America's Super Bowl - The most successful show in the history of Television - Kansas City Chiefs end 50 year drought

For those of you around the world not exposed to the Super Bowl in America, it is the only TV program that could possibly knock the Trump impeachment trial, Democratic Presidential primary, and those lying news media off the air for a day.

A lot of fun and fascinating facts follow but here are some teasers.  With a television audience between 100 million and 193 million, mostly Americans and American troops throughout the world, it is the biggest show in television history and this is the 54th year.  For the past five years it has pulled over 100 million viewers per year.

The Super Bowl halftime show is the largest live concert in the world and a gold mine for invited artists.  This year Shakira and Jennifer Lopez dazzled.

It was the favorite San Francisco 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs who have not won the Super Bowl in fifty long years.  The Chiefs were trailing 20-10 with about seven minutes left in the game when the Chiefs stunned the nation with 21 straight points in little over 5 minutes to win 31-20.

The fact the favorites and losers were from Nancy Pelosi's home in San Francisco, and the Chiefs are from the American heartland where Trump has substantial support, probably gives Trump more talking points.

The Senate impeachment trial of Trump drew about 7 million viewers on a good day so you can see how the Super Bowl, with at least 14 times more viewers, might explain why Trump will be acquitted this Wednesday, yet another a crushing defeat for the Democrats and news media.

Super Bowl 2020 Data. Some 193.8 million adults in the US plan to watch Super Bowl 54 per a survey of more than 7,200 US adults from NRF. That's upwards of 11 million more viewers than last year's projected viewership of 188.5 million.

Here is what the UK had to say about this amazing American spectacle.

UK View of Super Bowl

Cultura Colectiva

The Super Bowl In Numbers: Crazy Facts About The Big Game

By: Oliver G. Alvar

January 23, 2020

As one of the most-watched annual games in the world and a billion-dollar brand, the Super Bowl consistently gives us record-shattering numbers every year. Here are the craziest facts about The Big Game.

Who doesn’t love Super Bowl Sunday? The anticipation of a winning team rushing through the field after a victorious touchdown, the excitement of all those play-by-play analyses and strategies that could turn a close match into a steamrolling of epic proportions. Anything can happen, nothing is written—and we all love it.

So, the fact that The Big Game is such a commercially successful event comes as no surprise, does it? As a record-shattering event, the Super Bowl provides astonishing numbers every year, some of which might tell us more about American culture than we’re comfortable accepting. Indeed, Super Bowl Sunday is one of those days that provide a strong argument for the idea that Americans are the biggest consumerists in the world. That’s a double-edged sword.

Regardless of what it means, however, here’s how the Super Bowl looks—in numbers. Read on to find 7 crazy facts about the big game.

It's the second-largest day for food consumption in the US.

Think about all the beer, hot dogs, and hamburgers consumed during that Sunday. The Big Game accounts for most food-consumption in America during a single day, right behind Thanksgiving. That’s a ridiculous amount of food!

It's second only to the UEFA Champions League final as the most-watched annual sporting event worldwide.

And that’s even crazier when you consider the UEFA Champions League Final is watched by many countries worldwide, whereas the vast majority of the Super Bowl’s audience comes from a single nation. That’s a lot of Americans watching a single game!

It's frequently the most-watched American television broadcast of the year.

The Super Bowl broke records in 2015 with an average TV-audience of 114.4 million viewers, and it hasn’t gone below the 100 million-viewers mark since 2009. 

Its commercial spots are among the most expensive in the world.

The 2017 Super Bowl had an advertising revenue of around 419 million dollars. An average 30-second ad-spot costs around 5 million dollars since 2016, and not less than 2 million since the turn of the century!

Each American spends over $80 during Super Bowl Sunday.

On average, each American consumer plans to spend around 82 dollars on snacks, drinks, television, team apparel, accessories, decorations, furniture, and any other number of things for Super Bowl Sunday. This average includes betting. In 2017, about 138 million dollars worth of bets were placed at casinos across Nevada.

All those crazy figures and record-shattering in spite of the Super Bowl being mainly for American audiences. After all, Super Bowl Sunday is so popular in the US, it’s basically become an unofficial national holiday, which just goes to show America is the most consumer-based society in the world. But hey, as long as it’s all about football, I guess it’s fine

BBC

The Super Bowl is back this weekend with all the razzmatazz, build-up and big money that goes with it. And that's before there's even been a touchdown!

This is the 54th edition of the Bowl, with Kansas City Chiefs taking on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The NFL's biggest event is being held Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The 65,326-capacity stadium will host the event for the sixth time in 31 years. That's some big numbers already... So here are some more!

