Let’s get Super Bowl week started with a look at the numbers
The NFL prides itself on having parity among all 32 of its teams; they try to sell us on the fact that all 32 teams have a pretty good shot and competing for a Super Bowl birth. When we look at the numbers that doesn’t seem to really be the case. In fact 18 of the NFL teams have made more than one Super Bowl. Ten other teams have made one Super Bowl, and four teams have failed to make a Super Bowl. Those teams being; Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans.
That may sound a lot like parity but a closer looks shows it is not. Since there have been 44 Super Bowls, there have been 88 Super Bowl births in the history of the NFL. Of those 10 teams account for more than fifty percent of all Super Bowl births. Those same ten teams have won 35 of the 44 Super Bowls. The 11th team on that list, Indianapolis Colts, have been to four Super Bowls now. The Colt are also the only team that made a Super Bowl representing both conferences. The Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts made Super Bowl 3 as a member of the original NFL, and Super Bowl 5, 41, and 44 as members of the AFC.
Bucking that trend in recent years there has been a rash of first time Super Bowl teams. Starting with Super Bowl 40 in 2005 three teams have made their first Super Bowl trips. Starting with the Seattle Seahawks for that Super Bowl, the Arizona Cardinals made their first trip in 2009, and the New Orleans Saints will make their first trip, this year.
Related Links:
•The Business of the NFL
•NFL Complete
