Superbowl XLIV (Preview)

The 44th American Superbowl is due to kick off in less than 12 hours time (6:30PM EST/11:30PM GMT), where two of NFL/AFLs biggest teams will fight it out in an adrenalin-pumped, sweat-dripping, muscle-bolstering climax to the NFL/AFL seasons.

This year, the final sees the New Orleans Saints pitted against the Indianapolis Colts. As of late, the New England Patriots have dominated the Superbowl throughout the noughties, winning five of a possible nine times. One of the only teams to have overcome these giants were the New Orleans Saints who won the competition just four years ago, defeating the New England Patriots in dramatic style.

On a broadcasting scale, the Superbowl is one of the most watched television programmes of the year. Huge in America and Canada – with the day of the match often referred to as ‘Superbowl Sunday’ to emphasis its dominance - it is watched in countries all over the world, with a staggering 92% of American and 78% of worldwide viewers tuning in to watch some part of the match. In comparison, this is more viewers than the football World Cup.

Many commercial companies target the Superbowl for advertisements. With an estimated 3.5billion viewers tuning in to the coverage at some point throughout the match, advertisers see the superbowl as one of the best opportunities to advertise. As such, prices for a 30-second advert can be as much as $3million, meaning only the richest companies will have such a privilege of airing their voice. In the past, names like Coca-cola, Mcdonalds, Budweiser and Disneyworld have frequently had TV spots during coverage.

Last season, both the Saints and Colts topped their respective NFC or AFC division, with the Indianapolis Colts’ 14-2 win/loss ratio almost perfectly matched by the New Orleans Saints’ 13-3 record. Both won their divisional championships and conference championships in the 2009 season, and field seven pro-bowlers in both squads.


It could be argued that the Colts are the more in-form team, with the Saints - despite finishing top of their league - notching up three straight losses at season’s close. The Colts’ appearance in this year’s Superbowl is their second in four years, whilst the Saints make their Superbowl debut – their first appearance in their 43-year history. The match-up between the two is the first to feature both conference No. 1 seeds since Superbowl XVIII and only the third in Superbowl history.