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan will lead his side in Miami on Sunday, hoping to reproduce the success of his dad, Mike.

Mike coached in four Super Bowls as an assistant, before leading the Denver Broncos to back-to-back titles over 20 years ago in the late 1990s.

No pressure, Kyle!

22.81 miles per hour

If you could make a noise for how fast Kansas City Chiefs player Tyreek Hill is, it would be "vroooom!" Luckily there are more scientific ways of measuring speed - the Chiefs receiver clocked in at 22.81mph in December against the Los Angeles Chargers. That's faster than the speed limit for some streets in the UK!

In the interest of fairness, in a close second, 21.87mph is the top speed of 49ers running back Raheem Mostert.

Happy 43rd birthday Shakira!

The Super Bowl halftime show is a big deal and this year Shakira will be performing on her 43rd birthday!

She'll be joined by Jennifer Lopez, as the other confirmed artist.

The halftime show attracts a huge TV audience, sometimes more people watch that than the game itself.

The most-watched halftime show was 2015 when Katy Perry's performance attracted 118.5 million viewers, while the game itself drew an average audience of 114.4 million viewers.

50 year wait

Kansas City Chiefs fans have waited a long time for this! It's 50 years since the Chiefs were last in the Super Bowl, that's before Shakira was born! At the time they beat the Minnesota Vikings in New Orleans.

Kansas also appeared in the first Super Bowl in 1967, losing to the Green Bay Packers.

$5.6 million

Half time is such a big deal at the Super Bowl and with millions of people watching, 30-second advert slots cost $5.6 (£4.2m) million, each! The cost of all the adverts put together is roughly $400 (£303) million!

Facebook and US president Donald Trump are among those expected to air commercials.

OVER ONE BILLION CHICKEN WINGS!

Yes, that's a lot of chicken!

Super Bowl fans are expected to eat 1.4 billion wings on Sunday.

To put that into perspective: The weight of those wings (75.4 million kilograms) is more than 300 times the combined weight of all 32 NFL teams.

More Super Bowl Facts

So you got this far but you're still confused about what the Super Bowl actually is, don't worry we have the answers.

If your mates are big American football fans, hopefully we can help you to at least understand some of what they're talking about on Monday morning.

And if you're new to American football or just want a reminder you can find all of the rules of the game here!

UK Halftime Show???

What is the Super Bowl?

It's the final game of the National Football League (NFL) season in the United States and is one of the biggest sporting events on the planet.

The NFL is what all American football teams are part of.

The winners of the Super Bowl are crowned 'World Champions' and get to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy.

This year it's the 54th Super Bowl.

50 years ago Chiefs last won

How long does the game take?

The game is meant to last an hour with four 15 minute quarters.

It can take much longer though because of the half-time show and all the ad breaks.

This is why snacks are a big part of fans' Super Bowl parties!

Most people do not want to see the game, just highlights, but want to see the halftime show so here is the full performance by Shakira and Lopez.

History - 150 Years ago the first College Football Game was played in New Jersey - Rutgers versus Princeton

The first college football game

College football generates billions of dollars each year in the U.S. But the game looked very different 150 years ago.

Rutgers and Princeton, two New Jersey colleges, faced off in the first match on Nov. 6, 1869, in front of about 100 spectators. Each team had 25 men on the field, and the ball couldn’t be carried or thrown — players advanced by kicking or batting it with their hands and feet.

On the field in 1869.  Rutgers University

The rules had been established a few years earlier by the London Football Association — meaning they were a lot closer to what the rest of the world would call football and Americans would call soccer. The game also featured elements of rugby.

The play was frantic and rough, and the men wore no padding or helmets. At one point, a distressed professor waved his umbrella and shouted, “You will come to no Christian end!”

Princeton had more muscle, but Rutgers was faster and better organized, according to an account in the Rutgers student newspaper. Rutgers won, 6-4.

USA v France Women's World Cup quarterfinals - The only thing hotter than the play on the field may be the weather as dangerous heat wave to engulf Europe

Dream match to shatter attendance, viewers and temperature records.

Fox Preview France v USA

Women's World Cup: France v USA could be 'wild and crazy' - Megan Rapinoe

By Tom Garry

BBC Sport in Reims

United States midfielder Megan Rapinoe said Friday's Women's World Cup quarter-final against hosts France could be "wild and crazy".

Rapinoe scored two penalties in Monday's 2-1 victory over Spain, as the holders set up the tie in Paris.

