Super Bowl Sunday

While the sagging economy is impacting Super Bowl Sunday to some extent
you can probably count on one trend continuing…more people will call out sick Monday than any other single day of the year. This Sunday is a national holiday, even though it’s not on the calendar and does not come with a day off. Super Bowl 43 will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals and while it’s a far cry from last year when the Giants played in the game, it is still a very big deal.

About 60% of Americans are expected to watch the game Sunday and of that group, 62% will do so at home and another 21% will attend a Super Bowl party. Last year’s game between the Giants and Patriots was the second biggest TV event in history behind only the series finale of “MASH” in 1983.

Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest pig-out day of the year behind only Thanksgiving. 8 million gallons of guacamole will be consumed and washed down with about 13 million gallons of beer. Sales of antacids will be up about 20% the day after the game.

More than 1.5 million large-screen TV’s were purchased last year in the week leading up to the game.

The average 30-second commercial on NBC has been sold for between $2.4-3 million dollars and the network is expected to take in over $200 million.

A survey taken last year of those watching the game revealed that only 32% picked the game itself as the biggest part of the day. 18% said the commercials are what draws them to the TV and it has to be the only event in which people go to the bathroom during the game and remain in their seats during the commercial breaks.

Nearly 20% of office workers will participate in a box pool at work which will leave many rooting for the numbers they have drawn and not the Steelers or Cardinals.

Super Bowl Sunday has become such an obsession that the NFL is looking to extend the season by two weeks so the game can be part of President’s Weekend…that would be crazy.

I want Arizona to win but in the end the Pittsburgh defense may be too tough so I’ll take the Steelers 20-17. You can let me know who you like this Sunday from 7-11am when I host Bob Levy’s “Topic A.”