Posted by: John S Kiernan
While the Roman numerals may take some getting used to, Super Bowl LI (51) is largely characterized by familiarities, as Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots make their seventh run at the Lombardi Trophy since 2002 in the big game’s third trip to Space City. As usual, millions of people will tune in on television. And we’ll again consume more than a billion chicken wings while advertisers spend billions of dollars trying to curry our favor during uniquely popular commercial breaks. Lurking behind the standard hoopla, however, are an upstart and an unanswered question.
The Atlanta Falcons are set to make just their second Super Bowl appearance, finally equaling the number of times their hometown has hosted the event. But do they have what it takes to bring down the Patriots? Or will they end up looking like a bunch of modern-day Benedict Arnolds, betraying the hopes of their fans with a loss on the field?
Only time will tell which team winds up going to Disneyland, as they say. But we can certainly get you prepared for the action in the meantime. Below, you’ll find an awesome infographic with our favorite factoids and tidbits about Super Bowl LI, plus a Q&A with a panel of leading sports business experts. Enjoy the game!
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For additional insight into the business of the big game, and the NFL more generally, we posed the following questions to a panel of leading experts. You can check out their bios and responses below.
- Who's your pick to win?
- What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area?
- What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies?
- How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league?
Raymond Sauer Professor and Chair of the John E. Walker Department of Economics at Clemson University
Tim Groseclose Professor in the Department of Economics and Adam Smith Chair in the Mercatus Center at George Mason University
Brian Larson Director of Sport Management and Associate Professor of Marketing in the School of Business Administration at Widener University
Kevin W. Downer Director of Sport Management and Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sport Science at Bluefield College
Anthony G. Weaver Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Sport & Event Management at Elon University
Vassilis Dalakas Professor of Marketing in the College of Business Administration at California State University San Marcos
Brandon Brown Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport Management at University of Tampa
Peter A. Carfagna Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, and CEO of Magis, LLC
Who's your pick to win? Carolina will win, by a touchdown or more. What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? Zero economic impact. What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? Budweiser will do something silly, but also something fun with the Clydesdales. They have been buying ad time for decades and aren’t stupid, so for them, at least, I expect it’s a good investment. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? There will be a Super Bowl 60, but beyond a decade out nobody knows. Baseball is the only sport with a championship that looks similar to what is was 100 years ago. Player safety is the issue in professional football. The size and speed of the players in today’s game combine to destroy the bodies and minds of the participants. This is a critical issue and difficult to solve. Tim Groseclose Professor in the Department of Economics and Adam Smith Chair in the Mercatus Center at George Mason University 
How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? I predict at least a hundred. The television shows that are hurting most with ad revenue seem to be the ones that viewers are most likely to TiVo. No one I know TiVos the Super Bowl. Consequently, I predict ad revenue with the Super Bowl to increase over the next several years. If I were the producer of a sit-com or news show, I'd be jealous of the folks running the Super Bowl. Brian Larson Director of Sport Management and Associate Professor of Marketing in the School of Business Administration at Widener University 
Who's your pick to win? Carolina Panthers. What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? Economists estimate that the 70,000 attendees will spend between $2000 and $3000 dollars each. Moreover, the San Francisco Bay Area is expected to receive about 1 million extra visitors attributed to the Super Bowl festivities. Each of them needs a place to sleep and food to eat. It will be a large economic impact. However, the San Francisco area taxpayers have also invested approximately $5 million dollars that they need to recover (costs like additional security for instance). What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? Commercials are more expensive than ever. However, they are a necessary investment for large brands that sell consumer goods and services. Few events capture more eyeballs than the Super Bowl. Promoting your brand to a massive audience is more difficult than ever so the Super Bowl remains a valuable and rare opportunity to complete a marketing promotion’s strategy. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? The Super Bowl will remain as long as fans stay engaged. Businesses will support the Super Bowl as long as it delivers returns on investment. If fans attend and support NFL sponsors, firms will stand in line to support the NFL. The biggest issue for the NFL is to continue to grow the market base (Europe, Asia, women, etc.). Kevin W. Downer Director of Sport Management and Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sport Science at Bluefield College 
