There’s more to the big game than just football

A guide to the big game plus some interesting facts that you probably didn't know.

How do I watch?

• When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday
• TV: Fox (KFXA)
• Radio: KGYM-AM (1600)

Watching at home is fine

• StubHub.com reports Super Bowl tickets were selling for $2,750 to $470,600.
• The NFL is charging $200 to attend a party outside the stadium and watch the game on giant HD screens.

Ticket prices soaring

• 1967: $12, $10, $6 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
• 1979: $30 at Orange Bowl, Miami
• 1989: $100 at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami
• 1999: $325 at Pro Player Stadium, Miami
• 2011: $600 to $1,200 at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Super Bowl ad rates

• 30-second commercial
• 1967: $42,000
• 1977: $125,000
• 1987: $600,000
• 1997: $1.2 million
• 2007: $2.6 million
• 2011: $2.8 million to $3 million

Viewership

• 106.5 million people watched the Super Bowl last year, or 51.7 million households.
• Last year's Super Bowl was the second-most-watched TV program ever, after the M*A*S*H* finale in 1983.

Wanna bet?

• It's estimated that $10 billion will be wagered on the game worldwide.
• At least $6 billion will be wagered illegally.

Where's the party?

• 34.9 million people will throw a Super Bowl party.
• 61.2 million will attend one.
• 12 million will party with strangers and watch the game at a bar/restaurant.

It's about the money

• Total Super Bowl spending is predicted to reach $10.1 billion this year.
• Consumers will spend on average $59.33 each for food, merchandise, clothing and even furniture.

When do we eat?

• Americans eat 30 million pounds of snack food during the game.
• Average calories from snacking: 1,200. Average grams of fat: 50.
• Viewers consume 11.2 million pounds of potato chips. The fat in those chips is equivalent, in weight, to 13,000 NFL offensive linemen at 300 pounds each.

Sources: Knowteria 2011 Super Bowl Facts & Figures Report, U.S. Census Bureau, Associated Press; MCT graphic