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Fans fight all season until they crown a champion in all four major sports in the United States. However, one game shines the brightest in all of American sports: the Super Bowl. This one special football game now gathers over 100 million viewers annually for the National Football League (NFL), but many fans are interested in how this amazing tradition began in the first place.
Below, we will explain the origins of the big game and how it became what it is today.
A tradition like no other came to fruition for American Football fans 57 years ago. The American Football League (AFL) Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt brilliantly decided to host a game to determine the champion between the AFL and the NFL. Originally, this game was known as the AFL-NFL World Championship, but it would later become widely regarded as Super Bowl I.
On January 15, 1967, a beautiful day in Los Angeles, California, the NFL’s Green Bay Packers took on the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. The game ended in a 35-10 Green Bay victory, cementing them in the history books as the first-ever Super Bowl champions. Packers head coach Vince Lombardi would go on to receive the honor of having the Lombardi trophy named after him.
With the game being the only contest in Super Bowl history that never sold out, it is safe to say that the Super Bowl never looked back and is now the most-viewed single television event in the United States every year thanks to its intriguing advertisements, world-class halftime shows and of course the Football game itself.
The Super Bowl isn’t easy to play your way into, and it’s even harder to win. So, who has had the most success in the history of the big game? Here’s a list of the teams with the most Lombardi trophies:
The 49ers had a chance this past February to tie the Steelers and Patriots at six rings, but they fell short to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.
Although the majority of NFL franchises have had the honor of raising the Lombardi at least once in Super Bowl history, 12 teams have yet to win the big game. Despite many successful seasons, these unfortunate fan bases have yet to see their beloved team win the big game:
On February 11, 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers competed in the most recent and most viewed Super Bowl ever. The game raked in 123.7 million viewers and featured an electric halftime show headlined by Usher.
This hard-fought battle was only the second Super Bowl that required overtime to declare a champion. The 49ers struck first with a field goal from Jake Moody, but Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs marched down the field and ended the game with a Mecole Hardman touchdown catch from Patrick Mahomes. This now allows the Chiefs to become the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row, as they won both Super Bowls 57 and 58.
Brian has been a sports writer since 2022, but his love for sports has been lifelong. He is a fan of all sports and specializes in MLB, NFL, NBA and NCAA basketball. He’s especially passionate about the Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots and UNC Tar Heels.