The countdown to Super Bowl LVI — the National Football League's championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals— has begun. On February 13, 2022, an estimated 100 million Americans will tune in to watch the two teams battle it out for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The championship game — the fifth one for the Rams and the third one for the Bengals — certainly promises to be exciting. But Super Bowl Sunday is about more than just football.
Some look forward to the big game for the halftime show, which, this year, will feature Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. Others enjoy the hilarious and innovative commercials that companies go all out to create for the big day.
But for most Americans, the championship game is an excuse to get together with family and friends and indulge in foods they would normally refrain from or eat in limited quantities. Hence. it should come as no surprise that Super Bowl Sunday is one of the country's biggest food consumption days — second only to Thanksgiving. The National Retail Federation estimates that in 2022, Americans will spend an astounding $11 billion on food and beverages.
SNAC International estimates that Americans will munch their way through 112 million pounds of snacks before the game begins. Partygoers will then turn to heartier fare like pizza. The American Pizza Community expects Americans to order more than 12.5 million pizzas during the big game. Chicken wings are also extremely popular. The National Chicken Council estimates Americans to chow down on 1.42 billion wings — enough to circle the Earth's circumference three times — on February 13. Other favorites include ribs, bacon, hamburgers, foot-long subs, and hot dogs. The food will be washed down with millions of gallons of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
The excessive eating does have consequences. 7-Eleven reports a 20 percent surge in antacid sales on the Monday following Super Bowl Sunday. Even worse, as many as 17 million people do not report to work on "Super Sick Monday," resulting in about a $4 billion loss in productivity.
Pleas to make the Monday after the big game a holiday have fallen on deaf ears. Now, Frank Ruggeri has come up with a new idea. The 18-year-old high school student wants to move Super Bowl 57 to a Saturday. The teenager's petition on Change.org has already garnered support from 123,000 football fans and the numbers are rapidly growing. Whether the NFL agrees to make the change remains to be seen. Meanwhile, enjoy the game and remember, Monday is a school day — unless of course you live in the Greater Cincinnati area, where many school districts have declared it a holiday!
Happy Super Bowl Sunday!
Go Rams! Go Bengals!
Resources: NRF.com, nationalchickencouncil.org, snacintl.org, wikipedia.org. fortune.com
