Sportstalk Sunday: Super Bowl LVII-Not just a game, an Event. (fun facts to wow your friends)

Hey Everyone! I'm back with another recap of some of the hot topics in American sports and it doesn't get any bigger than this: Super Bowl Sunday.

The Super Bowl is the most watched single sporting event in the US and has gained a large viewership across the world as well. The Champions Cup still holds the title for most viewers by a substantial margin (arguably), but for the US, this is far and away the biggest sports spectacle on television. Here are some numbers to put things in perspective, and the reason I'm posting this on LeoFinance as well as my normal #SportsTalkSocial.

It's not a Game, It's an Event

The Super Bowl is not a football game: it's an event. In fact, the halftime show and the commercials are every bit as much a part of it as the game itself. The amount of money circulating around this event is rather mind-blowing. Here's a list of just how much of an impact this single event has on the economy, starting with the aforementioned commercials.

• It will cost a company $7M to air a 30-second commercial during the event. That's $233k per second. You need to sell a lot of Tostitos to make that up. And they do, otherwise they wouldn't do it. Here's why...
• An estimated 192.9M US adults plan on tuning in for the game to some extent, with an estimated $16.5 Billion (that's illion with a capital B in front of it) expected to be spent on food, drinks, apparel, decorations, and other purchases. Source That is indeed a lot of Tostitos. Because of the game (and parties)...
• An estimated 18.8M US employees may miss work on the Monday after the Super Bowl Source This, of course, led to...
• Last year, an estimated $6.5B in productivity was lost on the Monday after the Super Bowl. Source And if those numbers aren't big enough to impress you...
• The American Gaming Association estimates around $16B will be wagered on the Super Bowl. There are literally hundreds of different things you can gamble on during the game. Here is a quick list of some of the things you can wager on for just one player.

Gambling

A.J. Brown Super Bowl 2023 prop bets
All odds via BetMGM at 10 p.m. on Feb. 8

• To win Super Bowl MVP: +1400
• To score a TD anytime: +120
• To score the first TD of the game: +1000
• To score the last TD of the game: +1000
• To score 2+ TDs: +550
• To score Eagles' first TD: +550
• To make Eagles' first catch: +250
• To make the game's first catch: +375
• Receiving yards: over/under of 71.5 yards (-120 for over, -115 for under)
• Catches: over/under of 4.5 catches (-160 for over, +120 for under)
• Longest catch: over/under of 26.5 yards (-110 for over, -120 for under)
• Length of Brown's first catch of the game: over/under of 10.5 yards (+105 for over, -130 for under)
• 100 or more yards in the game: +230
• Most receiving yards of any player in the game: +300
• First quarter receiving yards: over/under of 16.5 yards (-125 for over, -105 for under)
• First half receiving yards: over/under of 35.5 yards (-120 for over, -110 for under)
• Head-to-head most receiving yards: Travis Kelce -130, Brown +100

AJ could get hurt on the first play of the game and people are out million$. lol It's crazy!

The Halftime Show

Let's not forget about the Halftime Show, itself a major production and huge showpiece for many of the people watching the game. In fact, the lions share of the people watching are NOT interested in the game at all. They're there for the commercials and to see the musical acts perform at halftime.

This year's event features Rihanna in her first performance in over seven years. The production for the 13-minute concert will cost over $10M, a bill which will be footed by the NFL and Apple Music. How much will they pay Rihanna? Basically nothing. The NFL pays for all production costs including travel expenses to and from the event, but they pay the performers next to nothing. The main reason for this is, of course, the exposure the artists are getting. Where else are you going to get to perform for over 100 million people?

Spotify estimated that J-Lo's streaming went up by over 335% after her Super Bowl performance with Shakira in 2020. Shakira's rose by 230%. Justin Timberlake's sales gain rose by 534% after his 2018 Super Bowl performance. In other words, these artists are getting paid. The check just doesn't happen to be signed by the NFL.

Players Cut

For what it's worth, the winning team's players make an extra $157,000 each for the game. The losing team gets half: $82,000. Peanuts! :-) The coaches, however, don't get any bonuses unless they are structured into the contracts they have with the team. The do however, get rings.

Incidentally, the NFL take is not public but is estimated to be tens of millions at worst. Seems like a pretty good gig if you can get it.

So, for those of you interested in the actual game, read on. Otherwise, thanks for stopping by. lol

Super Bowl LVII-Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles

This is setting up to be a very good game. Kansas City has the best player on the field in Patrick Mahomes, but Philadelphia probably has a deeper lineup on both sides of the ball. Once again, it could come down to who makes the most mistakes.

Both teams have very good front-fours on defense with the Eagles boasting the third most sacks in NFL history this year, behind only the '84 & '85 Bears. The Chiefs, though, are no slouches either. They finished second in the NFL behind the Eagles in sacks and have arguably the best d-lineman in the game tonight in Chris Jones. Jones showed up huge in the Chiefs win over the Bengals to get here and likes the fact that people are overlooking them when compared to what has been the best offensive line in football for the Eagles.

In the big games the big players need to make big plays. The Chiefs have maybe three of the best players ever to play their positions in Jones, Mahomes, and Travis Kelce at tight end. All three have won a Super Bowl and have proven themselves in the biggest spotlight. The same cannot be said for the Eagles. Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown, while having outstanding seasons, have never been here before. We'll see if it makes a difference.

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One number I found interesting while researching this matchup is 310. If the Chiefs can produce over 310 yds of offense, they have a very good chance of winning. The Eagles defense only gave up that number seven times this year. They were 4-3 in those games. When they gave up less than 310 yds, they were 12-0.

Another interesting little factoid is the betting line. There have only been seven Super Bowls with a line of 2.5 or less. In those games, the favorites (here, the Eagles -1.5) have gone 6-1 both straight up and against the spread. Some might call that a trend.

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All in all, this is shaping up to be a highly entertaining game. Personally, I think Philly has the better overall team and deserves to be the favorite. If they played this game ten times, I think the Eagles would win 6 or 7 of them. But, they only play it once and it's the only one that matters. The Chiefs have been here before and know how to win. They have a quarterback that can win games while looking like he's getting killed and a tight-end that just can't be covered. That said, they are definitely not as deep as the Eagles and don't have quite the firepower that Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown have between them.

As much as I'm rooting for Mahomes and the Chiefs, my gut tells me Philly will win be 10. I'll say 27-17 because I have the 7/7 combo in @summertooth's Super Bowl board. :-) Either way, it should be fun to watch. Make sure you do your part to get to that $16B. I think it broke down to like $83 per person.

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One final note: LeBron did indeed set the NBA scoring record on Tuesday night against the Thunder notching 38 pts in a loss. More NBA next week once the football season is done.

Thanks for reading! See you next week.

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