We're knocking on the door of Super Bowl 50 and the whole country is ready to party.  It's amazing just how important this one event has become.  Even my church normally won't have our normal Sunday evening service because of the extreme low turnout, due to the game.

Of course, this is Super Bowl 50. The slightly favored Carolina Panthers will take on the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Kick off is at 5:30 pm and the game will be carried on CBS.

All of that seems relatively normal until you consider all that happens before, during and after the big game.

  • According to Coupon Cabin, Americans consider this to be one of the year's biggest events.  A huge percentage of people would rather miss a major life event like the birth of a child, the funeral of a loved one, an important work function, or the wedding of a close relative or friend, than to miss the Super Bowl.
  • The Nielsen television ratings company estimates that about 90 percent of Super Bowl fans will watch the game in their own home.  17 percent will watch the game at a relative or friend’s residence; 3 percent will see the game at a bar or restaurant, and another 15 percent will be tuning into the event on their smartphones.
  • It’s technically illegal to watch the Super Bowl on a television larger than 55 inches (Kinda doubt the NFL police will come to your house with a tape measure though)
  • This is America's 2nd highest food consumption day of the year, only behind Thanksgiving.
  • According to the National Chicken Council, Super Bowl fans will woof down an amazing 1.3 BILLION chicken wings
  • Most pizza delivery companies will see their orders double on Super Bowl Sunday and approximately 60% of all take out ordered is pizza.
  • According to the Hass Avocado Board, over Super Bowl weekend, approximately 120 million pounds of guacamole will be eaten. (That's enough avocados to fill an entire football field from end zone to end zone over 46 feet high) Along with the guacamole, roughly 28 million pounds of chips will be inhaled.
  • To wash it all down, most will be drinking beer as nearly 50 million cases of beer are sold this one day alone.  Behind that are soda and carbonated water.
  • Then there's the "day after the game" when 1.5 million Americans will call in sick to work
  • Speaking of calling in sick, antacid sales average an increase of 20% on the Monday after the game

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