Image of Superbowl champions with trophy
Ashley Landis/AP Images (Patrick Mahomes); Frederick Breedon/Getty Images (trophy); David J. Phillip/AP Images (champions)
Infographic,

The Story of the Super Bowl

A delightful infographic on America’s biggest game

From the February 2025 Issue

Learning Objective: Students read an infographic, then use it to write a persuasive letter.
 

Featured Skill: Visual Literacy,
Other Key Skill: supporting a claim

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Ashley Landis/AP Images (Patrick Mahomes); Frederick Breedon/Getty Images (trophy); David J. Phillip/AP Images (champions); Geoff Kidd/Science Photo Library RF/Getty Images (pizza); Shutterstock.com (all other images) 

America’s biggest game is on February 9. Will you be watching?

By the Numbers

  • 123.4 million: Number of Americans who watched Super Bowl LVIII in 2024
  • $7 million: Approximate cost of a 30-second commercial during this year’s game
  • 23%: Percentage of people who think the day after the Super Bowl should be a national holiday

SOURCES: CBS, NPR, CBS News/YouGov Poll

Pop Quiz!

  • Q: Last year’s Super Bowl was the second-most-watched TV broadcast in U.S. history. What was the most-watched?
  • Hint = The moon

A: The Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969

What part of Super Bowl Sunday do people like best?

  • 29%: The game
  • 27%: The commercials
  • 25%: The parties
  • 19%: The halftime show

SOURCES: CBS, NPR, CBS News/YouGov Poll

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to victory in last year’s Super Bowl.

Don’t forget the snacks!

What fans will chow down on while watching:

  • 1.45 billion wings
  • 12.5 million pizzas
  • 28 million pounds of chips
  • 8 million pounds of guacamole

SOURCES: National Chicken Council, USA Today, Spectrum News 1, SNAC International *Estimates based on statistics from past years

Icon of a lightbulb

Writing Prompt

Imagine you work for a chip company. Write a short letter convincing your colleagues that your company should invest in a Super Bowl commercial. 

This article was originally published in the February 2025 issue.

Activities (2)
Skill-Building Activities
Answer Key (1)
Activities (2)
Skill-Building Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

Download the Printable Version
Table of Contents

1. Prepare to Read

(1 minute)

Give students a minute to preview the infographic.

2. Read and Discuss

(5 minutes)

Break students into groups to read each section of the infographic and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, or convincing.

Reconvene as a class and ask volunteers to state one of the central ideas they took away from the infographic. (Students might answer, for example, that the Super Bowl is extremely popular or that people eat a lot of snacks while watching the game.)

3. Write

(90 minutes)

Distribute the Writing Planner, which prepares students to respond to the prompt that appears at the bottom of page 32 of the magazine or the bottom of the digital story page:

Imagine you work for a chip company. Write a short letter convincing your colleagues that your company should invest in a Super Bowl commercial.

Text-to-Speech