Tricks, treats & trophies: Super Bowl’s finest acts

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 | 2 a.m.

In just 50 years, the Super Bowl has evolved from a simple championship title to a monumental, all-out cultural holiday. It’s not just for football fanatics or team diehards, either. The Super Bowl has become a true American institution.

In recent years, hundreds of millions of people have tuned in to watch not only the game but the entire event, from the player introductions to the commercials to the star-studded halftime show and beyond. Countless parties, endless amounts of festivity and billions of dollars revolve around Super Bowl Sunday every year, and Super Bowl 50 is primed to set the bar even higher.

In honor of the game, here are some Super Bowl facts and figures:

•Last year’s Super Bowl winner, the New England Patriots, were said to receive the largest and most expensive Super Bowl rings ever made. Each ring reportedly cost $36,500, and 150 rings were purchased for the players, coaching staff and others in the franchise, totaling a cool $5.5 million. Most Super Bowl rings are rumored to cost about $5,000.

•The Vince Lombardi Trophy is handcrafted annually by luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. and has been since 1967. It is made of solid sterling silver. This year’s trophy will include a bronze and 18-karat gold-plated “50” to mark the game’s anniversary. The numerals were designed by Tiffany & Co. as well.

•The Broncos have won only two of eight Super Bowl appearances.

•In 2015, 1.3 billion chicken wings were consumed during the Super Bowl. In years past, there has been concern about a chicken wing shortage during Super Bowl Sunday because of such high demand.

•7-Eleven reports a 20 percent rise in antacid sales the day after the Super Bowl.

•No Super Bowl has ever gone into overtime.

•It’s estimated that more than 325 million gallons of beer, or 50 million cases, are bought and consumed during the Super Bowl.

•The Super Bowl accounts for nine of the top 10 most-watched telecasts in TV history. The series finale of “M.A.S.H.” in 1983 is the only other program on the list.

•In 2014, gamblers placed $119 million in Super Bowl bets at Nevada sports books. The total amount of legal and illegal bets made may have topped $1 billion.

•The Super Bowl is the busiest day of the year for pizza sales. Domino’s Pizza estimates it will sell 11 million slices on Super Bowl Sunday.

•The average American consumes 2,400 calories on Super Bowl Sunday, making it the second-biggest eating day of the year, after Thanksgiving.

•Super Bowl 50 will be the first Super Bowl match-up to feature opposing starting quarterbacks who both were selected No. 1 overall.

•A 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl broadcast will cost advertisers $5 million this year. That’s up from the reported $4.5 million price tag in 2015 and $4 million cost in 2014.

•In 1993, the NFL selected the Carolina Panthers as the 29th NFL franchise. At the time, it was the first NFL expansion team since 1976. The Panthers have gone to the Super Bowl only once before, Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, and lost to the Patriots.

•The Super Bowl was created to match champions of the NFL and AFL (American Football League). The first two Super Bowls in 1967 and 1968 were called the NFL-AFL World Championship Games but were retroactively renamed in 1969 with Super Bowl III.

•The Hass Avocado Board estimates 270 million avocados will be eaten during Super Bowl festivities this year. That’s a lot of guacamole!

Winningest teams

There are 19 teams who have made Super Bowl appearances. Of those, the following teams have won the most times:

•Pittsburgh Steelers (6)

•San Francisco 49ers (5)

•Dallas Cowboys (5)

•New England Patriots (4)

•New York Giants (4)

•Green Bay Packers (4)

The Cowboys, Steelers, Patriots and Broncos are tied for having made the most Super Bowl appearances. Each team has played in the game eight times.

Teams that have never made it

There are 13 teams that have never won a Super Bowl. Of those, there are four teams who have never made an appearance.

•Cleveland Browns

•Detroit Lions

•Jacksonville Jaguars

•Houston Texans

Sources: NFL, ESPN, USA Today, Huffington Post, Nielsen, National Chicken Council, Hass Avocado Board, USDA