Season's Greetings: Super Bowl Sunday

Season's Greetings: Super Bowl Sunday   I bid you A Happy Super Bowl Sunday. The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the premier association of professional football. It was first played on January 15, 1967, as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was consummated in 1970. After the merger, each league became a "conference", and the game was then played between conference champions. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year in which it is held. For example, Super Bowl I was played in 1967 to determine the championship of the regular season played in 1966, while Super Bowl XLV will be played on February 6, 2011, to determine the champion of the 2010 regular season. The day on which the Super Bowl is played is now considered a de facto American national holiday,[1][2][3] called "Super Bowl Sunday". It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day.[4] In most years, the Super Bowl is the most-watched American television broadcast; Super Bowl XLIV, played in February 2010, became the most-watched American television program in history, drawing an average audience of 106.5 million viewers and taking over the spot held for twenty-seven years by the final episode of M*A*S*H.[5] The Super Bowl final is among the most watched sporting events in the world, primarily due to strong North American audiences. Because of its high viewership, commercial airtime during the Super Bowl broadcast is the most expensive of the year. Due to the high cost of investing in advertising on the Super Bowl, companies regularly develop their most expensive advertisements for this broadcast. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcast's commercials has become a significant aspect of the event.[citation needed] In addition, many popular singers and musicians have performed during the event's pre-game and halftime ceremonies because of the exposure. Origin The Super Bowl was created as part of the merger agreement between the National Football League (NFL) and its competitive rival, the American Football League (AFL). After its inception in 1920, the NFL fended off several rival leagues before the AFL began play in 1960. The intense competitive war for players and fans led to serious merger talks between the two leagues in 1966. According to NFL Films President Steve Sabol, then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted to call the game "The Big One".[6] During the discussions to iron out the details, one of the AFL's founders and Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt had jokingly referred to the proposed inter league championship as the "Super Bowl". [7] Lamar Hunt, who died in December 2006, coined the term in the late 1960s after watching his kids play with a Super Ball, the creation of toy manufacturer Wham-O. The small, round ball is currently on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The name was consistent with post-season college football games, which had long been known as "bowl games". Hunt only meant his suggested name to be a stopgap until a better one could be found; nevertheless, the name "Super Bowl" became permanent. Tickets for the games played in 1967, 1968, and 1969 were printed with the title "World Championship Game"[8] After the NFL's Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls, some team owners feared for the future of the merger. At the time, many doubted the competitiveness of AFL teams compared with NFL counterparts, though that perception changed with the AFL's New York Jets' defeat of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in Miami. One year later, the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs defeated the NFL's Minnesota Vikings 23–7 and won Super Bowl IV in New Orleans, the final World Championship game played between the champions of the two leagues, as the league merger finally took place later that year. The game is played annually on a Sunday as the final game of the NFL Playoffs. Originally, the game took place in early to mid-January, following a fourteen-game regular season and playoffs. Over the years, the date of the Super Bowl has progressed from the second Sunday in January, to the third, then the fourth Sunday in January; the game is currently played on the first Sunday in February, given the current seventeen-week (sixteen games and one bye week) regular season and three rounds of playoffs. The progression of the dates of the Super Bowl were caused by several factors: the expansion of the NFL's regular season in 1978 from fourteen games to sixteen; the expansion of the pre-Super Bowl playoff field from eight to twelve teams; the addition of a third round of playoffs (also in 1978)[clarification needed]; the addition of the regular season bye-week in the 1990s; and the decision to start the regular season the week following Labor Day. Former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle is often considered the mastermind of both the merger and the Super Bowl. His leadership guided the two competitors into the merger agreement and cemented the preeminence of the Super Bowl.[citation needed] The winning team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games and three of the five preceding NFL championships in 1961, 1962, and 1965. Following his death in September 1970, the trophy was named the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and was first awarded as such to the Baltimore Colts at Super Bowl V in Miami. Game history The Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Super Bowls, while two other teams, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers, have each won five. Fifteen other NFL franchises have won at least one Super Bowl. Only four active NFL franchises, the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans have not appeared in the Super Bowl: The Browns and Lions have both won NFL championships prior to the Super Bowl era, while the Jaguars (who joined the NFL in 1995) and Texans (2002) joined the league after the era began. 1966–1967: Packers early success The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders in 1966 and 1967 respectively. The Packers were led by quarterback Bart Starr, who was named MVP for both games. These two championships, along with the Packers' NFL championships in 1961, 1962, and 1965 have led many people to consider the Packers to be the "Team of the '60s".[citation needed] Green Bay is often referred to as "Title Town".