Super Bowl Quiz

Question: In 2006 the NFL tried to trademark what phrase commonly used as a euphemism for the Super Bowl?

Answer: Sponsors pay hefty licensing fees for the right to carry the “Super Bowl” name. Some businesses sidestep this by using the term “The Big Game.” In 2006 the NFL looked into trademarking that phrase as well but ran afoul of Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley, who have called their rivalry football match “The Big Game” since 1900.

Question: True or false: No Super Bowl has ever gone into overtime.

Answer: As of 2022, the Super Bowl has gone into overtime once. With just over two minutes left in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI, the New England Patriots trailed the Atlanta Falcons 28–3. By the end of regulation time, the Patriots had tied the game. They had first possession in overtime and scored a touchdown, winning the game 34–28.

Question: At a watershed moment in Super Bowl advertising, in 1984, which company ran a 60-second ad inspired by George Orwell’s 1984?

Answer: Hoping to set itself apart from competitors such as IBM, Apple hired Ridley Scott (of Alien and Blade Runner fame) to direct a 60-second-long mini-film, during which a woman hurls a sledgehammer through a massive Big Brother-esque monitor. The ad was a sensation and was replayed by the media many times, garnering an estimated $150 million in free advertising.

Question: Former Dallas Cowboy Chuck Howley accomplished what rare Super Bowl achievement?

Answer: Super Bowl V was an error-filled game that saw the Baltimore Colts edge out the Dallas Cowboys 16–13. Chuck Howley nabbed two interceptions for the Cowboys. He became the first non-quarterback named Most Valuable Player—and, as of 2022, the only one picked from the losing team.

Question: Who is the only player to have scored three touchdowns in each of two different Super Bowls?

Answer: Jerry Rice, owner of nearly every major career NFL receiving record, caught three touchdown passes in both Super Bowls XXIV and XXIX.

Question: In January 2022, Mexico’s exportation of what fruit to the U.S. jumped nearly ten-fold in anticipation of Super Bowl parties?

Answer: The Super Bowl is the period of the highest consumption of avocados (i.e., guacamole) in the United States. Avocados grown in the United States typically don’t ripen in time for the February game, so they must be imported. Mexico exported 3,936 tons of avocados during the first week of December 2021, and during the last week of January that number swelled to 37,000 tons.

Question: True or false: As of 2022, there has never been a shutout victory during the Super Bowl.

Answer: Through Super Bowl LVI, no team has ever failed to score points during the championship game. Twice have teams managed to put up only a single field goal: in 1972 Dallas routed Miami 24–3, and in 2019 New England beat Los Angeles 13–3.

Question: As of 2023, which state has hosted the Super Bowl a record 17 times?

Answer: Three Florida cities combined have hosted the Super Bowl 17 times, accounting for about one-third of all Super Bowls. Miami has hosted the Super Bowl 11 times, the most of any individual city. Tampa has hosted 5 times and Jacksonville once.

Question: Players from which NFL team recorded the song “The Super Bowl Shuffle”?

Answer: The Bears were so dominant (and cocky) that members of the team recorded the novelty song “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” in which players brag about their championship run, even before the end of the regular season. The song earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal but lost to Prince & the Revolution.

Question: With seven victories across two teams, what player has the most Super Bowl rings?

Answer: Tom Brady has won six rings with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Question: The trophy awarded to the team that wins the Super Bowl is named in honor of what coach?

Answer: Vince Lombardi led the Green Bay Packers to win the first two Super Bowls, taking home what was then called the World Professional Football Championship Trophy. In 1970 Lombardi suddenly passed away from cancer, and at Super Bowl V (1971) the award was rebranded the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Question: Although his team was projected to lose by 17 points, which athlete famously guaranteed victory in Super Bowl III?

Answer: During an age before athletes’ “guarantees” were commonplace, Joe Namath’s bold claim that his team, the New York Jets, would beat the heavily favored Baltimore Colts made front page news. Although Namath did not throw any touchdown passes, the Jets won 16–7.

Question: What singer’s Super Bowl national anthem performance was a top 10 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart?

Answer: Whitney Houston’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 1991 Super Bowl was so popular that it was released as a commercial single, initially reaching number 20 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the single was reissued and reached the number 6 spot.

Question: Which of these performers was involved in the infamous 2004 Super Bowl halftime “wardrobe malfunction”?

Answer: During the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, Justin Timberlake ripped off part of Janet Jackson’s outfit, causing CBS to inadvertently broadcast partial nudity. The Federal Communications Commission levied a record-setting $550,000 fine against the network, which was later overturned.

Question: Which team holds the record for the most consecutive Super Bowl appearances?

Answer: The Buffalo Bills appeared in four straight Super Bowls, starting with Super Bowl XXV in 1991, losing on each occasion.

Question: By winning in 2018, the New England Patriots tied what team for most Super Bowl victories?

Answer: As of 2023, the Steelers and the Patriots each have six Super Bowl victories, while the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys have five.