Sports 101

Is it the Super Bowl of football or the Super Bowl of food? Some would argue the latter. More than 14,500 tons of chips and 4,000 tons of popcorn will be consumed on Super Bowl Sunday this weekend. But remember, there is a game to be watched! Between dipping tortilla chips into salsa and munching on buttery popcorn, don't forget to look up occasionally to see the Tennessee Titans battle the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta.

Q: Aren't there usually two weeks between the final championship games and the Super Bowl?

A: Yes. This year only one week elapsed between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. The 1999 season began late, the week after Labor Day, which shortened the standard two-week buildup for Super Bowl Sunday.

Q: Has a host city team ever played in a Super Bowl in their own stadium?

A: No, but two played nearby. In Super Bowl XIX, the 49ers played at Stanford Stadium, not their home at Candlestick Park. And in Super Bowl XIV, the Los Angeles Rams played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., not at Memorial Coliseum, their regular-season home.

Q: How much do tickets cost at face value?

A: The game is of course sold out (most tickets go to corporate sponsors). Club and suite-level tickets cost $400. All others are $325. Scalpers and ticket agencies are commanding up to $2,000 per ticket.

Q: What was the name of the first Super Bowl in 1967?

A: The AFL-NFL World Championship game.

Q: When was the only time a game didn't sell out?

A: Super Bowl I, played in 1967 at the Memorial Coliseum (capacity, 90,500) in Los Angeles, attracted 61,946 fans. The largest crowd was 103,985 at the 14th Super Bowl at the Rose Bowl. At the Georgia Dome, 72,000+ spectators will fill the stadium.

Q: Where will the game be played in 2001?

A: Tampa, Fla., will host Super Bowl XXXV next year. In 2002, the game will be in New Orleans; in 2003, San Diego.

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