[citation needed] 1968–1980 AFL/AFC dominance In Super Bowl III, behind the quarterbacking of Joe Namath and the leadership of former Colts coach Weeb Ewbank, the New York Jets defeated the eighteen-point favorite Baltimore Colts 16–7. The win helped solidify the AFL as a legitimate contender with the NFL. As it turned out, the 1970s were dominated by the AFC, though four of those wins were by pre-merger NFL teams which had been moved to the AFC. Only one NFC franchise won a Super Bowl during the decade, the Dallas Cowboys. Perfection During the 1970s, a majority of the Super Bowls were won by just two teams, the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning a combined six championships in the decade. Miami won Super Bowls VII and VIII. The first of these Super Bowl wins capped the only undefeated and untied season in the history of the NFL at 17-0. The 2007 New England Patriots, who went 16–0 during the regular season, ended up losing Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants. The New England Patriots of that year have had the best season record without winning the title at 18-1. The 1984 49ers and 1985 Bears have also had an 18-1 record, but both teams won the Super Bowl. The Steelers' dynasty Pittsburgh won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, and XIV between 1974 and 1980, behind the coaching of Chuck Noll, plays of Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, and Franco Harris, and their "Steel Curtain" defense led by "Mean" Joe Greene and Jack Lambert. The Steelers were the first team to win four Super Bowls and appeared in six AFC Championship Games during the decade, making the playoffs in eight straight seasons. Nine players and three coaches and administrators on the team have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Pittsburgh is also the only team to win back-to-back Super Bowls on two different occasions. 1981–1996: The NFC's winning streak NFC teams won fifteen of sixteen Super Bowls in this stretch, including a thirteen-win streak from 1984 to 1996. The 49ers in the 1980s The most successful franchise of the 1980s was the San Francisco 49ers, who won four Super Bowls in the decade (XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV). They were known for using Bill Walsh's west coast offense.[citation needed] The 1980s also included the 1985 Chicago Bears, who finished the season with an 18–1 record, a feat accomplished the prior year by the 49ers. The Oakland Raiders were the only AFC franchise to win a Super Bowl in the 1980s, winning Super Bowls XV and XVIII. The Washington Redskins won Super Bowls XVII and XXII, while their NFC East rivals, the New York Giants, won Super Bowls XXI and XXV. The Cowboys in the early 1990s The Dallas Cowboys became the dominant team in the NFL in the early 1990s. After championships by division rivals New York and Washington to start the decade, the Cowboys won three of the next four Super Bowls. With Super Bowl XXIX, the 49ers became the first team to win five Super Bowls. The Cowboys also won their fifth title (Super Bowl XXX) in the decade and appeared in four NFC championship games as well, winning with both a balanced offense and dominant defense.[citation needed] The 49ers and the Cowboys faced each other in three consecutive NFC championships. As both teams began to lose their dominance late into the decade, another NFC powerhouse, the Green Bay Packers, led by three time MVP quarterback Brett Favre, emerged, winning Super Bowl XXXI following the 1996 season. The early 1990s also featured the Buffalo Bills, who became the only team to date to appear in four consecutive Super Bowls; however, they lost in all four. 1997 onwards: the AFC rises again In Super Bowl XXXII, quarterback John Elway led the Denver Broncos to an upset victory over the defending champion Packers, snapping the NFC's thirteen-game winning streak, and beginning their own streak, in which the AFC would win nine of the following thirteen Super Bowls. The Broncos would go on to win Super Bowl XXXIII the next year over the Atlanta Falcons, in Elway's final game before retiring. After an NFC win by the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV, the AFC continued its ways, with wins by the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots. The Patriots dominate the early 2000s The Patriots became the dominant team throughout the early 2000s, winning the championship in three out of four years early in the decade. In Super Bowl XXXVI, Super Bowl MVP quarterback Tom Brady led his team to a 20–17 upset victory over the Rams. The Patriots also went on to win Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX. They lost Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants in 2008, becoming the only team to finish the season 18–1 and not win the Super Bowl. The second half of the decade saw parity among both conferences. The AFC recorded wins by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowls XL and XLIII, and the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI, while the Giants and the New Orleans Saints logged wins for the NFC in Super Bowls XLII and XLIV, respectively. Security The Super Bowl has been designated a National Special Security Event by the United States Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security every year since Super Bowl XXXVI, which was the first Bowl played following the September 11 attacks. The stadium and surrounding area have faced increased security measures since, especially on game day. Among other things, the once-ubiquitous blimps—four in Super Bowl XIX, according to NFL Films' Steven Sabol—have been grounded.   Carl Ray Louk "FRIENDSHIP NEVER ENDS" SG-1996 "LET LOVE LEAD THE WAY" SG-2000 "THE PHOENIX SHALL RISE" SD "EVEN A MAN WHO IS PURE IN HEART AND SAYS HIS PRAYERS BY NIGHT, MAY BECOME A WOLF WHEN THE WOLFBANE BLOOMS AND THE AUTUMN MOON IS BRIGHT." LT-1941 "FLESH OF MY FLESH; BLOOD OF MY BLOOD; KIN OF MY KIN WHEN SAY COME TO YOU, YOU SHALL CROSS LAND OR SEA TO DO MY BIDDING!" CVTD-1895 "FROM HELL'S HEART I STAB AT THEE, FOR HATE SAKE I SPIT MY LAST BREATH AT THEE" CA-1895  "I HAVE BEEN, AND ALWAYS SHALL BE YOUR FRIEND" Spock  "TRICK OR TREAT, TRICK OR TREAT CANDY IS DANDY BUT MURDER, OH MURDER, IS SO SWEET" CRL-2003  "EYE OF NEWT, AND TOE OF FROG, WOOL OF BAT, AND TONGUE OF DOG ADDER'S FORK, BLIND-WORM'S STING, LIZARD'S LEG, AND OWLET'S WING. FOR A CHARM OF POWERFUL TROUBLE, LIKE A HELL-BROTH BOIL AND BABBLE. DOUBLE, DOUBLE, TOIL AND TROUBLE, FIRE BURN, AND CALDRON BUBBLE" WS MySpace.com: www.myspace.com/carlraylouk http://www.myspace.com/carlraylouk Yahoo Group: Yahoo! Groups : LouksHauntedGraveyardhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/LouksHauntedGraveyard/ Yahoo Group: Yahoo! Groups : TheWorldAccordingtoCarlRayLouk http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheWorldAccordingtoCarlRayLouk/