By Zack Peñalva, Sports Editor
The Super Bowl is an all-consuming event. What started out as a simple football game 50 years ago has morphed into the biggest frenzy of media, sports, betting and commercialism in the country; and every year, it always seems like it’s trying to outdo it self.
It can be a lot to take in, so here’s a breakdown of some of the madness that will be taking place on Super Bowl Sunday.
Commercials
For companies hoping to make a big splash early in the year, there’s more riding on the precious time in between plays than on the game itself. This year will be no different.
- $5 million – That’s how much a 30-second advertising spot costs during the game according to a recent Fortune article, and that’s not even including the amount of money it takes the make the commercial in the first place.
- 9 – Number of car companies that are planning to show ads during the game, highest of any individual industry. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles alone has had a commercial in the past seven Super Bowls.
- >100 million – The estimated television audience for the game. A number that could creep even higher due to CBS’s decision to broadcast the game live online
- 5’4 – Height of actor Kevin Hart. One of many celebrities that is set to appear in an ad. Celebrity endorsement is huge for Super Bowl ads with big names like Hart, Amy Schumer, Seth Rogan, Alec Baldwin and Ryan Reynolds among those to feature.
Food
At a Super Bowl party, the food is just as fundamental as a TV with the game showing. As a result, consumption of certain foods skyrockets on the day of the game.
- 278 million – Number of avocados that will be eaten this weekend, up 15 percent according to the Hass Avocado Board. That many avocados will produce over 129 million pounds of guacamole
- 3 billion – Chicken wings that will be grilled up and put on a plate during the game according to the National Chicken Council. Enough to try all 21 of Buffalo Wild Wing’s sauces 61,904,761 times.
- 325 million – Gallons of beer that will be drunk during the game according to the Stevens Institute of Technology. That’s about 3.5 billion bottles of Ale8 for those wanting a little perspective.
- $140 – The average amount millennials between the ages of 25 to 34 will spend on game day preparations according to the National Retail Foundation. The majority will be spent on food.
Halftime
The first pop music performance in a Super Bowl was back in 1991 by Boyz to Men. Since then, halftime has become a massive production featuring sets from music’s biggest artists
- 5 million – Viewers for Katy Perry’s record-breaking halftime performance last year. The half hour block outperformed any other section of the Super Bowl broadcast from Nielsen data.
- 4 – Members of the band Coldplay, who are scheduled to perform for this year’s halftime show. They’re expected to be joined by special guests and halftime show veterans Beyoncé and Bruno Mars
- 0 – Amount musicians get paid for performing. No one gets a paycheck for the show, but the NFL does cover the production cost.
The Game
After everything else, it’s easy for the game to be overshadowed. But when it all comes down to it, the whole spectacle of Super Bowl Sunday is centered around determine a champion for the season.
- 13 – Years separating the Denver Broncos 39-year-old quarterback Peyton Manning and the Carolina Panther’s Cam Newton.
- 6 – The expected point spread laid out by odds makers that favors the Carolina Panthers to win
- 4 – Number of Super Bowls Peyton Manning has appeared in.
- 1- Super Bowl wins for Manning, a future Hall of Famer that has long held the stigma of being a choke-artist in the playoffs