Q: Why is the Super Bowl numbered in Roman numerals? This one was XLIX. Ninety-nine percent of the public probably doesn’t know what it means.
—Detlev Babel, Roswell
A: Former Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt had the idea to assign Roman numerals to the Super Bowl because they "made it much more important. It's much more magisterial," franchise historian Bob Moore told the Associated Press in 2012.
Also, it helps “avoid any confusion that might occur because of the way the Super Bowl is held in a different year from the one in which most of the regular season is played,” the AP wrote.
The NFL began using Roman numerals for Super Bowls in 1971, for Super Bowl V, and then added the numerals to the first four Super Bowls.
“Those Roman numerals, they’re almost like trophies,” Pro Football Hall of Fame spokesman Joe Horrigan said in the article. “It is part of the Super Bowl culture, it is an established part of the magic of the Super Bowl,” he told Yahoo Sports in 2013.
The NFL will use the number 50, not the Roman numeral “L,” for next year’s Super Bowl “because the ‘L’ isn’t as pleasing to the eye,” ESPN.com wrote. The league will return to using Roman numerals for Super Bowl LI in 2017.
Hunt also has been credited with coming up with the name Super Bowl, taking it from the Super Ball, a popular toy in the 1960s.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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