The 53rd edition of the NFL's national championship game will be played this Sunday, with the New England Patriots gunning for a record-equalling sixth title against the LA Rams.
The end of the American Football season is a cultural juggernaut, where even those who are not avid fans know of the sport's annual showcase, and of household names, such as Tom Brady.
Super Bowl LIII will be played at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, and will kick-off at around 11.30pm Irish time.
Before we get to some of the gargantuan numbers behind the jewel in the NFL's crown, here are some of the basics:
- The game is played in four quarters of 15 minutes each
- Each team has 53 players, divided among offensive, defensive and special teams players
- Each team must have 11 players on the field
- Each team is allowed three time-outs per half
- If the game ends in a draw, a 15-minute sudden-death overtime will be played
- Full details on the rules and laws can be found here
103 million – The number of people who watched the Super Bowl last year. While that was drop of around 7% on 2017, a similar figure is expected this time around.
114,442,000 – The average audience of Super Bowl 49 between the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks holds the record as the most watched of all-time. During its half-time show it hit 118 million, and got as high as 120.8 million in the fourth quarter.
$3,860 – How much? The average price to buy a ticket second hand a week out from the game. Would you pay it?
$118,000 – Players on the winning team will receive $118,000, an increase of around $6,000 on last year, while the losers will get $59,000.
285,000 – The number of counterfeit tickets that have been seized ahead of the game, according to US police.
Fake merchandise worth millions seized ahead of Super Bowl | https://t.co/HAZUXS92qo pic.twitter.com/oRFBgOBCAc
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 1, 2019
$24 million – In addition to tickets, under 'Operation Team Player' US police have seized more than $24 million worth of counterfeit gear. They have warned fans ahead of the game not to purchase counterfeit merchandise.
$5.2 million – The average cost to run a 30-second advert during the game. Many companies and movie studios hold off on unveiling new trailers or adverts until the Super Bowl, maximising viewership for their big reveal.
A 30-second TV ad slot in the Superbowl breaks can cost up to $5m pic.twitter.com/gPgAL4Jjiw
— RTÉ Business (@RTEbusiness) February 1, 2019
6 – Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady (below) will be gunning for his sixth Super Bowl win, an all-time record, in what is the Patriots' third Super Bowl in a row, and their ninth appearance since 2002.
7 – It is a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, in what was Tom Brady’s maiden Super Bowl victory. The man starting opposite him this Sunday, Jared Goff, was only seven years old at that time.
29 - Tom Brady has won 29 play-off games in his career, 13 more than his closest rival.
$2.1 million - The average salary for an NFL player is $2.1 million.
Rams defensive star Aaron Donald (below) will be the highest paid player on the field this Sunday, having signed a six-year, $135 million contract a week before the season kicked off. He received a $40 million signing bonus and $87 million guaranteed.
33 - Rams head coach Sean McVay will become the youngest ever coach to guide a team to the Super Bowl at the age of 33. His opposite number Bill Belichick, at 66, is the second oldest. The 33-year age gap between them is also a record.
115 – The number of cameras that are set to be used by CBS to broadcast the game around the world.
11 million – Based on previous estimates, Americans are expected to eat around 11 million slices of pizza while enjoying the game.
1.38 billion – The number of chicken wings set to be eaten across Super Bowl weekend, according to the US National Chicken Council.
$2 - The price of your standard hot dog or burger and drink at the Super Bowl is normally a source of amusement for those watching at home, and of anger for those in attendance.
Not this year, however. The Atlanta Falcons have kept their prices standard for the game, with hot dog only $2. It was $15 last year in Minnesota.
100 million – Based off previous years, more than 100 million are set to watch the Super Bowl half-time show, which will be headlined by Maroon 5, fronted by Adam Levine (below).
$1.2 billion – Americans are expected to consume around $1.2 billion worth of beer across the weekend.
3.2 billion – The value of the LA Rams. They are the fourth most valuable team in the league.
3.8 billion – The value of the New England Patriots. The team is second only to the Dallas Cowboys in value.
$6 billion – A lofty figure; this is the amount of money set to be gambled on the Super Bowl, according to the American Gambling Association.
71,000 - The capacity of the Mercedez-Benz Stadium, but it can expand to 75,000. The stadium opened in August 2017 and is used by the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL and Atlanta FC of the MLS.
It cost almost $2bn to construct and among its high-tech features is a massive Halo Board video screen above the middle of the pitch. It is the first display of its kind ever created and is 58 feet tall and 1,100 linear feet around.
