These fascinating Super Bowl facts will keep you going until kickoff!
20 Fun Super Bowl Facts and Trivia You Probably Didn’t Know
Super Bowl facts to know before the big game
Ah, February—the month football fans live for! Across the country, excitement builds as friends and families gear up for the Super Bowl, the pinnacle of NFL competition and a cherished tradition since 1966. Starting in 2022, this iconic championship game found its permanent home on the second Sunday in February, making it the ultimate mid-winter celebration. But here’s a question: how many Super Bowl facts do you know?
Beyond the touchdowns and halftime shows, this event is packed with fascinating history and surprising trivia. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just in it for the snacks, brushing up on Super Bowl facts is a fun way to get ready for game day.
From jaw-dropping records to quirky traditions, these fun facts might just blow your mind—and give you a chance to impress (or stump!) your friends at your watch party. We’ve even tapped experts Kristina Peterson-Lohman, the former director of communications for Wilson Sporting Goods; Marlin Jackson, a Super Bowl champion with the Indianapolis Colts; and Tony Award-winning entertainment and sports entrepreneur Brisa Trinchero for more insight into these NFL facts.
So grab your game-day snacks, settle in and check out some of the most exciting Super Bowl trivia below!
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Some Super Bowls have featured a rematch
As of 2025, there have been eight Super Bowl rematches! We’ve seen the Cowboys and Steelers, Giants and Patriots, 49ers and Bengals, Cowboys and Bills, Rams and Patriots, Eagles and Patriots, Bills and Cowboys, and Dolphins and Washington face off more than once throughout Super Bowl history.
The New England Patriots have the most Super Bowl appearances
The New England Patriots are in the lead with 11 Super Bowl appearances—in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2011, 2007, 2004, 2003, 2001, 1996 and 1985. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cowboys are second, having appeared eight times.
A woman officiated the Super Bowl for the first time in 2021
Super Bowl fun fact: Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate the Super Bowl in 2021. Throughout her career, Thomas officiated NFL preseason games, worked in professional training camps and attended several officiating clinics.
Siblings have faced off in the Super Bowl
In 2024 (Super Bowl LVII), Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against his brother Jason, the former center for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Alicia Keys sang the longest National Anthem
Alicia Keys holds the record for having sung the longest National Anthem. Her timing clocked at 2 minutes and 35 seconds during Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. Keys’ performance overtook Natalie Cole’s 152-second performance in 1994.
The Super Bowl ball is crafted by hand in the USA
Craftsmen and craftswomen complete each step by hand with the aid of machines at the Wilson Football Factory, located in Ada, Ohio, according to the company.
Both Super Bowl teams get a lot of balls
Each team playing in the Super Bowl gets 108 footballs, according to Kristina Peterson-Lohman, former director of communications for Wilson Sporting Goods. Of those, 54 are for practice, and 54 are for the actual game. And here’s another fun Super Bowl fact: Typically, 120 balls are used during the actual game. The additional ones are kicker footballs, used for all kicking plays.
Super Bowl players drive in style
As a perk, every player in the big game gets a loaner car to drive around the host city in the week leading up to Super Sunday, says Marlin Jackson, a Super Bowl champion with the Indianapolis Colts who founded the Fight for Life Foundation. “During Super Bowl XLI, I drove a Cadillac Escalade all week,” Jackson says.
Players warm up during the halftime show
Jackson shares that during the regular season, players use halftime to make adjustments and work out any muscle kinks. But since the Super Bowl’s halftime is twice as long as it is for a normal game, players wait about 20 minutes before doing anything (warmups, adjustments, etc.) in order to time it properly for the start of the second half.
Super Bowl tickets cost big bucks
You might have known this Super Bowl fact already, but attending the big game is expensive. For 2024, the cheapest face-value tickets sold by the NFL were about $2,000. Wow!
