Dollars & Sense - Super Bowl 2013 Primer

There has been a petition going around.  This petition is a sports fan's dream... to make the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday. (You can find the petition here).  It really is an interesting proposal which got me thinking, what if?

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Everybody has their Super Sunday staples. Wings, pizza, beer, what have you. Would making the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday cause an uptick in spending on these foods?  As I add in my two cents, I want you to share yours in the comments section.  What is your favorite Super Bowl foods and drinks?  Do you think that having the Monday after the Super Bowl off would increase beer sales?

Wings

We all know that Americans love to eat, and what a better time to chow down than on the extra special occasion of Super Bowl Sunday.  It's the perfect excuse to bring together friends and family.  Whether people eat at large parties, in small groups, or on their own does not matter.  What matters is that the food will be free flowing and in huge demand.

This is exactly why 1.23 billion wings will be sold and eaten on Super Sunday.  Really, it is simple math.  Wings and sports just harmonize together (just as wings and beer, just as beer and sports, and just as wings and beer and sports).  Assuming that the reported wing shortage can be overcome, we know that the chicken wings will be plentiful.

In a surprising turn, 57% of Americans prefer to eat their wings with ranch dressing and only 35% prefer bleu cheese dressing (I would assume the remaining 8% prefers naked).  I thought this was surprising considering my personal bias leans 100% bleu cheese.  Honestly, if there was only ranch dressing, then I would probably prefer to eat wings naked.  

Pizza

Last year the chains of Dominoes, Pizza Hut, and Papa John's reported that they delivered a total of 44 million pizzas on the Sunday of the big game.  This year will likely see around the same numbers in pizza delivery.  (I will say that I'm disappointed that people went for the chains that provide "pizza" and not a local pizza shop, but who am I anyway).

Pizza is the logical choice when have a group of people together.  Easy to switch up.  Everybody likes some sort of pizza.  But beware of the pizza chain pizza.  Check out this horrifying tweet from @EatThisNotThat:

Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Meat Lover's Pizza takes it too far—cheesy crust, pepperoni, ham, beef, bacon, sausage, and 480 calories a slice!
— Eat This, Not That! (@EatThisNotThat) January 30, 2013

Beer

Beer and other forms of alcohol (no not butt-chugging) was what really came to mind when I heard about the petition for making the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday.  The Super Bowl is reportedly the seventh highest beer sales occasion of the year (the number of cases of beer sold in the two weeks before the event).  Before the big game, a reported 49.2 million cases were sold last year. 

If you were wondering, the Fourth of July ranks numero uno in that category with a whopping 62.5 million cases of beer sold in the two weeks leading up to the date.  That number may be aided by the fact that it is the summer, and summer is naturally more of a beer drinking season than the winder.  You get the point, though.

I was thinking, though, would having the next day off increase the number of cases of beer sold?    Think about it... How many people out there set a drink limit for themselves because of an 8 hour day looming on Monday?  How many people are going to listen to the San Francisco mayor's suggestion for bars to go liquor free during the Super Bowl?

Instinctively, I would think that having the day after the Super Bowl would help beer/liquor sales.  There is less to worry about and less consequence.  Even if one out of every five or six or even 10 beer drinkers drinks one more beer, that is still a lot of beer. 

The thing that makes me really think about it is wondering how many people would actually have off.  Just because it is a national holiday does not mean that everyone's business is closed.  It would all depend and, given my background, impossible to truly forecast.  

It is, however, something to think about.  This petition is truly unique to football.  It could never happen in Major League Baseball or the National Basketball Association or the National Hockey League.  Their highest honor is determined by a series of games.  The position shows the NFL's dominance in the landscape of not just sports but the entire culture.  It really makes you think, what if?

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Super Bowl Commercials Pre-Released

Every year, millions and millions of people tune into the Super Bowl... for the commercials.  Companies have caught on to this trend and have begun digital media campaigns prior to the big game to begin capitalizing on the game's momentum before super Sunday.  

Youtube has launched a page called Adblitz which features a funny, parody infomercial from Tide advertising their new Stain Savers (see below).  Tide is also pushing the use of the hashtag #miraclestain to further consumer engagement with the brand leading up to Sunday.  The channel also features other Super Bowl content including NFL videos, player interviews, and tailgating recipes.

Volkswagen also released their commercial for this year's game here.

And Century 21 here. 

Axe too here. 

This year, a 30 second ad spot during CBS's broadcast of the game cost a reported $3.8 million.  For those counting that's about $126,666.67 PER SECOND. That is a Super Bowl record.  

Is the idea of companies releasing their Super Bowl ads beforehand a good idea?

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Super Bowl Must Reads

Here are a few must reads before the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers square off in Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday night on CBS.  

Kevin Van Valkenburg (ESPN) writes about the man that may be a bigger leader for the Ravens than Ray Lewis: Ed Reed.

Dan Wetzel (Yahoo Sports) writes about Colin Kaepernick, the controversy surrounding him, and the man that put it on him.

Tommy Tomlinson (Sports on Earth) writes about Barack Obama, Bernard Pollard, and their feelings on the game of football as we know it. 

Frank Bruni (NY Times) writes about Brandon Ayanbadejo's fight for the LGBT community during Super Bowl week. 

Dave Zirin (The Nation) weighs in on Brandon Ayanbadejo's cause as well. 

Bruce Arthur (National Post) wrights that you should not ask Ray Lewis about the two dead men because he is not talking about the past.

Darren Rovell (ESPN) explains why Super Bowl ticket prices are plummeting in the week of the anticipated HarBowl. 

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Degenerate Gambler Top Prop Bets

Distance of the shortest punt of the game - over/under 35.5 yards.

What will the coin toss be - heads (-105) or tails (-105)

Who will win the coin toss - Ravens (-105) or 49ers (-105)

Full list of team prop bets from Bovada here.


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Awesome Non-NFL-Affiliated Promotions

Do NFL lawyers call Chipotle on this one? say.ly/qGp53KE
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) January 29, 2013

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Here is your Pep Talk for the Super Bowl.