The Super Bowl is an important sporting event because it pits the NFL's two best teams against one another. But the Super Bowl is also an important event from a money-making stand point. Economically speaking, the matchup for the Lombardi Trophy is one of the biggest events of the year.
So here are five things about Super Bowl XLIX that you might not have known.
1. Ticket costs are through the roof, even by Super Bowl standards
The average ticket price for Super Bowl Sunday is $4,676, roughly 23 percent more expensive than last year, according to TiqIQ.com. TiqIQ adds that the Patriots vs. Seahawks is shaping up to be the most expensive game of the last six years.
That makes sense, as the cheapest ticket available as of last week was still north of $2,000.
2. New advertisers galore
Some people only watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, and there's nothing wrong with that. You got your classic entertaining ads from Gatorade and Bud Light and what have you.
But this year, some 15 brands will mark their Super Bowl advertising debut, according to The Wall Street Journal. Website builder Wix.com, glue producer Loctite (I see what they did there), Carnival Corp. and phone case maker Mophie are all paying roughly $4.5 million for 30 seconds of airtime this weekend.
Gotta spend money to make money.
3. Comcast will join the victory party
I know the game is between New England and Seattle, but Comcast is going to come out on top regardless of how the matchup plays out. Comcast owns NBC, you know, the network broadcasting the game.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Super Bowl is expected to produce about $350 million in ad sales for the network. For comparison, the NFL salary cap for each team in 2014 was just $133 million.
Can you say, "Cha-Ching?"
4. Super Bowl Fallout
Some people in this world don't like football. That's OK. Some people in this world hate entertaining commercials. That's OK too. You don't have to watch the Super Bowl if you don't want to (although everyone at work and school will be talking about it on Monday). One benefit is that there are a lot of other options out there if you're not a football fan.
Because the Super Bowl is such an immense draw, other entertainment producers will be offering discounts all over the place. Time reports that Broadway shows are offering deals on tickets, while restaurants, ski slopes and spas are also offering special Super Bowl deals.
5. Arizona to lose money?
This year's Super Bowl will be held in Glendale, Ariz. Normally, hosting a Super Bowl causes an economic boom for a whole week. However, that doesn't seem to be the case this year.
"I totally believe we will lose money on this," Mayor Jerry Weiers told ESPN. The city's track record would support that statement. Glendale saw a net loss of more than $1 million when it last hosted the Super Bowl in 2008.
Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill didn't take to kindly to Weiers' projections, calling the city's losses "a bunch of malarkey." Bidwell claims Glendale received $13 million worth of "media exposure."
It will be interesting to see the final tallies once Super Bowl Sunday is over and done with.
