Super Bowl Time

The big game is Sunday. Here are a few facts and figures about the Super Bowl in New Orleans:
It will be February 3, 2013, kick-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. It will feature the AFC Champion Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, winners of the NFC. It will be held in the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans. This is the 10th Super Bowl to be played in New Orleans and the seventh at the Superdome.
 The Vince Lombardi Trophy, is made by high-end jeweler Tiffany & Co and stands almost 21 inches tall and weighs 107 ounces (3 kilograms). It is worth more than $25,000.The winning team gets $88,000 per player, losing team gets $44,000 per player.

The Pittsburgh Steelers hold the record for the most Super Bowl titles, with six. The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys are tied for second with five each. SO if the 9ers win, it will shut the Steelers fans up at least about that one thing.

Spending in the United States on Super Bowl-related merchandise, apparel and snacks is expected to reach $12.3 billion, or an average of $68.54 per consumer.
Super Bowl XLVII is forecast to have a $434 million economic impact in the New Orleans region, according to a study commissioned by the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee.

 The championship game will be broadcast live in more than 180 countries and in more than 30 different languages.
The official broadcaster CBS is charging advertisers an estimated $3.7 million to $3.8 million for 30-second spots in this year's Super Bowl.
Last year's Super Bowl game in which the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots was the most-watched single television program ever in the U.S, averaging an estimated 111.3 million viewers.

Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest day for consumption of food and drink for Americans, behind Thanksgiving Day. Dips and spreads are the top choice of food to eat during the Super Bowl, followed by chicken wings and pizza. Super Bowl SUnday is the largest beer consumption day in the US. Americans will consume an estimated 50 million cases of beer on the day.

Some of the world's best-known entertainers have performed at the Super Bowl, including Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2 and Paul McCartney.I was lucky enough to be at Super Bowl 38, which featured Diddy, Kid Rock and of course Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.This year's pre-game national anthem will be sung by Alicia Keys while Beyonce will headline the halftime show.

Tickets for the inaugural Super Bowl were sold for $6 but the price increases have outpaced inflation and the face value for tickets this year range between $850 and $1,250. On the secondary market, ticket prices soar, usually changing hands for an average of between three and four times the original value. My ticket to Super Bowl 38, between the Panthers and a team I hate, had a face value of $500. I paid $1500 for it.