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Super Bowl 51: 5 Useless Facts You Want to Know

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:22 p.m. ET

Fansided, Jeremy Klump/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

Here are five useless (but interesting) facts for Super Bowl 51 that you want to know.

We are closing in on what some consider a holiday, or what should be considered a holiday, the Super Bowl. This year will be Super Bowl 51 and the game will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX on Feb. 5, 2017.

The New England Patriots take on the Atlanta Falcons to determine who go down in history as the Super Bowl champions in 2016. Both teams enter the game on hot streaks, so if all goes well, the game will be a good one.

Tom Brady has played at an MVP level after serving his four-game suspension for Deflategate. His Patriots team is on the verge of winning their fifth Super Bowl, all of which were would be won by Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. Atlanta will do its best to try and stop New England and it all starts with their MVP-caliber quarterback Matt Ryan. The 2008 first-round pick has really found his groove this season, especially in the playoffs.

Many view this day as a holiday because many will have or attend a Super Bowl party. These parties include people who do not even like football because of the social aspect, commercials, and halftime show. Bringing in the avid football fans, matched with people who do not even care about the game, Super Bowl Sunday is one of the biggest days of the year.

So, many of you will be at a Super Bowl party or will be hosting one for Super Bowl 51 and there are some questions that will be asked throughout the night. I have compiled five useless facts that you want to know this Super Bowl Sunday so that you can be ready to go when you hear them asked.

Sep 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; View of the Super Bowl countdown clock outside of NRG Stadium before a game between the Houston Cougars and the Oklahoma Sooners. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Locations of the Next Four Super Bowls

We all know that one person at our Super Bowl party: “We should all go to the Super Bowl next year!” As you all laugh and dream of spending over $3,000 on a ticket to watch the two best teams in the NFL that season go at it, those thoughts are clouded by the person who asks, “Well, where is the Super Bowl next year?”

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Well, I got you covered. If you and your friends seriously want to attend the big game next year, Super Bowl 52 will be held in Minneapolis, MN at U.S. Bank Stadium on Feb. 4, 2018. Most likely someone is just starting some good conversation, so take that conversation to the next level and inform the room where the next four Super Bowls will be hosted. And you never know, maybe you can start saving now for Super Bowl 53 and you and some friends will make the trip.

Super Bowl 53 will be held in Atlanta, GA at the new Mercedez-Benz Stadium on Feb. 3, 2019. The following year, Super Bowl 54 will be held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL on Feb.2, 2020. And currently the last scheduled Super Bowl, 55, will be in Inglewood, California at the new Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park. This may not seem important right now, but I can guarantee someone will ask where Super Bowl 52 will be played and now you are ready to go.

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Members of the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos line-up fort the coin toss prior to the start of Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

The Super Bowl Number Decides the Home and Away Teams

Want to impress some of your partygoers? Well, this next fact is surely useless, but you definitely want to know it. I have been to my fair share of Super Bowl parties in my life and I am always the one ready to answer the big question that always gets asked, why is (insert the home team) the home team for the Super Bowl?

It is actually a fantastic question because probably 90 percent or more of the room won’t know the answer, but you’ll be in the 10 or fewer percent that does on Sunday. The reason the Atlanta Falcons will be the home team in the Super Bowl this year is because when you add up all of their jerseys numbers and multiply it by the amount of punting yards they had this season, they have a higher number than the Patriots. Okay, I am kidding, but please tell someone that at your party and see if they believe you. There really isn’t any complicated formula at all, the home team of the Super Bowl is decided by whatever number Super Bowl it is.

So, since it is Super Bowl 51 (an odd number), the NFC team (Falcons) will be the home team. If this were Super Bowl 52 (even number), the Patriots would be the home team. Every odd Super Bowl number means the NFC team is home and every even Super Bowl number means the AFC team is home.

It is simple, but impress everyone else even more by letting them know that the home team of the Super Bowl (Falcons for Super Bowl 51) get to pick the color jersey they wear in the game. The Falcons may get to chose their jerseys, but since the Patriots are the away team, they get to call the coin toss in regulation and in overtime.

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; A general view of the halftime show of Super Bowl 50 between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The Super Bowl Halftime Is 30 Minutes Instead Of 12

There will be a handful of people at your Super Bowl party who will say their favorite part of the big game is the halftime show, and that is fine. However, those same people that state their favorite part is the halftime show have no clue how long the actual halftime of the Super Bowl is.

So, when you hear, “how long is halftime?” at your party, be ready to go.

The halftime of the Super Bowl is 30 minutes. That means you will have time to get some food, go to the bathroom, refill your beverage, and get ready to watch the show. My favorite part of this question is that someone will always follow it up with, “well how much longer is this halftime than a normal game?” The Super Bowl halftime is obviously longer than a normal NFL game because of the big show, but how much longer you ask? 18 minutes to be exact, because a normal halftime in the NFL is 12 minutes.

After you impress everyone with your knowledge of the length of halftime, inform the room that Lady Gaga will be performing the halftime show. If you forgot, Lady Gaga performed the national anthem at Super Bowl 50 and it was pretty awesome. And if you’re wondering who is singing the national anthem during Super Bowl 51, that would be Luke Bryan.

Super Bowl Commercials Cost Over $5 million for Super Bowl 51

If you aren’t watching the Super Bowl for the game or the show, you are at the party to watch the commercials. Now, there are two types of Super Bowl commercial watchers: the ones who watch the game and the commercials and the ones who talk during the entire game and only watch the commercials.

The ones who talk the entire game are the ones who shouldn’t make your invite list for Super Bowl 52, but you know that person will at least ask the big question: How much did Super Bowl commercials cost this year?

Personally, I love this question and think the discussions that stem from it are great. I love watching the game, but discussing Super Bowl commercials is a lot of fun. For starters, according to Variety, a 30-second Super Bowl 51 commercial will cost you over $5 million. Your party will most likely talk about the craziness of spending $5 million for 30 seconds, and I agree, that’s crazy!

CBS Sports has already posted some of the leaked or released Super Bowl 51 commercials, so check them out if you are interested. Oh, last thing, if your party gets talking about the best Super Bowl commercial of all time, it is simple: Wassup!!!!

Sep 29, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers teammates spray champagne and beer on starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) in the locker room after clinching the NL west after a win against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 8-0. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Beer and Food Consumption is Ridiculous(ly hard to believe)

Just like the Super Bowl commercial prices, many people always wonder how much food and drink is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday. Before we dive into these ‘facts’ know that there is no way these can be completely proven to be facts. They are more estimates from many sources. Being able to predict the exact amount of beer consumed during the big game is impossible to prove as a fact considering all of the variables involved.

For starters, many of you will be eating chicken wings during the game. It has become a staple at Super Bowl parties and for good reason. According to a bunch of different sources (who knows who actually started these stats), there will be 1 billion chicken wings consumed on Super Bowl Sunday. Yup, that is insane and hard to believe, but we will go with it. I am sure it 1 billion is a little high, but I bet the actual number (if somehow proven factual) is somewhere up there anyways.

The other big number people will ask about is beer. Again, according to a bunch of different sources, 325.5 million gallons of beer will be consumed the day of the big game. I am very skeptical of that number and I feel that saying that 325.5 million gallons of beer will be purchased sounds more logical, but hey, don’t shoot the messenger.

Regardless of the actual number, many of you will enjoy a cold one (or two or three or however many you feel like drinking) during the game. Please enjoy responsibly and enjoy Super Bowl 51. I hope these useless facts are useful during the game—if that makes sense.