFC) | 6 |
| X | 1975–76 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 21 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 17 |
| XI | 1976–77 | Oakland Raiders (AFC) | 32 | Minnesota Vikings (NFC) | 14 |
| XII | 1977–78 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 27 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 10 |
| XIII | 1978–79 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 35 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 31 |
| XIV | 1979–80 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 31 | Los Angeles Rams (NFC) | 19 |
| XV | 1980–81 | Oakland Raiders (AFC) | 27 | Philadelphia Eagles (NFC) | 10 |
| XVI | 1981–82 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 26 | Cincinnati Bengals (AFC) | 21 |
| XVII | 1982–83 | Washington Redskins (NFC) | 27 | Miami Dolphins (AFC) | 17 |
| XVIII | 1983–84 | Los Angeles Raiders (AFC) | 38 | Washington Redskins (NFC) | 9 |
| XIX | 1984–85 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 38 | Miami Dolphins (AFC) | 16 |
| XX | 1985–86 | Chicago Bears (NFC) | 46 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 10 |
| XXI | 1986–87 | New York Giants (NFC) | 39 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 20 |
| XXII | 1987–88 | Washington Redskins (NFC) | 42 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 10 |
| XXIII | 1988–89 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 20 | Cincinnati Bengals (AFC) | 16 |
| XXIV | 1989–90 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 55 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 10 |
| XXV | 1990–91 | New York Giants (NFC) | 20 | Buffalo Bills (AFC) | 19 |
| XXVI | 1991–92 | Washington Redskins (NFC) | 37 | Buffalo Bills (AFC) | 24 |
| XXVII | 1992–93 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 52 | Buffalo Bills (AFC) | 17 |
| XXVIII | 1993–94 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 30 | Buffalo Bills (AFC) | 13 |
| XXIX | 1994–95 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 49 | San Diego Chargers (AFC) | 26 |
| XXX | 1995–96 | Dallas Cowboys (NFC) | 27 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 17 |
| XXXI | 1996–97 | Green Bay Packers (NFC) | 35 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 21 |
| XXXII | 1997–98 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 31 | Green Bay Packers (NFC) | 24 |
| XXXIII | 1998–99 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 34 | Atlanta Falcons (NFC) | 19 |
| XXXIV | 1999–2000 | St. Louis Rams (NFC) | 23 | Tennessee Titans (AFC) | 16 |
| XXXV | 2000–01 | Baltimore Ravens (AFC) | 34 | New York Giants (NFC) | 7 |
| XXXVI | 2001–02 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 20 | St. Louis Rams (NFC) | 17 |
| XXXVII | 2002–03 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC) | 48 | Oakland Raiders (AFC) | 21 |
| XXXVIII | 2003–04 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 32 | Carolina Panthers (NFC) | 29 |
| XXXIX | 2004–05 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 24 | Philadelphia Eagles (NFC) | 21 |
| XL | 2005–06 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 21 | Seattle Seahawks (NFC) | 10 |
| XLI | 2006–07 | Indianapolis Colts (AFC) | 29 | Chicago Bears (NFC) | 17 |
| XLII | 2007–08 | New York Giants (NFC) | 17 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 14 |
| XLIII | 2008–09 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 27 | Arizona Cardinals (NFC) | 23 |
| XLIV | 2009–10 | New Orleans Saints (NFC) | 31 | Indianapolis Colts (AFC) | 17 |
| XLV | 2010–11 | Green Bay Packers (NFC) | 31 | Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) | 25 |
| XLVI | 2011–12 | New York Giants (NFC) | 21 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 17 |
| XLVII | 2012–13 | Baltimore Ravens (AFC) | 34 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 31 |
| XLVIII | 2013–14 | Seattle Seahawks (NFC) | 43 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 8 |
| XLIX | 2014–15 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 28 | Seattle Seahawks (NFC) | 24 |
| 50 | 2015–16 | Denver Broncos (AFC) | 24 | Carolina Panthers (NFC) | 10 |
| LI | 2016–17 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 34** | Atlanta Falcons (NFC) | 28 |
| LII | 2017–18 | Philadelphia Eagles (NFC) | 41 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 33 |
| LIII | 2018–19 | New England Patriots (AFC) | 13 | Los Angeles Rams (NFC) | 3 |
| LIV | 2019–20 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFC) | 31 | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 20 |
| LV | 2020–21 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC) | 31 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFC) | 9 |
| LVI | 2021–22 | Los Angeles Rams (NFC) | 23 | Cincinnati Bengals (AFC) | 20 |
| LVII | 2022–23 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFC) | 38 | Philadelphia Eagles (NFC) | 35 |
| LVIII | 2023–24 | Kansas City Chiefs (AFC) | 25** | San Francisco 49ers (NFC) | 22 |
Bob Carroll The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
