Super Bowl viewing will be astronomical

By David Mullen

Only the Apollo 11 Moon Landing coverage, on July 20, 1969, has registered higher TV ratings than the live broadcast of last year’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. In the buildup prior to the game, the matchup was compelling, but not particularly titillating enough to draw additional fans.

But it was the Super Bowl, America’s undeniable biggest entertainment event of the year. Americans watch the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl LVII  proved to be exciting to the end. The Eagles were the superior team in the first half of the game played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and led at halftime by 10 points. Philadelphia took a 27-21 lead into the fourth quarter, but the unmistakable magic of Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes surfaced when it mattered. The Chiefs completed a startling comeback by scoring 17 fourth quarter points for a 38-35 win.

Mahomes, the game’s MVP, completed 21 of 27 passes for 182 yards, rushed for 44 yards and threw for three touchdowns. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was a formidable foe and tied a Super Bowl record for points with three touchdowns and two-point conversion. But more people will remember that Chris Stapleton sang the National anthem and Rihanna performed at halftime than will recall the final outcome.

With the San Francisco 49ers and the Chiefs playing in Super Bowl LVIII on CBS Sunday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m., the broadcast is expected to register TV ratings that will surpass the Moon Landing numbers. Those old enough to remember the Moon Landing will recall how the one event united the country. In these divided times, no matter which side you are on, watching the Super Bowl is the one thing that Americans can agree on. 

The 2023 Super Bowl was viewed by more than 115 million people, more than one-third of the U.S. population. The broadcast of the 2023 Academy Awards was viewed by nearly 19 million people. The green grass of the gridiron beat Hollywood’s red carpet six to one. 

Anthony Crupi, a writer for sports business website Sportico, wrote on X on January 30 that, “Regular-season NFL ratings were up four percent versus the 2021 season. Over the same two-year period, overall U.S. TV usage was down 18 percent. At the risk of trafficking in hyperbole, the NFL is the only thing keeping the lights on at the Big Four broadcast networks.” 

On January 28, the AFC Championship game between the Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens delivered a whopping 55 million viewers for CBS. The NFC Championship game between the 49ers and Detroit Lions generated 57 million viewers for Fox. And the NFL’s crowning glory is the Super Bowl, which will more than double the championship game’s audience. 

Some people watch the Super Bowl for the halftime entertainment, this year ushered in by pop star Usher. Some watch the commercials. Corporate America spends wildly on advertising, with the average price of a 30-second in-game ad costing $7 million, and that doesn’t include the production and talent costs. The advertising space sold out in early November 2023. 

Many people watch to see if their numbers come in. The American Gaming Association estimated that a record 50.4 million people in the U.S. bet on last year’s game. The number of people expected to wager on the 49ers versus Chiefs is expected to be much higher. In a release from Legal Sports Report, $1.3 billion in bets are projected for Super Bowl LVIII.  

CBS is banking that the presence of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s girlfriend Taylor Swift will boost the TV ratings to record-setting heights, bolstered by the legion of Swift fans called “Swifties.” Swift has a show in Tokyo on Saturday, Feb. 10, which is 17 hours away from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, home to Super Bowl LVIII. Swift has promised to make it to the game in time to see her boyfriend play. 

The latest nonsensical conspiracy theory is that Swift is a government operative being used to get out the vote for Democrats, and the game will be fixed in the Chiefs favor because Kelce appears in a COVID-19 vaccine commercial for Pfizer. That’s how crazy people go over the Super Bowl.   

Swift promised to arrive in Las Vegas via a private jet. If Swift arrives on Air Force One, then the conspiracy theorists can have their day. If the Super Bowl were to be rigged, it would be the biggest scandal in professional sports history. The Black Sox Scandal, where eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series, would amount to a jaywalking allegation compared to fixing the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl is a synchronicity of football and entertainment. People hold parties. Bars and restaurants ramp up for festive gatherings. It’s not about the game but the glitz.

This is a matchup that we have seen before. The 49ers and Chiefs played in Super Bowl LIV. Few people really care. Millions of Americans will be watching, including fans with a newfound loyalty to Kansas City’s tight end.

Virtually every Swiftie — and their parents — were not born when the Moon Landing took place. But on Sunday, Feb. 11, CBS can expect viewership to go to the moon.