From its origins in 1920, the National Football League fended off several rival leagues that attempted to compete for players and fans. However, it wasn’t until the creation of the American Football League in 1960 that the NFL faced a true challenger. The AFL successfully lured established NFL players and top college prospects, driving salaries upward as the two leagues engaged in bidding wars for elite talent.
In 1966, the leagues agreed to merge, though they continued operating as separate entities until 1970 due to existing television contracts.
As part of the merger agreement, the NFL and AFL introduced an annual championship game between their respective league champions. The first matchup was played on January 15, 1967, between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The game was originally called the AFL–NFL World Championship. The term “Super Bowl” was suggested by Lamar Hunt, owner of the Chiefs, after he noticed his daughter playing with a popular 1960s toy called the Super Ball. While Pete Rozelle and others initially resisted the name, it quickly gained traction.
By the third championship game, featuring the New York Jets and the Baltimore Colts, the event was officially and permanently known as the Super Bowl. Roman numerals were introduced beginning with Super Bowl V, when the Dallas Cowboys faced the Colts, and that numbering tradition continues today through Super Bowl LX.
Best Super Bowl Sportsbook Odds
Ready to put some money down on the Super Bowl? Look below to reference the game odds. It’s an essential first step in the betting process for the biggest sporting event of the year.
What Is The Super Bowl Matchup
You’ll find all the information you need on the Super Bowl matchup right here. Through the first 59 Super Bowls, the AFC leads the NFC 31–28.
How To Make Money Betting On Super Bowl
The team with the most Super Bowl wins is the Pittsburgh Steelers with six, an NFL team that was relocated to the AFC as part of the 1970 merger along with the Baltimore (now Indianapolis) Colts and the original Cleveland Browns, today the Baltimore Ravens. They sit alongside the New England Patriots, who managed to rack up a number of titles during the Tom Brady era, who also have claimed six Superbowl titles.
The only team to represent both sides in the Super Bowl, the Colts were involved in what still is viewed as the most famous Super Bowl of all, when, as 18-point favorites, the NFL champion Colts fell 16-7 to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III, a victory famously guaranteed by Jets quarterback Joe Namath.
The NFL powerhouse Green Bay Packers whipped the Kansas City Chiefs (35-10) and Oakland Raiders (33-14) in the first two Super Bowl games, so the AFL desperately needed to display to the football public that it was a legitimate league and could compete with the more established NFL. Namath and the Jets made it so.
If you want to make money betting on the Super Bowl, don't always play the favorite. Underdogs often win the big game, occasionally at long odds. The win by the New York Jets as 18-point underdogs against the Baltimore Colts is the most famous Super Bowl upset, but there have been other notable achievements over the years.
Even perfection doesn't guarantee Super Bowl success. The New England Patriots rolled into Super Bowl XLII at 18-0 and as 12-point picks over the New York Giants, but the Giants scored late for a 17-14 win.
The Patriots were the ones with upset in mind in Super Bowl XXXVI, downing the St. Louis Rams on an Adam Vinatieri field goal for a 17-14 win despite being 14-point underdogs in what was the first Super Bowl win for the combination of New England coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.
Another indication that favorites will fall on the path to the Super Bowl - the Super Bowl 50 matchup between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers marked just the third time since 1993 that both No. 1 seeds advanced to meet in the big game.
The beautiful thing about the Super Bowl is that as North America's premiere sporting event, there is a bet for everybody. You don't need to know anything at all about football to make a Super Bowl prop bet, and you can wager on just about anything you can imagine on Super Bowl Sunday.
Some Super Bowl prop bets include over/under on the length of the National Anthem. Will the coin toss be heads or tails? What color will the Gatorade that's dumped over the head of the winning coach be? Who will make the first pass catch? Who will score the first touchdown? What type of scoring play will first occur in the game?
At Super Bowl 59, you could wager on whether Patrick Mahomes will make the Superbowl MVP once again or whether the Kansas City Chiefs will make it back-to-back-to-back Superbowls for the 1st time in the competition history.
Like we said, at the Super Bowl, there's a wager for everybody.
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