Game-day tickets were once less than $10
Tickets for the very first Super Bowl in 1967 cost an average of $6, which was apparently too pricey for many. According to Brisa Trinchero, founder of the former ticket-sales site ShooWin.com, there were 30,000 empty seats!
Super Bowl halftime performers make a lot less than you think
Jennifer Lopez, Bruno Mars and even Beyoncé didn’t get paid a single dime to perform at past Super Bowls, and Kendrick Lamar won’t be getting paid for his 2025 Super Bowl performance either. But don’t feel too badly for them. Trinchero shares that although the NFL doesn’t give them any cash, the exposure can be worth tens of millions of dollars, and the halftime show often scores higher ratings than the actual game.
Super Bowl tickets weren’t always mobile
Include this Super Bowl fact in your next trivia game: Super Bowl 2021 was the first game to go fully mobile for the 22,000 attendees, and it was also completely cashless inside the stadium.
The Super Bowl wasn’t always “super”
“The Super Bowl wasn’t actually referred to as the Super Bowl until Super Bowl III,” shares Trinchero. “At the time, what we now know as Super Bowl I and II were just called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game.”
Certain words always appear on Super Bowl footballs
The words Commissioner, Wilson and Made in the U.S.A. have been imprinted on every single Wilson Super Bowl football since day one, shares Peterson-Lohman.
The Super Bowl’s Lombardi Trophy is the size of an actual football
And not just any football. The football on top of the Lombardi Trophy is the exact size of an official “The Duke” football, which is 55 cm through the middle and 71 cm around the ends, according to Peterson-Lohman. That’s one big trophy!
Players’ friends and family members also get serious perks
According to Jackson, players aren’t the only ones who get to enjoy the Super Bowl perks. “Family and friends enjoy the weekend with hotel stays, luxury vehicle loans and exclusive events,” says Jackson. “They also have the opportunity to attend practice the day before the game—or at least it was this way with the Indianapolis Colts.”
Super Bowl weekend is full of pricey parties
A ticket to the Super Bowl isn’t the only in-demand ticket that week. According to Trinchero, there are usually multiple high-profile parties (and tons of Super Bowl chicken wings) all week long, most with corporate sponsors. You can even purchase a general-admission ticket to some of the biggest parties, but it won’t come cheap—Trinchero says these can go for more than $2,000!
Super Bowl ads are even more expensive than you think
This is another Super Bowl fact you’ve likely heard before: Those ads are big money. On average, a 30-second Super Bowl spot runs in the millions. According to Forbes, a 30-second Super Bowl commercial cost $7 million in 2023. With all the ads you get during the game, it’s almost as if you’re watching a sports movie!
The Super Bowl has a special coin
The world’s most famous coin toss doesn’t rely on any old penny or quarter. Each Super Bowl gets its own unique coin crafted by the Highland Mint. The front of the coin features the Lombardi Trophy and the helmets of the two teams playing. Superfans can purchase a replica coin after the game.
About the experts
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Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on Super Bowl facts, tapped her experience as a writer for The New York Daily News and more, along with interviewing experts Kristina Peterson-Lohman, Marlin Jackson and Brisa Trinchero. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Kristina Peterson-Lohman, former Director of Communications for Wilson Sporting Goods
- Marlin Jackson, Super Bowl champion with the Indianapolis Colts and founder of the Fight for Life Foundation
- Brisa Trinchero, founder of the former ticket-sales site ShooWin.com
- Yahoo Sports: “Miami Super Bowl could mark end of paper tickets for big game, start of NFL collecting data on every attending fan”
- Forbes: “90-Second Super Bowl Commercials Cost $20 Million. Here’s Why That’s A Waste”
- CBS News: “How much are 2024 Super Bowl tickets? See prices for average, cheapest and most expensive seats”
- NFL Football Operations: “Sarah Thomas”
- USA Today: “Was Alicia Keys’ national anthem the longest in history?”
- ESPN: “Which NFL team has the most Super Bowl wins?”
