Super Bowl LVIII: Why Is It Called ‘Super Bowl’? Origin Story of the Biggest Sports Event in America

How about we tell you that the Super Bowl was named after a toy? The Super Bowl has brought fans from all corners of the country and beyond in front of their TV sets to see the season’s ultimate champion. The entire shindig has birthed some excellent traditions — bowls brimming with chips, full-on emotional moments from grown folks, and much more. But guess what? It didn’t always go by the name “Super Bowl.”

The NFL kicked off in 1920, while the American Football League (AFL) came 40 years later. However, the competition between these two leagues compelled the owners in 1966 to merge the championship into one by 1970. By then, the term “Super Bowl” had not been coined for this merged championship.

How did the Super Bowl name come into being?

When the NFL and AFL merged, management and owners started brainstorming names for the epic showdown. Former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle threw out ideas like the “Big One” and “Pro Bowl,” but none were considered impressive then. Eventually, Rozelle’s suggestion of “AFL-NFL Championship Game” became the official title, which continued for years. However, between 1966 and 1970, the Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt coined the term “Super Bowl.“

The story of coining the term “Super Bowl” is interesting, as it came to Hunt’s mind when he heard his children’s toy name “Super Ball.” He wrote a letter to Rozelle, saying, “My own feeling is that it probably registered in my head because my [children] had a toy called a Super Ball, and I probably interchanged the phonetics of ‘bowl’ and ‘ball.'”

Eventually, though, his phrase entered common parlance. Although the printed tickets named it the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, fans had already started calling it the “Super Bowl.“

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Since then, the league’s biggest event, the Super Bowl, has come into effect — but unofficially!

When did the Super Bowl term get its official entry to the league?

The first AFL-NFL World Championship Game took place on January 15, 1967. This game is also considered Super Bowl I today. It was played between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers won the inaugural matchup 35-10 under the legendary coach, Vinci Lombardi, after whom the Super Bowl championship trophy was named an honor.

Later, as football enthusiasts, newspapers, and television networks began recognizing the championship as the Super Bowl, the term became official in the fourth championship in 1970. Roman numerals were added to the Super Bowl name, starting with Super Bowl V.

Fast-forward to the present. We will witness the 58th Super Bowl, i.e., Super Bowl LVIII, on February 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. The game will kick off at 6:30 PM ET.

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