How Much Money Is Spent on the Super Bowl? And How Many People Could It Feed?
This year, Americans are expected to spend over $16 billion on food, drinks, gear and party supplies for Super Bowl LVII. That would cover the majority of the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) funding needs for the entire year.
At World Food Program USA, we’re always thinking about food – even as we get ready to watch the Eagles take on the Chiefs. With the big game fast approaching, we can’t help but think about what the money spent on the Super Bowl could mean to people facing severe hunger around the world.
$10 Million Is Spent on the Super Bowl Halftime Show
The Super Bowl halftime show can cost over $10 million to put on. This year, Rihanna makes her highly anticipated return for what is sure to be an electric halftime show. But will she beat the Guinness World Record for most watched halftime performance? That distinction is currently held by Katy Perry who attracted 118.5 million TV viewers with dancing sharks, colorful costume changes and medley of her greatest hits. That record number of halftime TV viewers is nearly the same number of people we reached with food and other aid in 2022: 140 million.
There are other parallels. The first Super Bowl was played in 1967, making it 54 years old. That’s just a few years younger than the U.N. World Food Programme – the world’s leading humanitarian organization with a 60-year history of fighting hunger across the globe.
This year, Americans are expected to spend over $16 billion on food, drinks, gear and party supplies for Super Bowl LVII.
$85 Is Spent on Super Bowl Food Per Person
The feats of athleticism on the field are impressive, but let’s be honest – snacks are the real star of the game. So much so that previous estimates by the U.S. Department of Agriculture put Super Bowl Sunday as America’s second largest food consumption day – right after Thanksgiving.
This year, total spending on Super Bowl celebrations is expected to reach $85 per person. For $85, we could send enough food to feed a family of five for a month.
We go big on game day: According to the National Chicken Council, Americans are expected to consume a record-breaking 1.45 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl LVII. The U.N. World Food Programme distributes an equally impressive amount of food every year: over 4 million metric tons. In our standard food bags, that much food would also circle the Earth nearly three times, and it weighs as much as 389 Eiffel Towers. And yet, we are so very far short of reaching all the people who need our help.
Just $75 can send a family enough food for a month.
$500 Million Is Spent on Super Bowl Ads
Many viewers only tune into the Super Bowl for the ads, and those ads cost big money. In 2022, multiple 30-second spots sold for $7 million dollars, and Super Bowl ad revenue climbed to over $500 million.
American companies spend enough money on ads every year to send two nutritious meals to each of the 349 million people facing severe hunger around the world.
This Super Bowl Sunday, think about donating a school meal to a child or a box of food to a family in need.
On the Low End, $6,000 Is Spent on a Super Bowl Ticket
The Philadelphia Eagles will meet the Kansas City Chiefs this year at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. And this year’s tickets are among the most expensive yet. For the price of even the cheapest seat (hovering around $6,000), we could send 24,000 school meals to kids.
Hunger crises are raging in places like Syria, Yemen and Haiti. You can make a difference and send urgently needed food.
Cheer on the fight against global hunger
Our collective passion for the big game is an inspiring thing. It’s a reminder that when we really care about something, we have the capacity as a country – and as a world – to go big. So as you’re munching on wings or crunching on nachos this Super Bowl Sunday, think about donating a school meal to a child or a box of food to a family in need. The fight against global hunger is as big as it gets – but it’s one we can win.
