The Keys To Super Bowl XL
Chances are you're not a fan of either Super Bowl XL team.
After all, the Steelers play in small-town Pittsburgh, so it hardly ranks as America's team. And we're pretty sure no one outside of Seattle likes the Seahawks.
But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy this year's Big Game.
First of all, you've got the pre- and mid-game entertainment (Stevie Wonder and the Rolling Stones). The commercials are a gas. And who doesn't love to watch John Madden make funny squiggles with the telestrator?
Sure beats watching "Reba."
In an effort to help you better enjoy football's grand finale, we've consulted our NFL sources (aka, "the Internet") and compiled this fun (aka, "but otherwise useless") guide to XL:
Team names: The Steelers started out as the Pittsburgh Pirates. Prior to the 1941 season the team invited fans to suggest a new name. Inspired by the city's main industry (long before the layoffs, of course), many offered "the Steelers."
The Seahawks name was also inspired by fans. The team held a contest that drew 20,365 entrants -- 151 of them suggesting "Seahawks."
Team helmets: The Steelers are the only team in the NFL with a logo on one side of its helmet (the right side). When the team first used a logo, it was a cautious experiment, so it was only plastered on one side of the helmet. Because the team had its best year (9-5), they decided to keep the logo on one side. Initially, the helmets were gold, but the team switched to black to better highlight the logo. The logo, modeled after the Steelmark insignia, contains three diamond shapes, called hypocloids, that stand for coal (the yellow one), ore (red) and steel scrap (blue).
The Seahawks logo, a multicolored hawk, was inspired by Northwestern tribal art. Enthused by the building of a new stadium in 2002, the Seahawks changed their helmet color from silver to blue, and the bird logo became slimmer and meaner-looking.
Steeler personalities: Troy Polamalu is a hard-hitting safety who notched 81 tackles in the regular season. But he's more known for his billowing long hair. Polamalu started growing his hair in college, after a hard hit made him dizzy. The hair, he figured, would add padding inside his helmet.
Running back Jerome Bettis is an avid bowler with a certified 300 game. At a Notre Dame luncheon, he confided that he wanted to be a pro bowler as a kid, "but when I was growing up in Detroit, there weren't a lot of opportunities for bowling."
Seahawk personalities: Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's sister-in-law, Elisabeth, is a former "Survivor" contestant and current co-host of "The View."
Owner Paul Allen convinced Bill Gates to drop out of Harvard so the two could co-found the Microsoft Corporation. Allen, worth an estimated $21 billion, also owns the Portland Trailblazers.
Origins of the Terrible Towel: During the 1975 playoffs, Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope urged Pittsburgh fans to bring yellow towels to the next game. By the Super Bowl, the team introduced an official version -- "Myron Cope's Terrible Towel." In 1996, Cope gave financial proceeds from towel sales to a school in the Pittsburgh area that helps people with mental and physical disabilities. The towels have netted the charity $1.1 million.
Steelers/Seahawks in government: In 1938, the Pittsburgh Pirates (later called the Steelers) gave running back Byron White the biggest contract in NFL history. (The team finished a dismal 2-9). In 1962, John F. Kennedy would appoint White to the U.S. Supreme Court. White dissented in Miranda v. Arizona and Roe v. Wade and voted to strike down the death penalty in Furman v. Georgia.
Seattle wide receiver Steve Largent was a Republican representative from 1994 to 2002. An archconservative, he helped orchestrate the coup of Republican speaker Newt Gingrich. Largent quit the House to run for governor of Oklahoma. After a strong primary showing, he lost the general election.