Although baseball is recognized as America's pastime （國粹）, football (橄欖球) is America's most popular sport. American football originated more than 150 years ago and it is now played at the professional, college, and high school levels.
There are 32 professional teams in the National Football League (NFL) and every team plays 16 games during the season. These football games are typically played on Sunday afternoons starting in September and ending in February.
After the top 12 teams compete in the playoffs (季後賽) during January, the final two teams go head-to-head in the final championship game (冠軍賽), the Super Bowl (超級盃).
More Americans watch the Super Bowl than any other TV show in the United States, and it is the second most popular television broadcast in the world. Typically, over 100 million people watch the Super Bowl!
Because so many people watch the Super Bowl, companies pay large amounts of money to buy advertisements (廣告) during the game. Many companies will pay three to four million U.S. dollars for a 30 second commercial.
Not only is the price of the commercials during the Super Bowl higher, but also the content （內容）of the commercials is different. Companies invest a lot of time and money producing their commercials because millions of people see them.
Many companies bring in celebrities, such as David Beckham and Elton John, to be spokesmen for their products. Companies often make the commercials humorous (幽默的) or use sex appeal (性感) to draw the attention of the viewer.
The commercials are so entertaining, in fact, that many people watch the Super Bowl simply to view the commercials. The day after the Super Bowl, people frequently talk about their favorite commercials, rather than the actual football game.
The Super Bowl also features live entertainment during the halftime show. The halftime performance is always a “must-see” event. In a matter of minutes, the football field is transformed into a stage for world-renowned singers. The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Madonna, and U2 have all performed at halftime.
Whether people watch the Super Bowl for the athletic competition, the commercials, or just the halftime show, it will continue to attract millions of viewers for years to come.