After an exciting round of Championship games, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are set to meet in Super Bowl LIX on February 9 in New Orleans. While this is the time of year for fun prop bets, gameday meals and Super Bowl squares, it is also the time to research Roman numerals.
Every NFL game during the regular season is referred to by the corresponding week on the schedule and the playoffs are named after their respective rounds. So why does the Super Bowl have a roman numeral attached to it?
Below is an overview of how to read Roman numerals and their history in the NFL.
What number is the Super Bowl this year?
This year’s matchup between the Chiefs and Eagles is Super Bowl LIX, or Super Bowl 59.
Why does the Super Bowl use Roman numerals?
The NFL adopted Roman numerals to limit confusion because the Super Bowl is always played in the calendar year following the preceding season. So the 2024 NFL season is behind us but the Chiefs and Eagles will meet to play the Super Bowl in 2025. Referring to the big game as the 2024 Super Bowl doesn’t account for the calendar year change and dubbing it the 2025 Super Bowl doesn’t reflect the regular season. The solution? Roman numerals.
In addition to the logical use of Roman numerals, most sources agree that former Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt believed the use of Roman numerals would add to the sense of grandeur that surrounds the season’s biggest game.
How to read this year’s Super Bowl number
This year’s Super Bowl number, LIX, can broken down to L (50) + IX (9). The numeral IX is written as X (10) - I (1), which equals 9.
While Roman numerals (unsurprisingly) date back to ancient Rome, they are used in many facets of society beyond the Super Bowl, including on clocks, watches and to identify kings, queens and popes. Perhaps Lamar Hunt was onto something when he suggested Roman numerals added an aura of gravitas and splendor.
Here is a brief explainer on how to read Roman numerals.
The Roman numeral system is made up of seven characters:
I — One
V — Five
X — Ten
L — 50
C — 100
D — 500
M — 1,000
You can create different numbers by adding these numbers together in descending order from left to right. Then, you add all of the symbols’ individual values together to get the total value. So, XVI breaks down to X (10) + V (5) + I (1) = 16.
But you can also subtract numbers from each other by placing a symbol with a smaller value to the left of one with a larger value. The value of the smaller symbol is subtracted from that of the larger symbol. For example, IV = V (5) - I (1) = 4.
For example, the Chiefs and Eagles last met in Super Bowl LVII. Break it down: L (50) + V (5) + II (2) = 57. Last year’s Super Bowl between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers was Super Bowl LVIII so L (50) + V (5) + III (3) = 58.
When did the Super Bowl begin using Roman numerals?
The use of Roman numerals did not become an NFL tradition until Super Bowl V in 1971. The first two Super Bowls were known as the AFL-NFL world Championship Game. The name “Super Bowl” was officially adopted for the third annual game and the league retroactively added Roman numerals to the Super Bowls before 1971.
What Super Bowl did not use Roman numerals?
There is one exception to the Roman numeral rule in the Super Bowl era. Super Bowl 50 — which featured the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers to determine the champion of the 2015 season — was the official name of the game. The Roman numeral for “50" is simply “L” which is not a particularly positive symbol especially in sports. Also just “L” has an awkward look to it, not befitting of the Super Bowl’s 50th anniversary.
How to get latest Super Bowl Updates from NBC Sports
NBC Sports has you covered through the rest of the NFL postseason, with PFT Live, Simms Unbuttoned, Fantasy Football Happy Hour, Rotoworld Football Show and Bet the Edge breaking down the latest news and top storylines from all angles. Follow along on ProFootballTalk, tune in to Peacock, the NFL on NBC Sports YouTube channel, or wherever you get your podcasts for all the coverage through Super Bowl LIX and beyond.
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