Super Bowl Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Champion Isiah Pacheco remarked to the crowd during a parade in his honor on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at City Hall in Vineland, New Jersey. Pacheco is a native of Vineland and played high school football at the local high school.

The Super Bowl has been around since the 1966 season, but the championship game had a completely different look than it does now.

It used to be the championship game between the NFL and the AFL (American Football League). When the two leagues merged in 1970, the true era began.

Now, the competition is vast, the playoff experience is extremely competitive, and there’s a pop culture aspect to it.

That impacts the regular season, which creates engagement and build-up heading into the big game. With the Super Bowl being introduced, there’s more incentive, which means every game matters. Overall records and vying for Wild-Card spots made the journey so much more engaging for fans; it’s not always about the division winner.


That then creates the seeding factor. The record matters.

Plus, it could result in an upset victory like we saw in this season’s Divisional Round with the Washington Commanders (a No. 6 seed) taking down the Detroit Lions (a No. 1 seed).

“If we’re going to be heavy hitters, we’ve got to prove that we’re going to be heavy hitters,” Washington running back Austin Ekeler said on Sunday after the 45-31 win. “You got to beat heavy hitters to be a heavy hitter. So that was [Dan Quinn’s] message today.”

A Cinderella story ALWAYS plays.

The NFL expanded the playoffs to 14 teams in 2020, giving more opportunities for such stories to happen.

Mind you, there could be some raised eyebrows, if, say, an 8-8 team wins the Super Bowl, but that also leans into the unpredictability. The inclusivity truly adds to the success that makes the era as successful as it is.

About Jessica Kleinschmidt

Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.