The AFL vied with the NFL for players and fans. In 1960, the NFL encountered its most serious competitor when the American Football League (AFL) was formed. The first Super Bowl at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseumįor four decades after its 1920 inception, the NFL successfully fended off several rival leagues. The Super Bowl is also the second-largest event for American food consumption, behind Thanksgiving dinner. Commercial airtime during the Super Bowl broadcast is the most expensive of the year because of the high viewership, leading to companies regularly developing their most expensive advertisements for the broadcast and commercial viewership becoming an integral part of the event. It is second only to the UEFA Champions League final as the most watched annual club sporting event worldwide, and the seven most-watched broadcasts in American television history are Super Bowls. The Super Bowl is among the world's most-watched single sporting events and frequently commands the largest audience among all American broadcasts during the year. Tom Brady has won more Super Bowls than any other individual player or team with seven (six with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Among the 12 teams who have not won a Super Bowl, the AFC's Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars, and the NFC's Detroit Lions are the only four to have not appeared in the game. The Baltimore Ravens of the AFC and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFC are the only franchises to be undefeated in multiple Super Bowls, having each won two. The Patriots and the Denver Broncos of the AFC hold the record for the most defeats in the Super Bowl, with five each. Among NFC franchises, the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have the most titles with five each and the Cowboys have the most appearances with eight. The AFC's Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots have the most Super Bowl titles at six each the Patriots also have the most appearances at 11. Of the NFL's current 32 teams, 20 (11 NFC, 9 AFC) have won a Super Bowl and 15 (8 AFC, 7 NFC) hold multiple titles. All games since 1971's Super Bowl V have been played between the winners of each conference's championship game, with the NFC leading the AFC 27–26. After the merger in 1970, the 10 AFL teams and three NFL teams formed the American Football Conference (AFC), while the remaining 13 NFL teams formed the National Football Conference (NFC). The first four Super Bowls from 1967 to 1970 were played before the merger, with the NFL and AFL each winning two. It was originally called the AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the 'Super Bowl' moniker was adopted in 1969's Super Bowl III.

The game was created as part of a 1966 merger agreement between the NFL and the competing American Football League (AFL) to have their best teams compete for a championship. The day the game is played is often referred to as ' Super Bowl Sunday' or simply 'Super Sunday'. Due to the NFL restricting use of its 'Super Bowl' trademark, it is frequently referred to as the 'big game' or other generic terms by non-sponsoring corporations. Winning teams are awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the coach of the Green Bay Packers who won the first two Super Bowls. Prior Super Bowls were played on Saturdays in early to mid-January from 1967 to 1978, late January from 1979 to 2003, except 2002, and the first Sunday of February from 2004 to 2021. Since 2022, the game is played on the second Sunday in February. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. The Super Bowl is the annual final play-off game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC.Each winning team's Super Bowl rings, as of the 2010 season, on display in lead up to Super Bowl XLV All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated.

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