History of the Super Bowl!

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Morgan Henry, Sports Writer

It is hard to believe that the year 1967 was the very first Super Bowl.  Without a doubt, the Super Bowl has changed drastically in past fifty two years. One major change in the Superbowl is the cost of admission. The price of the first Super Bowl ticket was $12. Now the average price can baloon to well over $8,000 for a single event. The Super Bowl originally got its name from a simple children’s toy. Coined by Lamar Hunt, the Kansas City Chiefs owner, in 1966, the Super Bowl was named after the Super Ball, a bouncy ball which was one of the most popular toys in the America in the mid 1960s. In 1960, a group of businessmen who wanted to own football franchises were denied by the ownership of the National Football League.. They decided to launch an alternative league known as the American Football League (AFL). For several years the NFL and AFL were rivals competing for fans, players and support. Then, in 1966, owners negotiated an agreement to merge the leagues by 1970. Super Bowl I took place on January 15, 1967, which included NFL’s Green Bay Packers against the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. The game was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Even though tickets were $12, at the time it was the only Super Bowl that didn’t sell out. The game took place on two different networks and drew in live crowd of more than 61,000 fans. The Packers outperformed the Chiefs winning 35-10.

The next year, the Packers decisively won Super Bowl II, Defeating the Oakland Raiders 33-14. Many began to question whether the AFL teams could hold their own in the NFL. Next year, the AFL’s New York Jets, led by quarterback Joe Namath defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Super Bowl IV was the last game played between the two leagues, and the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7. During the 1970s three NFL teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys dominated the NFL and won eight Super Bowls combined in 10 years. Franchises from the NFC won 16 of the 20 Super Bowls played in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Teams like the 49ers, the Chicago Bears, the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants stood out during these years. The Cowboys came back in the 1990’s, and the Buffalo Bills became a powerhouse franchise, although they never won a Super Bowl-( infamously losing four title games in a row from 1991 through 1994). The AFC bounced back in the years since the Bills run of losses. Between 1995 and 2016 five teams, the Broncos, Patriots, Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Indianapolis Colts were represented in 20 of the 22 AFC Super Bowl appearances. Since 2001, the Patriots have established themselves as dynasty, with Tom Brady leading them to nine Super Bowl appearances and five wins. The 2010s have been, thus far, more evenly matched, with the NFC winning five Super Bowls, and the AFC winning four. Super Bowl XLIV was an football game between the National Football Conference champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Packers defeated the Steelers by the score of 31-25. The game was played on February 6,2011 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Dallas Fort Worth area.

In 2012 the Giants beat Patriots 21-17 in a heart stopping repeat of 2008 title game. In 2013 The Ravens defeated the 49ers by the score of 34-31, handing the 49ers their first Super Bowl loss in franchise history. Super Bowl 2014 final score for Seahawks vs. Broncos, Seattle defense dominates in 43-8 win. 2015 the New England Patriots defeated Seattle 28-24. 2016, Superbowl 50 the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers, 24-10. 2017, Super Bowl LI The New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28. 2018, The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33. 2019, Super Bowl LIII involved the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. New England defeated Los Angeles with the low score of 13-3. Finally the Super Bowl has changed drastically over the years. The Super Bowl went from not selling out to selling out easily every year. Without a doubt, Lamar Hunt has accomplished one of the greatest sports events ever.