Super Bowl stats from a personal-finance view

How much has the price of Super Bowl tickets appreciated since that very first one (Packers vs. Chiefs) back in 1967? If you guessed 22,225%, you’re right. In case you’re curious, that's a compound annualized growth rate of 13.4%.

• Bing: Super Bowl history

Yes, we’ve been sucked into the hype that surrounds the big game (even though our beloved six-time world champion Steelers are sitting this one out). A fun article at CBS MoneyWatch helped pull us back in. “Super Bowl XLI: Adding up the numbers” examines all sorts of interesting stats.

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Here we’ll focus on the personal-finance numbers from that post:

• New Orleans Saints' total payroll in 2009: $121,552,424.
• Total 2009 payroll for the Indianapolis Colts: $101,203,115. To put that in some meaningful perspective, the 2009 payroll for the Indianapolis School District was $229,534,367.
• Average salary cost per pound of the Saints’ starting defensive line: $16,110, or $18.8 million divided by 1,167 pounds. At that rate, these oversized guys should be able to afford a diet plan once their playing days are over. (If not, the winning D-line guys may want to know that the highest auction price of a Super Bowl ring on record is $66,000.)
• If you’re going to the game and staying at the Trump Miami, you might not have the bucks for Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. (We hear that eating less and exercising more works wonders.) The price of the three-day Tail-Great Super Bowl Package, including room and one ticket to the game, is $4,500.  
• If you’re watching at home, you may be eating one of the 9 million slices of pizza Domino’s expects to sell that day.
• If you’re the betting type, you'll be interested to know that the Nevada Gaming Commission estimates that $80 million to $85 million in wagers will be placed on Sunday’s game.

How does the value of Super Bowl tickets compare with U.S. housing prices over the same period? CBS MoneyWatch says:

• “Appreciation in average U.S. home sale prices between 1967 and 2009, according to Census data: 999%."
• “Compound annualized growth rate of home prices: 5.9%.”

Related reading:

• Don’t get scammed on Super Bowl tickets
• Will men in briefs persuade you to spend?
• 3 best pre-Super Bowl deals for a new TV
• Americans drinking cheaper liquor