A statistics-driven history of the Super Bowl celebrates the annual mega-event at the confluence of athletics, business, entertainment, and patriotism. Born of the 1966 merger between the National Football League and its younger rival, the American Football League, the inaugural inter-league championship game was thrown together in less than two months’ time. Differences in television network practices, rules, and even footballs used by each league made for a less polished event than originally envisioned by league commissioner Pete Rozelle, who wanted a dramatic spectacle involving balloons, doves, and two jetpack pilots symbolically shaking hands. But soon the Super Bowl became the biggest extravaganza in sports. The most watched television event every year since 1972, it has an estimated annual economic impact of $48 billion (including $6 billion of lost productivity the Monday afterwards). A former sports broadcasting executive, Deninger emphasizes the Super Bowl’s symbiotic relationship with television and shares revealing statistics. Acknowledging that event organizers and broadcasters haven’t always responded nimbly to controversies, such as players kneeling in protest or concerns about concussions, Deninger remains optimistic about the big game’s potential to unify Americans.

Booklist

This entertaining history from Deninger, a former ESPN producer, traces how the Super Bowl became 'the largest shared American experience of the year.' He explains how the American Football League’s 1960 launch threatened the National Football League’s monopoly, motivating the latter to initiate a 1966 merger that stipulated a 'world championship game' between the top teams from each league. The Super Bowl got off to a shaky start, Deninger writes, noting that a third of the tickets went unsold at the first game in 1967, and that the NFL’s dominance over the AFL in the first two Super Bowls led the leagues to consider abandoning the matchups until the unexpected triumph of the Jets, an AFL team, at Super Bowl III. Elsewhere, Deninger discusses how the Super Bowl became an advertising bonanza and chronicles the evolution of the halftime show. He details mind-boggling statistics about the game (it provides a $41.9 billion annual boost to the national economy) and serves up plenty of amusing tidbits.... Football fans will find much to cheer for.

Publishers Weekly

Dennis is a bona fide expert on anything and everything connected to the Super Bowl. He has tracked the impact of this colossal sporting event from the very start and has his finger on the pulse of what it will look like in the years to come. This book takes you behind the scenes to see what has made the game and all that surrounds the phenomenon it is today.

Ian Eagle, CBS Sports commentator

Nobody is more qualified to discuss the Super Bowl and its influence on the American culture. Dennis combines a career as a TV professional with academia and “fandom” to cover all the bases! Bravo!

Drew Esocoff, directed seven Super Bowl telecasts, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame 2022

If there was ever a topic worthy of complete inspection, the Super Bowl is it. From its history to every aspect of the spectacle, Dennis Deninger details every angle in a thorough and entertaining style.

Fred Gaudelli, produced seven Super Bowl telecasts, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame 2020

The Super Bowl has grown to almost supernatural significance since it was first played before a less than capacity crowd in the Los Angeles Coliseum in January 1967. Dennis Deninger has done a marvelous job documenting what it has come to mean for all of us who love the sport of football. I highly recommend this book.

Verne Lundquist, CBS Sports commentator, Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award 2016, and former TV voice of the Dallas Cowboys