Why does the Super Bowl use Roman numerals? “With you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light” (Psalm 36:9)
The Daily Article
The Denison Forum
4.9 • 576 Ratings
🗓️ 6 February 2025
⏱️ 8 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. Why does the NFL use Roman numerals when no other league does? Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt suggested in 1970 that the big game employ Roman numerals instead, lending the game a kind of gravitas as a major event. Mr. Hunt is also credited with coining the name “Super Bowl.” But in my mind, the remarkable success of the NFL, the Super Bowl, and the Chiefs are not his most significant achievement. It was my privilege to be the pastor of Clark Hunt and his family in Dallas. They are among the most gracious, humble people I have ever known. Today we discuss enduring legacy and God’s everlasting reign and power over creation.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's Thursday, February 6th, 2025. |
| 0:05.0 | Welcome to the Daily Article Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | I'm Chris Elkins with the Denison Forum, |
| 0:11.0 | narrating today's daily article written by our co-founder, |
| 0:15.0 | CEO and colleague, Dr. Jim Denison. |
| 0:19.0 | This Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will play the Philadelphia Eagles |
| 0:24.4 | in Super Bowl 59. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2024 World Series. The Boston Celtics |
| 0:32.3 | won the 2024 NBA Finals and the Florida Panthers won the 2024 Stanley Cup. |
| 0:39.3 | Why does the NFL use Roman numerals when no other league does? |
| 0:44.5 | The answer is simple. |
| 0:45.5 | The Super Bowl is held in the calendar year following the beginning of the league's regular season schedule. |
| 0:52.4 | So would Sunday's game be the 2024 NFL championship, |
| 0:56.7 | even though it's played in 2025? Would it be the 2025 NFL championship, even though it |
| 1:02.7 | culminates the 2024 season? Of course, the league could use common numerals, making this |
| 1:09.3 | Sunday's Super Bowl 59 rather than L-I-X. |
| 1:14.3 | However, Chief's founder Lamar Hunt suggested in 1970 that the big game employ Roman numerals |
| 1:22.6 | instead, lending the game a kind of gravitas as a major event. |
| 1:30.7 | Mr. Hunt is also credited with coining the name Super Bowl. This was after he helped launch the American Football League to compete with the |
| 1:36.6 | National Football League, and the two merged in 1970, creating the AFC and the NFC. He also established the Dallas Texans, who soon became the Kansas City Chiefs. |
| 1:49.0 | His son, Clark Hunt, continues to lead the team, turning them into one of the league's most successful franchises. |
| 1:56.0 | If the Chiefs are Victoria Sunday, they will become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. |
| 2:04.6 | And so, in three days, the world will participate in the continuing legacy of Lamar Hunt. |
... |
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