Washington - American football numbers its championship games the Roman way, giving this year's 40th Super Bowl an apt name: XL, which also stands for 'extra large' in the United States.
By all measures, Sunday's Super Bowl will be a grand affair, well in tune with its billing as the largest annual sporting event in the United States. The National Football League (NFL) final in Detroit pits the Seattle Seahawks against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tickets cost thousands of dollars, with one offer this week asking 125,000 dollars for a suite holding 20 fans. Internet bids for a pair of good tickets topped 15,000 dollars.
The Super Bowl is traditionally the most-watched television event in the United States, thinning street traffic and prompting millions of dollars in bets in Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos, in office pools and in wagers at Super Bowl parties.
Nearly half of all Americans are expected to tune in for the game, which is also being broadcast to 225 countries and territories. Advertisers will shell out 2.4 million dollars for a 30-second spot during the game.
American football is a closely watched sport throughout the season and also draws a fanatical fan base at the university and high-school levels. On Sunday, almost everyone has a friend throwing a Super Bowl party at home.
Fans can be intense and in one case a few weeks ago, when it looked like the Steelers had suddenly squandered victory in the last minute of their game against the Indianapolis Colts, a Steelers fan watching the game at a bar had a heart attack. He survived, and so did the Steelers.
To ensure the safety of the expected 70,000 fans, U.S. officials have restricted the airspace in a 30-mile radius around the stadium and put out a notice that aircraft caught within the zone may be intercepted by US warplanes. Security at the stadium will also be tight.
Adding star power, the Rolling Stones are slated to play at half time and Stevie Wonder will perform during the pre-game show. 'The Queen of Soul,' Detroit-native Aretha Franklin, will sing the national anthem.
Apart from the festivities and the pre-game hype, there's also a sport event.
This year's final features two quite different teams. The Steelers are one of the oldest franchises in the league and won four Super Bowls in the 1970s era. Seattle has never played in the championship since the team was founded in 1976.
The game is also a contrast of cities - Pittsburgh, regarded as the working-class steel metropolis, vs. Seattle, the West Coast city known for cafes and the high-tech industry.
The Seahawks are owned by eccentric Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Steelers owner Dan Rooney inherited the team from his father, who founded the franchise in 1933. The Rooneys emphasize humbleness and stability.
The game contains some interesting subplots, the most prominent one focusing on Steeler running back Jerome Bettis, who after 13 years is expected to retire after the season as the league's fifth- ranked rusher in all-time yardage.
He has never played in a Super Bowl. Getting him there, especially with the game being played in his hometown, largely motivated his teammates throughout their unlikely playoff run.
The Steelers reached the Super Bowl after being the last team to get a playoff spot in the AFC conference. They went on the road and knocked off the Cincinnati Bengals, then the heavily favoured Colts before dominating the Denver Broncos in the conference championship. <!--page-->
Seattle was the number one seed in the NFC conference and mostly breezed through the playoffs, beating the Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers in home games.
But the NFC is considered a slightly weaker conference. That, coupled with Pittsburgh's solid playing, leads oddsmakers to favour the Steelers.
One football enthusiast, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has half-joked about wanting to be the league's commissioner when she leaves government, is also picking the Steelers.
'I picked Pittsburgh to beat Cincinnati. I have picked against them every game since,' Rice said. 'I'm not picking against them again.'
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
enzoFeb 2nd, 2006 - 16:45:51
Condaleeza rice? c'mon. GO SEAHAWKS
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