why can't "Super Bowl" be mentioned? Instead I hear "The Big Game."?

Answer 1

the word is copyrighted.
technically, it can't be used without permission of the NFL.

Answer 2

It seemed only natural. The American Football League had been in existence for five years, and appeared to be around to stay. It competed with the well established National Football League for players, fans, and television rights. Why not compete on the field as well? Why not crown an undisputed champion of professional football? Pete Rozell, then Commissioner of the NFL, thought it made sense; thought it would be a BIG game, a game that football fans would want to see. He was right, of course.

In fact, the Super Bowl has become more than a big game. It is America's premier sporting event. The Super Bowl consistently ranks among the top rated television shows - it is estimated that over half of all Americans watch the Super Bowl each year, and more that one billion people watch or listen to the game worldwide.

It wasn't always that way...

A series of secret meetings regarding a possible AFL-NFL merger were held in the spring between Lamar Hunt of Kansas City and Tex Schramm of Dallas. Rozelle announced the merger, June 8, 1966. Under the agreement, the two leagues would combine to form an expanded league with 24 teams, to be increased to 26 in 1968 and to 28 by 1970 or soon thereafter. All existing franchises would be retained, and no franchises would be transferred outside their metropolitan areas. While maintaining separate schedules through 1969, the leagues agreed to play an annual AFL-NFL World Championship Game beginning in January, 1967, and to hold a combined draft, also beginning in 1967. Preseason games would be held between teams of each league starting in 1967. Official regular-season play would start in 1970 when the two leagues would officially merge to form one league with two conferences. Rozelle was named Commissioner of the expanded league setup.

Congress approved the AFL-NFL merger, passing legislation exempting the agreement itself from antitrust action, October 21,1966.

The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in the "First World Championship Game:AFL vs NFL", January 15, 1967...and even though the game patch worn on the jerseys of the event say on the bottom "Super Bowl I - Los Angeles", and the "AFL-NFL World Championship Game" played the next year in Miami on January 14th, 1968 also with the inscription across the bottom of the jersey patch reading "Super Bowl II"...it wasn't until the next year with the merger of the AFL with the NFL already approved (though the merger didn't 'officially' go through until yet the following season), that the game had dropped the title of "AFL-NFL World Championship Game" and decided on calling it, simply, the "Super Bowl".

Super Bowl V, later nickednamed "the blunder bowl", saw the Baltimore Colts curiously defeat the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 on January 17, 1971. The Cowboys, after four years of playoff defeats, was out to prove that they could indeed win...you guessed it..."The Big One." Of course, the game yeilded 11 turnovers.

The Minnesota Vikings went into Super Bowl XI with eight straight regular season records, and, by then, an embarrassing reputation as the team that "Couldn't Win the Big Game."

While "The Big Game" or "The Big One" are mearly nicknames, uncopyrighted, the "Super Bowl" is a trademarked franchise game of the National Football League. You can mention Super Bowl. Nothing illegal about that. But through NFL licensing, certain brand name products are the official "whatever" of the NFL or of the Super Bowl. It depends of whether a certain company or franchise is trying to capitalize on "The Big Game" without having to pay for the franchise rights to mention "Super Bowl" in their adds. The NFL is selective on how it markets it's product that way. That is all.

Answer 3

Super Bowl is trademarked (hence the "TM") and is also copywrited. To use the name you must get permission from the NFL. The NFL will charge an enormous amount of money for the right to use this phrase, so everyone just says "big game" or something similar.

Answer 4

i think there is some controversy with saying Super Bowl. there must be some kind of copyright issues. but also, people have been saying super bowl for 51 years. they are tired of it. the big game just brings a new fresh feeling.

Answer 5

trademark...but then again....it's also illegal to tell somebody what happened in the game until it's published in the ppr or you have express written consent from the NFL...

Answer 6

trademark rules.

Answer 7

I don't know but its dumb