Super facts about the Super Bowl
Sunday marks the nation’s unofficial national holiday, the Super Bowl, the 57th game. Of course, our six-time champion Steelers will not be a part of the festivities. Although the Terrible Towels will not be present most Pittsburghers will still be watching. If you wanted to buy a ticket on the secondary market, many are selling for more than $6,000. Premium seats are many times that price.
Tickets to the first Super Bowl averaged about $12. Wouldn’t you love that deal today? Even when adjusted for inflation, that would be about $100. Of course, if you were attending the game this week in Arizona, hotel costs sky rocket over normal rates. It is expensive, but it is the thrill of a lifetime.
Most of us will be watching on television. If you need to purchase a new, bigger television there are many deals available, despite our high inflation. No matter what TV you choose to watch it on, you will not be alone. The game is the highest-watched show of the entire year: More than 100 million people are expected to tune in. Nine of the 10 most watched programs of all time are Super Bowls.
Because of this large audience, commercials cost around $7 million for one minute. Advertisers create special ads to catch attention and make viewers remember their product. They get so creative; some people claim they watch just for the commercials.
Besides the game and commercials, there will be a halftime premier event featuring musical performer Rihanna. No expense is spared for props and back-up performers. More time is allotted for the Super Bowl halftime show than during a regular season game. Reportedly, the star performers do not get paid for their performance. They get so much exposure that their record sales explode, which is more valuable than their fee would be.
Super Bowl Sunday is the second largest day for food consumption, with Thanksgiving being the biggest. Fans spend more than $50 million on food during the four days prior to Super Bowl. It is estimated that 14,500 tons of chips will be eaten during the game. Sixty-nine million pounds of guacamole will be consumed on some of those chips. Fortunately, the guac will cost less than last year, as the price of avocados is down 20% from 2022.
Chicken wings are another staple that will cost less, with a savings of 22%. These savings are important with the overall cost of food 11% higher than last year.
To wash all of this food down, an estimated 51,713,004 cases of beer will be sold for the Super Bowl, making it the eighth largest day of the year for beer consumption. This year shoppers will discover that the cost of pop is much higher than last year. The economy benefits from all of this consumption. It suffers some the next day, though, when 1 in 10 people will call off sick Monday.
Stay safe and enjoy the day. We know next year would be much more exciting if the Black and Gold are participants. To help you have an even better day, email me at gary@BoatmanWealthManagement.com, and I will e-mail you back a 25-page guide of interesting facts, figures and statistics about the Super Bowl.
Your Financial Future is written by certified financial planner Gary W. Boatman, MBA and CFP, who also wrote the book, “Your Financial Compass: Safe Passage Through The Turbulent Waters of Taxes, Income Planning and Market Volatility.” If there is an area that you would like to see discussed in the column, send your suggestions to gary@BoatmanWealthManagement.com.