| In the 40 years since the first Super Bowl | | | | the weeks leading up to Super Bowl XL, |
| was played between Green Bay and Kansas City, | | | | Americans spent $55 million dollars on food |
| Super Bowl Sunday has grown into an | | | | for their Super Bowl parties and spent ten |
| unofficial national holiday that has shopping | | | | million hours preparing it. Since it is |
| and economic effects rivaling Christmas, | | | | estimated that an average of 17 people attend |
| Thanksgiving and other major official | | | | each Super Bowl Party, these figures are not |
| holidays. Whether it's a casual get together | | | | surprising. |
| with a few friends or a lavish, catered | | | | |
| party, 125 million Americans celebrated the | | | | The king of Super Bowl food is the avocado. |
| Super Bowl in some fashion in 2006. Even | | | | More avocados are sold in the weeks leading |
| those with little interest in football get in | | | | up to the Super Bowl that at any other time |
| on the craze, if only to watch the | | | | of the year. It is estimated that 12 million |
| commercials. | | | | pounds of avocados are purchased and turned |
| | | | into guacamole for Super Bowl parties. Since |
| Understanding this unique opportunity, | | | | guacamole requires chips, 15,000 tons of |
| advertisers spare no expense to showcase | | | | chips are consumed as well. All that food |
| their products and services during the Super | | | | needs washing down and soda and beer sales |
| Bowl. Advertisers paid up to $2.5 million | | | | also top out during the weeks preceding the |
| dollars for each 30 seconds of advertising | | | | big game. |
| during Super Bowl XL in 2006. Agencies work | | | | |
| on their advertisements all year, and the | | | | It's not just food and beverage manufacturers |
| Super Bowl has become the unofficial Academy | | | | who profit. Millions of dollars are spent on |
| Awards of advertising. There are almost as | | | | party supplies like paper plates, cups and |
| many websites and television programs | | | | plastic cutlery. Electronics stores also |
| analyzing the advertisements as there are | | | | benefit. After all, you need that big-screen |
| analyzing the game. | | | | TV in order to properly appreciate the game. |
| | | | Even sales of antacids spike on the Monday |
| The food and beverage industry also profits | | | | following Super Bowl Sunday. There's a good |
| from Super Bowl Sunday. Super Bowl Sunday is | | | | reason for that. The estimated total time |
| second only to Thanksgiving in the amount of | | | | that party-goers take to consume all that |
| food that Americans prepare and consume. In | | | | carefully prepared food: 15 minutes. |