They say everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. What about non-sports fans on Super Bowl Sunday? Here’s a quiz for everyone who doesn’t know a fumble from a field goal.
1. How many sitting U.S. presidents have attended a Super Bowl game in person?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
2. Though modern footballs are made of cowhide leather, what are they nicknamed?
A. Hogshead
B. Boar’s head
C. Swinebelly
D. Pigskin
3. Which kids’ toy inspired the Super Bowl’s name?
A. Super Glue
B. Super Soaker
C. Super Ball
D. Super Slurp
4. What was the Super Bowl called during its first two years?
A. The Battle of the Best
B. Winner Take All
C. The AFL-NFL Championship Game
D. The Big Game
5. What year did the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales first appear in a Super Bowl TV commercial?
A. 1980
B. 1986
C. 1990
D. 1996
6. What food is most consumed on Super Bowl Sunday?
A. Pizza
B. Chicken wings
C. Burgers and hot dogs
D. Guacamole and chips
7. Between 125.5 million and 127.7 million people are expected to watch at least part of the game on Sunday. If so, it would come close to matching the record 128 million audience set in what year?
A. 2000
B. 2010
C. 2020
D. 2025
Super Bowl history lesson: Our Top 5 games, teams, upsets and much more
Answers:
Answer: A. Incumbent Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl in person in 2025. Ronald Reagan conducted a virtual coin toss from the White House before Super Bowl XIX in 1985. Former President George H.W. Bush participated in the coin toss at Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 and Super Bowl LI in 2017.
Answer: D. The name dates back to the earliest footballs, which were made from inflated pig bladders.
Answer: C. Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt got the idea after watching his children play with the highly bouncy Wham-O Super Ball in 1966. He jokingly suggested calling the championship game the Super Bowl, and the name stuck. It became official in 1969.
Answer: C. Though accurate, the name was clunky and cumbersome. Fans quickly gravitated to the simpler “Super Bowl.”
Answer: B. The Clydesdales made their Super Bowl debut during Super Bowl XX in 1986. A later 1996 commercial showing the horses playing football became one of the most beloved ads in Super Bowl history.
Answer: B. Chicken wings dominate the menu, with an estimated 1.48 billion consumed in 2025. Pizza ranks second, with as many as 14 million pies served.
Answer: D. Free streaming, new audience-measurement methods, and weeks of hype combined to produce the largest Super Bowl audience on record.
ABOUT THE WRITER
J. Mark Powell is a former television journalist. His nonfiction book “Witness to War: The Story of the Civil War Told by Those Living Through It,” is available at jmarkpowell.com. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
