By now almost everyone on the globe is aware that 1) the Superbowl will be played this weekend and 2) neither the Steelers nor the Packers are bringing their cheerleaders along for the game.
There will be no shortage of analysis of the game including such minute details such as whether or not the teams have exceeded the typical number of 3rd down conversions when Superbowls are playing during that specific phase of the moon. But despite the trivia (trivial?) onslaught, there are a few things that may be overlooked.
An estimated 100 million people around the world will watch the game, putting the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area into spotlight in ways it hasn’t been since J.R. Ewing got shot (or, perhaps, didn’t get shot – wasn’t that someone’s dream? No, that was Bobby Ewing. I wonder why he would dream that?). Regardless, the big game will be played in Arlington, Texas, the 49th largest city in the United States, beating out both Pittsburgh at the 61st largest city and Green Bay at 268th largest.
Packers and Steelers fans traveling to the game might want to prepare for a little price shock, however. The median income in Arlington tops $50,000, roughly at national average. An average income in Pittsburg is roughly $37,000 with Green Bay coming in at $40,000. Of course the more you make, the more you spend so hard core fans from both cities might want to pack their own cheese and beer as they head out to the big game.
Of course nothing comes free and that extra ten or so thousand earned in Arlington requires a 26-minute job commute time on average – a bit above the 22-minute average in Pittsburgh and the 18-minute average in Green Bay. Yes, we’re talking mere minutes here but add that up over a lifetime and an extra ten grand a year might not be that worthwhile.
This year’s NFL player, on average, is far and away the largest in history. These guys are huge and getting bigger by the year. As such, the game won’t be decided on smarts alone. That’s unfortunate for Pittsburgh because they lead the pack in college degrees earned, with 33 percent of their residents having one. Arlington follows closely with 28 percent and Green Bay trails with 19 percent.
Now armed with some trivia you may not hear from the game’s color commentator, the question will remain…where are the cheerleaders? Fear not, it is virtually certain that question will be answered well before half-time.