Probably the most famous sporting event in the entirety of the US, the Super Bowl is the yearly playoff championship game, of the National Football League (NFL). From 1967, the final of the NFL season is played in late January or the first week of February. Starting this year, the game is going to be played on the second Sunday of February. This means, that on 13th February 2022 the Super Bowl 2022 is happening! 

The origins of the Super Bowl start from the creation of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. The AFL was started by a group of businessmen when NFL was unwilling to expand and the former wanted their own pro football franchise. THE AFL became an alternative league, playing a more open brand of football. Naturally, this started a rivalry that became the reason pro football became the most popular spectator sport in the country, surpassing even baseball.

In 1966, after several competitions and strong rivalry, the NFL and AFL formed a merger in which the two leagues would merge into one in 1970. While this would happen, in the meantime the champions from NFL and AFL would compete with each other at the end of the season, and this new event would be called Super Bowl. Though there were plans for thinking of a new name, this name stuck till the first Super Bowl in January 1967, and thus the seed of Super Bowl popularity was sowed. 

The most interesting thing is, at the start of the Super Bowl it was not very popular. In fact, the first game the tickets did not even sell out, because fans were not used to a neutral setting. However, out of love for the sports, the players, and clever marketing by the two leagues, the Super Bowl happens to be the most viewed and anticipated sport in the US, with celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce even performing live. 

With the rise of the Internet, TV’s, and multiple entertainment options, it is rare to see the entire country pause to watch the same event. However, it is safe to say on 13th February 2022 the entirety of the US will be glued to their screen watching this year’s Super Bowl.

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