Daily Transmission #34: Super Bowl Facts

You may find yourself at a Super Bowl party this Sunday, and you may feel the need to talk about sports. If you don’t know anything about sports, relax. I’ve got your covered. Become a conversation all-star with any of these sport facts!

“Touchdown” is short for “To Touch the Crown” taken from the poem “League of Kings” published in 1802. It originally referred only to horse racing.

Each black stripe on an official’s uniform represents an unjust murder.

One player on each team spends the entire game in the temple, praying for peace.

The shape of the football is the exact orbital arc of Earth around the sun.

The left goalpost is called “The Joseph” and the right post is called “Yella’ Tommy.” The bar connecting the two is known as “Cat’s Trough.”

The extra point was introduced in 1972 after a Green Bay player did a very good job and the officials felt the entire team should be rewarded for his bravery.

There are 100 yards on a football field — ten yards for every letter in the word “football” plus twenty yards for good luck.

The average American will spend 45-seconds of the Super Bowl saying the word “Holding!”

Whichever player picks up a yellow flag tossed by an official receives three secret bonus tokens that can be used to buy snacks and goodies from the cart in the locker room.

The 1982 Super Bowl ended in a 0 to 0 tie after both teams agreed to share the trophy.

If the quarterback throws the ball, and the ball hits a bird, the bird (if it survives) is technically part of the team and must be paid the league minimum salary.

No one in the NFL is currently named Meredith, but it can be a boy’s name.

Coaches often cover their mouths when giving instructions because they worry about spreading germs and getting their key players sick.

More people will watch the Super Bowl than were stung by a bee this year. And it’s only getting worse.