Who's your pick to win? Carolina Panthers. What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? My estimate would be at around 200 million dollars. What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? A trend to be expected this year would be consolidating brand loyalty. Super Bowl ad time could be an effective investment for companies; it depends on the goals of the ad campaign; it is always a matter of benefits, cost and value. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? There will be Super Bowls as long as fans buy tickets and merchandise, and watch games on TV. The biggest issues are faced by the NFL are the concussions, player safety, and grassroots development. Anthony G. Weaver Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Sport & Event Management at Elon University 
Who's your pick to win? Carolina. What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? It would not be a surprise if the economic impact has been overstated. Typically, the economic impact of hosting mega-events is not as great as many people believe. Although the public has become more aware of what is happening with their tax dollars and understand that the return on investment of major projects such as hosting the Super Bowl is limited, there still can be great value. For instance, putting San Jose on a very short list of cities that hosted the Super Bowl can have a dramatic impact on the increase in community visibility. The key is turning this visibility into sustainable opportunities that invites new money into the area. If you cannot turn the increased attention into new money, then the impact will be short-lived. What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? Companies will continue the trend of getting viewers interactive. An interactive media approach will allow companies to stay with a viewer for much longer than the 30 second ad spot will allow. Extended time on social media will give companies more time for consumers to focus on the product. Yes, I think Super Bowl ad time is an effective investment for companies, but you have to have a quality product behind it... advertising is such a small part of the overall marketing plan. If the marketing plan is strong, then yes, the Super Bowl will get your product in front of a captive audience. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? I do not see an end in sight. The biggest issue facing the league is injury to the players. If the quality of the game is diminished because athletes are choosing not to play football, than eventually fans will turn away... but, I don't see that happening any time soon. I think the league will continue to do everything they can to improve player safety while maintaining an entertaining product. However, it is not out of the realm of possibilities - look what has happened to boxing. Sports can lose their place quickly... it can be replaced with something more entertaining. I just don't see the NFL sitting back and letting that happen. Vassilis Dalakas Professor of Marketing in the College of Business Administration at California State University San Marcos 
Who's your pick to win? Well, the team wearing white jerseys won 10 of the last 11 Super Bowls. So, in that respect, the Broncos seem to have the advantage as they will be the team in white jerseys. Joking aside, having a match-up between the teams with the best regular season record in their conferences suggests it should be a competitive game. Denver has had its struggles but it’s managed to get through them, whereas Carolina has been quite dominant both in the regular season (almost undefeated) and the play-offs. I expect Carolina’s run will continue and they will win, elevating Cam Newton to an endorsement super star. What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? Super Bowl commercials traditionally rely on humor. Viewers look forward to them mostly because they expect them to be funny. I expect this trend to continue. I think brands have to be careful when trying to convey serious messages in this viewing context. The Nationwide commercial with the dying child from last year reminds us this fact very well. Of course, the challenge is to be humorous in a way that helps convey a message that builds the brand. In the past, we have had more misses than hits with humorous ads that either were just not that funny or their humor was not brand-related. I won’t be surprised to see a few like these again this year. I also expect this year the advertisers to actively integrate social media within their marketing around the Super Bowl spots. Many people are active on social media while watching television. Thus, it makes great sense to engage the TV audience through social media and get much more mileage from the commercial. Given this is Super Bowl 50, a special celebration, I think this may be a good opportunity for brands to highlight their own history, tradition, accomplishments, or prestige. I don’t know if any advertiser will end up using that approach, but, of all years, this would be the one that is a nice fit to do so. As far as ad time in the Super Bowl being an effective investment, it depends a lot on what a brand is trying to accomplish and whether that can be accomplished through other means for less money. Some brands (especially newer ones) see the Super Bowl as the Holy Grail and consider advertising there as the sign they have arrived. The Super Bowl in 2000 is a good reminder of that philosophy and how costly it can be: 19 online startups bought expensive Super Bowl spots expecting them to be the key to their success. Several of these companies did not last more than a year or two. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? I honestly can’t imagine there is an end. The NFL has faced serious issues and strong criticism but appears to be scandal-proof and remains strong as ever. This season began with the Deflate Gate fiasco and then we have had controversy regarding concussions. Last season started with a public outcry about how the NFL handled domestic violence. These kinds of crises would likely destroy most brands. However, the NFL is so strongly ingrained in our culture and an integral part of many people’s identity that it seems to be invincible. Whatever the issues (past, present, or future), they are able to get past them and not only survive but actually thrive. Brandon Brown Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport Management at University of Tampa 
Who's your pick to win? While it may be closer than many think, I think the Panthers will take this one (…again, in a close one!). What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? I’m a believer in positive economic impact. While it may be tough to give an exact figure, I will say that I believe in long term impact. That is, I believe aspects such as psychic income and civic pride play a larger role than many believe. As of yet, it’s been difficult, if not impossible, to track aspects like psychic impressions, and word of mouth – both of which can eventually sway future visits (that may even take place years later). What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? I think as social media grows, companies will realize that the ROI from Super Bowl social media campaigns will vastly outweigh the ROI from Super Bowl television commercials. I believe this will eventually influence the market, and the demand for such commercials at such a high price will go down. To be honest, I see this happening sooner rather than later. In turn, I think we’ll see (in the near future) less commercials from smaller companies, and lower priced commercials for large companies. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? As of now, the Super Bowl is directly embedded in American culture. That is, even if you don’t consider yourself a football fan, you’ll likely consume (i.e., watch and/or follow) the Super Bowl due to it being part of America’s everyday lifestyle. With all of this being said, I don’t see an end in the near future. I believe there are two main issues facing the league. As with many other leagues, there is the issue of in-stadium attendance. Households aren’t just purchasing more televisions and larger televisions, but studies have shown that the rise of social media is influencing consumers to watch sporting events with multiple screens (e.g., simultaneously using TV and Twitter via tablet/phone). All of this enhances the in-home experience and lessens the demand for in-stadium attendance. The other issue if that of concussions. I can’t say much other than what has already been said. Studies are showing that parents (who themselves have played and are fans of football) are either swaying or not allowing their children to play football. While there will always be some type of demand for the sport of football, this issue may cause a drop off in the sport’s popularity here in America. Peter A. Carfagna Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, and CEO of Magis, LLC 
Who's your pick to win? Panthers by 6 or more -- Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly will be too much for the Broncos to handle. What kind of economic impact do you expect hosting the Super Bowl to have on San Francisco Bay Area? Many millions of incoming dollars -- but with dislocation of local events and venues, including the youth soccer fields that were closed to accommodate the Super Bowl Events and parking. There are always "unintended consequences" like that whenever a city hosts a major sporting event like a Super Bowl or the Olympics. What trends do you expect from the commercials this year? Quicker/faster -- more immediate "direct hits" aimed at the heart of the ad sponsors' relevant demographics --"the simpler the better" with at least one memorable/distinctive leave-behind impression that will (hopefully) subliminally lead to product purchases. Is Super Bowl ad time an effective investment for companies? Yes -- if it is used effectively, and targeted at just the right audiences/demographics. "Proof of performance" reports after the game will inform ad sponsors if they "hit or missed the mark," which will guide their judgment for next year -- "to advertise, or not to advertise"-- that will be the abiding question each year, given the escalating prices for the ads. But advertisers wouldn't keep buying all available Inventory if they didn't think it was a good Investment. How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? 100 or more. There is no end in sight -- "the best is yet to come" as the NFL expands internationally -- it might become the Intergalactic Super Bowl, if we give it enough time! How many Super Bowls do you ultimately expect there to be? What are the biggest issues facing the future of the league? The concussion crisis -- we may be seeing "flag or touch football" in the future, as we recently saw at the NFL Pro Bowl -- very limited tackling, and only "from the side" -- as in rugby. No more "direct hits" to the head -- that will likely become the new rule at all levels of the game.from Wallet HubWallet Hub
via Finance Xpress
Robert Boland Executive-in-Residence in the Department of Sports Administration at the Ohio University College of Business
Patrick Walsh Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University
Yuhei Inoue Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the School of Kinesiology at University of Minnesota
Tim DeSchriver Associate Professor of Sport Management in the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics at University of Delaware
Elizabeth B. Delia Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst
William P. Putsis Professor of Marketing in the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Matt Katz Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst
William A. Sutton Director of the Sport & Entertainment Business Program in the Muma College of Business at University of South Florida
David Berri Professor of Economics at Southern Utah University
Michael R. Lysko Professor of Practice and Director of the Sport Management Program at Southern Methodist University