This Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will face off in Super Bowl LIX, the most-watched sporting event in the US. Given the lack of historical ties between the USA and the Romans, it might seem strange that an iconic American event uses Roman numerals. However, there is a very understandable reason for this.
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One of the chief reasons is to avoid confusion with the year. In the National Football League (NFL), the champion of a given season is determined in a game played on the second Sunday of February the following year. So, the winners of the 2024 season will be decided in the Super Bowl game that will take place in early February 2025.
To prevent any mix-ups, the Super Bowl is identified in Roman numerals, rather than the year in Arabic numerals (yep, the number system we all use comes from the ancient Arab world). This system attempts to provide a clear distinction between the season and the actual year of the championship game, ensuring there is no confusion.
“The Roman numerals were adopted to clarify any confusion that may occur because the NFL Championship Game – the Super Bowl – is played in the year following a chronologically recorded season,” the NFL media guidelines explain, according to Dictionary.com.
Roman numerals also bring a sense of prestige, tradition, and grandeur. Think Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Benedict XVI, Star Wars IV, or the elegant numerals on luxury watches. They add an air of sophistication – and, for lack of a better word, epicness.
A major proponent of this idea was Lamar Hunt, the founder and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs. Upon the Chiefs winning in 1970, Hunt suggested using the Roman numerals to add a touch of refinement to his team.
“This would further establish the tie to the past and also, in my opinion, add a bit of ‘class’ to our ‘unclassy’ name,” Hunt reportedly wrote to Pete Rozelle, the former commissioner of the NFL.
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It appears Rozelle agreed and, from 1970 onwards, the Super Bowl officially used Roman numerals.
Before Hunt and Rozelle’s bold decision, the first four championships were simply called Super Bowl 1, 2, 3, and 4. The numerals I through IV were added retroactively.
A strange anomaly also occurred in 2016 when organizers and advertisers thought the title “Super Bowl L” – “L” being the Roman numeral for 50 – looked too clunky, so it was simply called Super Bowl 50 instead.
How do Roman numerals work?
In case you need a quick crash course on how Roman numerals work, here’s a simple guide:
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Roman numerals use the following letters to represent numbers:
- I = 1
- V = 5
- X = 10
- L = 50
- C = 100
- D = 500
- M = 1,000
When a smaller number is after a larger one, add:
- VI = 6 (5 + 1)
- XII = 12 (10 + 2)
When a smaller number is before a larger one, subtract:
- IV = 4 (5 – 1)
- IX = 9 (10 – 1)
Source Link: People Are Asking Why Roman Numerals Are Used For Super Bowl Games
