sports

Super Bowl: Here's what you need to know about American football's grand final.

It’s Super Bowl day, which is a big deal for lovers of American football (maybe you know it as gridiron), half-time entertainment and really expensive commercials.

But if you’ve got no idea about what’s happening on the TV in your office this morning, we’ve put together this guide to get you up to speed.

What makes this Bowl so Super?

Basically, the Super Bowl is America’s National Football League (NFL) equivalent of the AFL or NRL grand final.

The 2015 Super Bowl was the most watched television show in US history, so it’s an event that captures a lot of eyeballs.

Outside of the action on the field, its a HUGE deal to advertisers, who want to get their product in front of all those eyeballs.

Fortune reports it will cost an average of $5 million to buy a 30-second commercial slot in this year’s broadcast.

Who do I cheer for?

The two teams playing this year are the New England Patriots (the blue guys) and the Atlanta Falcons (the red guys).

Tom Brady pumps his fist. (i.e. Blue guys). Image via ABC.
ADVERTISEMENT

For the Patriots, it's their ninth appearance at the big dance, the most of any team in the NFL.

They've won the Super Bowl four times (the last time was in 2015). They're the team to back if you like a winner.

The last time the Falcons made the Super Bowl, we were all freaking out about Y2K and Britney Spears was topping the charts with Hit Me Baby One More Time (that's 1999, obvs).

If you're a fan of an underdog, the Falcons are your pick.

Atlanta Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins reacts after recovering a fumble. (i.e Red Guys). Image via ABC.
ADVERTISEMENT

Where is Jarryd Hayne?

The NRL/NFL/Rugby Sevens star has followed his dreams back to the NRL and the Gold Coast Titans.

He used to play for the San Francisco 49ers, who endured a miserable season to finish bottom of their Division.

In short, he's a long way from playing in this Super Bowl.

Tell me what's happening on the field

OK. Here's the basic gist of what's going on.

Teams get points by scoring touchdowns (6 points) or kicking field goals (3 points).

You score a touchdown by holding onto the ball while crossing the opposition's end zone (the last section of the field).

It's like a giant push and shove up from one end of the field to the other.

When a team is in possession of the ball and makes a play, that's called a down.

A team has four downs to move 10 yards down the field. Play stops when someone is tackled with the ball, or if the ball is dropped (called an incomplete pass).

ADVERTISEMENT

It's similar to the tackle count in rugby league.

The big difference is, if a team moves 10 yards, they get another four downs.

The yellow line you see on the field shows how much further a team has to get to earn another four downs.

If not, the ball gets turned over to the opposition, and we start again.

I still don't understand...

Just cheer when you see TOUCHDOWN flash across the bottom of the screen.

You can't go wrong that way.

When can I see the expensive funny commercials?

It's unlikely you'll see many of them on Australian networks that are carrying the coverage.

But through the power of the internet, you'll be able to find most of them online after the event.

You can head to this website, which brings together all of 2017's advertisements.

Who's booked for the halftime show?

This year it's Lady Gaga, who you might remember belted out this incredible performance of the US national anthem at last year's Super Bowl.

No guest performers have been announced yet but there's normally a surprise or two.

Britney Spears made a surprise appearance with Aerosmith 2001, and in 2003 we were blessed with a Destiny's Child reunion.

And we'll just have to wait and see if we get a meme as pure as left shark from the 2017 edition.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.


© 2017 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. Read the ABC Disclaimer here

Tags: