The Super Bowl has grown from a game that didn't sell out in 1967 to an unofficial national holiday it has become today.
Along the way, players have broken records, beer has been spilled and, somehow, guacamole has become the dip of choice to the point that avocado shortages can cause panic among party planners.
Fans can recite the key stats by heart. The Steelers have the most rings, six, the Packers won the first two, and on and on.
But even for non-fans, those who tune in to only to critique the ads, there are numbers that pique the interest. The numbers can be big. Half a billion big. Or small. Very small. Like zero.
(Check out: 8 of the Worst Financial Meltdowns by Athletes)
But they all add up to the biggest sporting event of the year in the U.S.
Check out our 8 Super Super Bowl Numbers:
$500 million to $600 million
That's the amount the NFL says the Super Bowl will generate in economic activity for New York City. What city wouldn't want to put up with the headaches of planning for the big day? Well, some economists say the number is inflated, by as much as 10 times. One study showed that the average amount generated by the big game from the early 1970s to late 1990s was $32 million. We'll punt on figuring out who's right.
$266 million
That's the total salary for the Seahawks and Broncos this year, with the Seattle players raking in just over half of that. Consider that the minimum salary for a veteran was just $10,000 per year in 1970.
$100 million
The amount bet on the game last year set a Super Bowl record last when it topped out at $99 million on Las Vegas sports books. The $100 million mark seems possible this year. A chart on Boydsbets.com breaking down the Vegas bets on the game since 1991 shows an astounding rise in the amount wagered. In that year, $40 million was bet on the Giants-Bills game. In case you're wondering, the sports books made out OK, keeping $7.2 million of last year's wagers.
