Of the seven metropolitan areas to host at least three Super Bowls to date, all of them had done so at least once by the time greater Phoenix made its debut in 1996. But in the 27 years since Super Bowl XXX at Tempe’s Sun Devil Stadium, the desert has never had much of a drought between hosting gigs. In fact, this year’s game, to be played Sunday at what is now called State Farm Stadium in Glendale, marks the fourth time that the Super Bowl will take place in the greater Phoenix area. Only Miami, also with four, has hosted as many times over that duration. Here’s a look back at the history of the Super Bowl in The Copper State.
1996
Date:
Location: Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe
Attendance: 76,347
Ticket prices:$200, $250, $350
Network / viewers: NBC / 94.1M
Ad revenue:$66.2M
Cost of a 30-second commercial:$1.09M
Gambling handle:$70,907,801
Final score: Dallas Cowboys 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
Super Notable: The 1993 game was supposed to mark Arizona’s Super Bowl debut, but the league rescinded its plan amid the state’s early refusal to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday. When that changed in 1992, the NFL granted Arizona the 1996 game instead.
2008
Date:
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale
Attendance: 71,101
Ticket prices:$700, $900
Network / viewers: Fox / 97.4M
Ad revenue:$186.3M
Cost of a 30-second commercial:$2.7M
Gambling handle:$92,055,833
Final score: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
Super Notable: Las Vegas bookmakers lost $2.57 million on the game, the second time that had happened and the largest loss ever, after the Giants stunned the previously undefeated Patriots.
2015
Date:
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale
Attendance: 70,288
Ticket prices:$500, $800, $1,200, $1,500, $2,500
Network / viewers: NBC / 115.2M
Ad revenue:$345.4M
Cost of a 30-second commercial:$4.25M
Gambling handle:$115,986,086
Final score: New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
Super Notable: The halftime show, headlined by Katy Perry, was watched by 120 million viewers, the most for any halftime performance in Super Bowl history.