The two sides were the pre-tournament favourites and both topped their groups, with a semi-final against England or Norway awaiting the winners.

"This is the game everyone had circled," said Rapinoe.

"This is incredible for the women's game. You have two heavy-hitters meeting.

"I hope it's wild and crazy. I hope the fans are crazy, there is tons of media around it and it is just a big spectacle."

The USA are top of the world rankings and their only defeat since 2017 came against France in January.

Their Britain-born head coach Jill Ellis, who was in charge when they won the World Cup in 2015, added: "It's going to be an amazing game. I'm sure a lot of people would want it later in the tournament.

"It's probably going to be crazy with a lot of intensity, but that's as it should be because I truly think this is the world game for women, so what a showcase piece."

France are bidding to win their first major tournament, while the USA are attempting to lift a record fourth Women's World Cup.

Despite the two teams being the favourites from the outset, neither has appeared invincible so far in the knockout stages.

Less than 24 hours after France needed extra time to overcome Brazil in their last-16 tie, the defending champions were thoroughly tested by Spain in Reims.

Against Spain, Ellis' team conceded a goal for the first time at these finals, and occasionally appeared sloppy at the back, in a game some bookmakers had them down as 1-10 odds-on favourites to win.

Former USA goalkeeper Hope Solo said there were many things to question about her former side's display, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "When you have that much attacking prowess, to not get a goal in normal play is concerning.

"People don't bow down to the United States like they used to. They don't come in and put everyone on edge like they used to.

"Many teams have proved they can beat the USA. If you want to beat the USA you have to press the backline.

"That's where they are truly vulnerable. It's the decision-making, it's the quality of passing - and I think there are nerves back there."

France Heat Wave Warning

Women's World Cup: In search of a major tournament in Paris

By Tom Garry

BBC Sport in Paris

 Fans at Euro 2016 (left) could watch matches on a big screen at the Eiffel Tower but these Chile supporters (right) could not do the same at the Women's World Cup

On a warm Saturday evening in the summer, whether gazing towards the Eiffel Tower from the crowded Place du Trocadero, strolling alongside the River Seine or approaching the Jardin des Tuileries from the Place de la Concorde, you can enjoy some of the finest views in Paris.

What you cannot see are any obvious indications that the Women's World Cup is in town, despite there being no city hosting more games at the 2019 tournament than the French capital.

As the sun sets, Canada's Jessie Fleming opens the scoring against New Zealand in Group E in Grenoble, but there is no reaction from the thousands of people enjoying picnics on the Champ de Mars - an iconic spot where big screens had shown matches to packed fan zones during both the 2016 men's European Championship - hosted in France - and the 2018 men's World Cup in Russia.

Women's football is now as popular globally as the sport of golf, according to a report released on 4 June by the data analytics company Nielsen, while Paris is among the world's busiest tourist destinations.

And therefore, while there is a smaller fan zone - albeit one that does not fully open until 14:00 local time - opposite the Forum des Halles shopping centre across town, is the so-called 'City of Light' illuminating the Women's World Cup to as many people as it could be?

On one hand, the attendances and atmospheres at the Parc des Princes have been very impressive - not least at the hosts' spine-tingling opening win over South Korea.

But - aside from the areas immediately around the stadium, south west of the city - banners boosting the event's visibility are hard to come by in the capital.

On the day of world champions USA's match here, free maps of Paris's Metro routes display information on a rugby sevens tournament that finished two weeks previously, while most central station platforms are devoid of any posters of Women's World Cup stars.

The Paris Metro maps available on the network on 16 June were still promoting the Paris Sevens Rugby tournament, which finished a week before the Women's World Cup started.

Adverts for June's Champs-Elysees Film Festival - not the World Cup - are draped along the city's most famous avenue.

At other host cities, promotion for the tournament varies, but is far more visible at some, with the eye-catching roadside electronic adverts for the matches in Reims tough to miss in the champagne region, while almost every shop in the centre of the north-eastern city of Valenciennes has been decorated with flags, scarves or World Cup banners.

Yet, at the spectacular vantage point that can be enjoyed from Place du Trocadero, where large crowds of people hold their smartphones aloft for a picture of the Eiffel Tower, low-cost, unofficial merchandise is displayed for sale on sheets lying on the floor - but there are no football shirts among the miniature towers, the glow sticks and the handbags with semi-recognisable branding.

Even where there are sports tops for sale, at a string of shops near the Louvre, only those displaying the names Mbappe and Neymar can be found among Tour de France jerseys.

"Avez-vous quelque chose des equipes feminines de Coupe du Monde?" I asked hopefully.

"Non, monsieur."

Around Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris which crosses the River Seine, France kits with players' names on are readily available - but only for the men's team.

However, look closely to one side of the Place du Trocadero and there you will see it, directly overlooking the Eiffel Tower - at last, some Women's World Cup branding. It's US broadcaster Fox Sports' studio for the duration of the tournament.

Then there are other moments to lift your spirits, like the small band of Chile fans enjoying a drink on the grass of the Champ de Mars 24 hours before their goalkeeper Christiane Endler's stunning performances against the United States.

Like the enthusiastic, Marseille-supporting taxi driver who declared France's midfield star Amandine Henry to be "magnifique" and warned that Les Bleues were much better than "Monsieur Neville's" England.

Like the hordes of USA fans who swamped the Parc des Princes with their stars and stripes on Sunday, as over 45,000 saw the holders - and the Chile keeper - put on an exhibition.

And like the sea of orange that flooded into the northern cities of Le Havre and Valenciennes from the Netherlands - dancing left, dancing right - to support the European champions.

This is a truly global festival.

So why have the local authorities not adorned Paris' central areas with more visible promotion of the event?

A Fifa spokesperson told BBC Sport: "One of the main promotional objectives is to maximise the audiences, both in front of their screens and in the stadiums. Even though outdoor advertising is a part of that campaign, it is only one of several platforms deployed in this phase.

"In Paris, the outdoor advertising is centralised around the stadium and around the Fifa fan experience."

When questioned about the subject, a spokesman for the Local Organising Committee pointed out that because Paris is the biggest host city and does not possess a clear city centre, efforts were focused on the areas linked to the World Cup like the stadium and the Fifa Fan Experience.

They also pointed out that Paris City Hall had been adorned with World Cup colours.

The Champs-Elysees is full of huge banners promoting a film festival - but not the Women's World Cup.

The Chatelet district houses the temporary Women's World Cup museum - a free and relatively well-produced, educational cuboid of historical information, complete with a shop - as well as the adjacent fan zone, which is closed until midday and only partially open until 14:00.

Fifa says it has also been marketing on radio and TV, as well as hosting a women's football convention in Paris earlier in June, and a spokesperson added: "For the first time in Women's World Cup history, there is a Fifa fan experience in each host city.

"The choice of the location of the fan experience and whether to include a big screen was determined by each host city."

As for the TV audiences, French channel TF1 has had record viewing figures of about 10 million in France for the host nation's first two group matches, and - although the games not involving Les Bleues are not on free-to-air channels here - the home supporters do seem to be gripped by their side's bid for a first title.

UK viewers have similarly set new records for women's football, while Fox Sports in the US has reportedly seen an 11% rise in their audience compared to four years ago.

Indeed, the world is watching the beautiful game in France this summer - you just have to be in the right place to notice it in the nation's most beautiful city.

Media Headlines on World Cup

Europe heatwave: record high of 45C expected in France

Temperature records expected to be broken as minister warns heatwaves could become norm

'Hell is coming': week-long heatwave begins across Europe

Temperatures could hit 40C from Spain to Switzerland, with authorities urging children and older people to stay indoors

World

A heat wave killed 15,000 in France in 2003. As temperatures soar again, officials are taking no chances.

France is postponing exams, opening pools and urging residents to stay hydrated.

Where's FIFA? Failing to promote a fun, high-quality Women's World Cup, that's where

Dan Wetzel

Columnist

   

Women's World Cup: Record-breaking peak of 6.9m watch England beat Cameroon

WWCup: Nearly 11 million TV viewers watch France’s opener

June 8, 2019

LOS ANGELES — The Americans’ 3-0 win over Chile set a record for the most-watched group-stage Women’s World Cup match on U.S. English-language television.

Fox drew 5,324,000 viewers for Sunday’s game, topping 4,492,000 for the Americans’ 0-0 group-stage draw against Sweden in 2015. The game was the most-watched English-language soccer telecast in the country since last year’s men’s World Cup final.

The 2019 Women's World Cup has become the UK's most viewed women's football tournament on television.

The event has achieved a combined TV reach of 17.2 million people, beating the 12.4 million total set for the whole of the 2015 tournament in Canada.

England's win over Scotland set an audience record for a women's football game on UK TV of 6.1 million.

Women’s World Cup TV Viewership Is on a Record Pace

750 million people watched the tournament in 2015; FIFA estimates that nearly 1 billion could tune in this summer