Super Bowl Sunday is practically a national holiday at this point. People wait year-round for the annual sporting event, and not only to watch the game. Nearly just as important as America’s top two teams battling it out for the win is the food- lots and lots of food. While most people may immediately think of Thanksgiving when it comes to holidays and gorging ourselves on various dishes, don’t underestimate Super Bowl Sunday, the second highest day of food consumption nationwide.
According to CNBC, while the number of Super Bowl viewers has dropped slightly in recent years, that didn’t stop an astounding 96.4 million viewers from watching the 2021 Super Bowl. And let’s be honest, of those tens of millions of viewers, how many enjoyed some of America’s favorite junk food and bar snacks alongside a cold beer?
Super Bowl Snacks
A survey conducted during Super Bowl LV showed Americans' favorite snacks on game day. Here are the top 3:
Chips and Dip
42% of Americans said their go-to snack is Chips and Dip for the Super Bowl. This is no surprise given that, in previous years, the sales of potato and tortilla chips have reached record-breaking numbers. In the two weeks leading up to the super bowl in 2018, potato chip sales reached over $220 million in sales, while tortilla chips were runner up with just over $180 million in sales.
And of course, what are chips without dip? Given that Guacamole is an all-time favorite, this is the biggest day of the year for avocados. Over 100 million pounds of avocados are consumed every year on Super Bowl Sunday.
Chicken Wings
Coming in second is another staple in American snacks- Chicken wings. 37% of people surveyed said they had chicken wings during the Super Bowl. A survey conducted by the National Chicken Council showed that a whopping 1.35 billion chicken wings were consumed during the 2018 Super Bowl. As the council put it, “1.35 billion chicken wings is enough to circle the earth three times.”
Pizza
Pizza is a top choice for food during any event in America, and even more so on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s estimated that over 12 million pizzas are sold on Super Bowl Sunday each year. Dominos alone sells over 11 million slices during the year's sporting event. Who wants to cook in the kitchen and risk missing big plays and the best commercials of the year when you can just place an order for your favorite pizza?
As you can see, Super Bowl Sunday is a day to sit back, enjoy the game, indulge, and then indulge some more. The Calorie control council estimates that Americans, on average, consume approximately 2,400 calories during the relatively short time of the Super bowl. That is slightly over the recommended daily intake over 24 hours.
Super Bowl Beverages
Along with these delicious game-day snacks, Americans will have their favorite drink in hand for the big event. Nielsen Data from 2018 offers some shocking statistics in regards to the most popular drinks during the super bowl-
Beer
Whether it be craft beer, cider, or flavored malt beverages, beer sales account for $1.3 billion during the Super Bowl.
Wine
Beer has some strong competition when it comes to game day drinks. Over 50% of super bowl fans said they prefer to drink wine while watching the game. But apparently, beer fans are willing to invest far more in their drinks as wine sales came in at $597 million.
Spirits
Third on the scale of sales for adult beverages are spirits. Whiskey, rum, vodka, tequila, and gin sales total $503 million during the super bowl.
If adult beverages aren’t your thing, you’re not alone. The combined sales of soft drinks and bottled water exceed even beer. The sales of these beverages total 1.32 billion during the big game.
Wrap Up
Nearly every Super Bowl fan will participate in the festivities and enjoy some of their favorite party foods in the upcoming game. Whether it be chips and dip, chicken wings, or pizza, pick your go-to snacks, sit back with a drink in hand and enjoy the show. The best part is that you can enjoy the extra calories guilt-free, as you can rest assured you're not alone. Remember, Super Bowl Sunday is the second highest day of food consumption, and you'll be in the company of nearly one-third of the entire nation.
References:
Young, Jabari. “Super Bowl Posts Worst Viewer Ratings Since 2007.” 11 Feb 2021. CNBC. Web. Accessed 28 Jan 2022. <https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/09/super-bowl-ratings-game-fails-to-attract-more-than-100-million-viewers.html>
Gough, Christina. “Favorite foods to serve or eat while watching the Super Bowl in the United States as of February 2021.” 8 Feb 2021. Statista. Web. Accessed 28 Jan 2022.
<https://www.statista.com/statistics/216521/food-eaten-on-super-bowl-sunday/>
“How much snacks do Americans eat during the Super Bowl?” 26 Jan 2019. potatoPRO. Web. Accessed 28 Jan 2022. <https://www.potatopro.com/news/2019/how-much-snacks-do-americans-eat-during-super-bowl>
“How the Super Bowl saved the avocado.” 31 Jan 2018. CBC Radio. Web. Accessed 28 Jan 2022. <https://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/how-the-super-bowl-saved-the-avocado-1.4513613>
“Americans to Eat 1.35 Billion Chicken Wings for Super Bowl.” 24 Jan 2018. National Chicken Council. Web. Accessed 28 Jan 2022. <https://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/americans-eat-1-35-billion-chicken-wings-super-bowl/>
“AN ESTIMATED 12.5 MILLION PIZZAS WILL BE ORDERED ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.” American Pizza Community. Web. Accessed 28 Jan 2022. <https://www.americanpizzacommunity.com/an-estimated-12.5-million-pizzas-will-be-ordered-on-super-bowl-sunday.html>
Neporent, Liz. “Super Bowl Parties Hike Calorie Counts.” 27 Jan 2015. Abc News. Web. Accessed 28 Jan 2022. <https://abcnews.go.com/Health/super-bowl-parties-hike-calorie-counts/story?id=28512733 >
“Super Bowl 52: Who’s Watching and What’s Filling Americans’ Baskets?” 29 Jan 2018. Nielsen. Web. Accessed 28 Jan 2022. <https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2018/super-bowl-52-who-s-watching-and-whats-filling-americans-baskets/>