By Michael Balderston
We know the New England Patriots are playing the Seattle Seahawks. We know it’s Mr. Clutch, Tom Brady, versus the dominating defense of the Seahawks led by Richard Sherman. We know more than we ever wanted to know about deflated footballs. But there’s more than simple Xs and Os in regards to Super Bowl XLIX, and we’re here to help with that. Here is everything else you need to know about Sunday’s big game.
Fun Facts
– Smart money says the Patriots are going to be crowned champions on Sunday. Why? It isn’t because of Brady, Bill Belichick or some last-minute injury. The answer actually lies in the uniform. The Patriots will be wearing their white uniforms on Sunday. Since 2005, nine out of ten teams that wore the white uniforms during the Super Bowl won the game, including Seattle last year. The only team that didn’t was the Green Bay Packers in 2011.
– Tom Brady will break records on Sunday as soon as he takes his first snap under center. Brady will break the record for most starts by a single player in Super Bowl history with 6. He will also tie with Mike Lodish for most Super Bowl appearances by a player.
– Just in case you were worried about the Patriots trying to repeat Deflategate, the NFL has dispelled that fear. Seventy-two balls will be used during the game, and all of them will be handled by the equipment manager from the Chicago Bears and a team of independent ball boys rather than ones from either New England or Seattle.
– Have dreams of going to the Super Bowl? Start saving: This year’s average ticket price is $4,066.98, a 21.5 percent increase from last year’s price of $3,348.21.
– It will be déjà vu for the Patriots as they will play their second Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. They will be hoping for a different result, however, because the Patriots lost Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants and David Tyree’s miraculous helmet catch.
Commercials
For some, even more important than the game are the commercials. Staples like the Budweiser Clydesdales, Bud Light and car brands are prepping their Super Bowl spots, and you can get a sneak peek at some of them here.
Viewers also had a hand in deciding what commercials you will see during the Super Bowl by participating in Doritos Crash the Super Bowl competition. Ten commercials from amateur filmmakers have been selected by Doritos, but only the two picked by a fan vote will air during the big game. Voting is now closed.
How will this year’s crop of commercials stack up to classics like these?
In-Game Activities
If you happen to be one of those people who watches the Super Bowl for the commercials, the game can be a little boring. So here are some ways to make what’s going on on the field more interesting for you at home.
First is the Football Grid Pool. There’s nothing like making some money off sporting events, but if traditional gambling isn’t your thing, then the grid pool is a perfect solution. Have all your friends put in money, and someone can go home a winner—no matter the game’s outcome.
If you’re over 21, then drinking is almost an essential for any Super Bowl party, and with that comes the possibilities of drinking games. You can invent your own, or you can use others like Drinking Game Zone’s official Super Bowl XLIX drinking game. Or if you want to be really different, you can create a drinking game off of the commercials thanks to Jakob Marketing Partners.
Other Options on TV
Looking to avoid the Super Bowl all together? There will be plenty of available alternatives.
– Watch cute and cuddly animals with Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl XI,” Nat Geo Wild’s “Fish Bowl II,” this year featuring a clown fish as well as a gold fish, and Hallmark’s “Kitten Bowl,“ with watch parties in 20 cities.
– If animals aren’t your thing, how about some babies? Discovery Communications will unveil “Toddler Bowl,” featuring tots from ages of 1-3, on TLC, Discovery Life Channel and Discovery Family Channel.
– AMC’s “The Walking Dead” will run a marathon starting Sunday at 10 a.m.
– BBC America is airing a “Star Trek: Next Generation” marathon
– Bravo will air a “Real Housewives of Atlanta” marathon
Top Stories that weren’t Deflategate
In the two weeks since the AFC championship game, we’ve learned more about the proper inflation of footballs than we ever thought we could thanks to the Deflategate scandal involving the Patriots. But other stuff has been going on outside of all the rumblings about who deflated those footballs and how. Here are some of the best stories you need to know.
– Seattle tries to trademark ‘12’
– Patriots’ Julian Edelman does ‘Growing Pains’ parody
– Marshawn Lynch offers statement about his refusal to talk to the media
– Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski becomes the subject of a fan-fiction novel
– GoDaddy pulls its Super Bowl ad amid controversy
Now you’re ready for the big game, so sit back, relax and enjoy Super Bowl Sunday.
