It is one of the most watched events of the year, a cultural phenomenon in which millions of people dress up, eat, drink and party at home and in bars, restaurants and other venues, in the United States and around the world.
Watched by more than 100 million people in 180 countries, the Super Bowl has become more than just an annual sporting event pitting the two most successful teams in America’s National Football League (NFL) against each other.
The “Big Dance” is an economic powerhouse, generating activity in the host city and around the United States, which has been estimated at as much as US$1 billion (A$1.62 billion).
Tickets for the 70,000 spectators who will pack Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday 9 February for Super Bowl LIX (59) to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the Philadelphia Eagles cost an average of $5,000 while television advertisements during the four-hour telecast cost $7 million for 30 seconds.
The cheapest tickets on Sunday have fallen below $4,000 on the secondary market, according to reseller TickPick.
A record $1.39 billion will be legally wagered on the game, up 11.2% on last year's Super Bowl forecast, according to a Reuters report.
The economic impact on the city, surrounding areas and Louisiana is expected to be about $500 million. This is according to New Orleans & Company, the destination marketing and sales organisation for the city’s tourism industry.
This was up from an estimated $480 million in 2013 when the Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 when Super Bowl XLVII (47) was held in the city known as the Big Easy for its relaxed lifestyle.
“Economically, the Super Bowl injects millions of dollars into the local economy, benefiting businesses, hotels, restaurants, and more,” New Orleans & Company spokesperson Kelly Schulz tells Azzet.
“Visitors spend travelling to the city, hotel rooms while they’re here, dining out at our world-class restaurants, shopping in our local businesses, transportation around the city, entertainment while in town, etc.
"This generates millions of dollars of revenue in local and state sales tax as well as direct spending by Louisiana-owned businesses, restaurants and shops.”
Economic impact: $1 billion
But the benefits are broader with Super Bowl LVIII (58) estimated to have generated almost 6,000 jobs and an economic impact of $1 billion in Las Vegas last year, according to research by Applied Analysis for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
In addition to selling out 62,000 seats at Allegiant Stadium and hosting more than 6,000 media members, more than 260,000 people visited Las Vegas at the same time without attending the game.
Visitors to Las Vegas collectively generated almost 289,000 room nights, while hundreds of events were hosted by the NFL, NFL partners, sponsors, broadcast partners and third-party event promoters.
A one-day record of 104,000 passengers were screened by security as they passed through Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on the Monday after the game.
Super Bowl visitors to Las Vegas spent an average of $3,350, 2.7 times the typical traveller during the previous year and, when combined with visitors who did not attend the game, the average outlay of $2,500 was twice the average visitor.
Net spending reflects the incremental value of visitors to the Super Bowl, excluding typical visitation when the game is hosted outside Southern Nevada.
Visitors spent more than $877 million overall, according to research.
Spending by vendors (indirect) and employees (induced) supported almost $400 million in extra economic activity and, when combined with direct spending, the total economic impact sourced from visitors totalled $1 billion.
“Stated otherwise, for every dollar spent [on] the local economy, roughly $1.65 of economic activity was generated,” Applied Analysis said.
Dancing Down Under
But the economic impact is felt around the world, including Australia, which will get its own taste of American football with the NFL's decision to hold regular season games in Melbourne.
On the eve of the Super Bowl, the NFL announced its first-ever regular season game in Australia would be played at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in 2026, with the Los Angeles Rams as the designated team.
The NFL estimates there are about 6.6 million fans of the game in Australia, where Super Bowl parties are held at hundreds of venues like the Great Northern Hotel at Carlton North in Melbourne.
Owner Alistair Carragher is expecting a full house of more than 400 to watch the defending champions, the Chiefs, play the Eagles on Monday morning (AEDT), in a repeat of Super Bowl LVII in 2023.
The pub started hosting Super Bowl parties in 2010 after an American couple banged on the door asking if he could show the game at a time when American football was less popular Down Under.
“It’s my favourite day of the year because of the crowd we get. Everyone is here for the long haul,” Carragher, whose pub will be offering American-themed beer and food, tells Azzet.
“You have people who don’t know anything about the game with others who are happy to pass on their knowledge.”
In New Orleans, Kelly Schultz and her colleagues have been working closely with hotels, restaurants, businesses and tourist attractions in Louisiana’s largest city to ensure they are ready for the Super Bowl.
“We are ready to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors and more than 6,000 members of the media to the city for Super Bowl LIX,” Schulz told Azzet.
