NFL fans’ mathematical and historical knowledge is put to the test every time they are confronted with a Super Bowl logo.
The NFL championship game is the most important event in North American sports. It gets more views than any other televised event and dominates the news cycle for two weeks.
However, there is one aspect of the game that tends to be a little confusing, even for the most intelligent football fans: the numbering system.
The NFL assigns Roman numerals to each edition of the game, which then appear on the logo and marketing materials. But many fans probably haven’t had to use Roman numerals beyond grade school.
Here’s a look at how to understand the Super Bowl numbers.
What number is this year’s Super Bowl?
The Chiefs and the 49ers will meet in Super Bowl LVIII. It would be Super Bowl 58.
How do you get to 58? Use the following formula: L = 50, V = 5, and I = 1. Since there are three Is, you have L+V+III = 58.
Not all numbers have a direct equivalent in Roman numerals. In fact, these are largely round numbers.
| Symbol | Number |
| Yo | 1 |
| V | 5 |
| x | 10 |
| l | fifty |
| c | 100 |
| d | 500 |
| METER | 1,000 |
To arrive at specific numbers, you line up and add the symbols, from highest to lowest. But there is an exception to this rule: fours and nines.
A four would not be represented as IIII, nor would a nine as VIIII. In these cases, the I is placed to the left of a V to symbolize four or to the left of an X to symbolize nine.
For example:
- 14 = XIV
- 15 = XV
- 16 = XVI
- 19 = XIX
- 20 = XX
- 21 = XXI
The rule does not end there. The number 40, for example, is XL, to symbolize 10 before 50. Therefore, 44 would be XLIV. The number 90 would be XC, meaning 99 would be represented as XCIX.
There is reasoning behind this. The Romans carved numbers, and it was easier to save letters by carving fours and nines this way rather than using XXXXIIII or LXXXXVIIII.
roman numerals table
There is a handy chart that can help fans keep track of the numbers 1 through 99. It can also be useful as a cheat sheet whenever someone wants to quickly look up what number ends up being Super Bowl XXXVIII or any other number.
Why does the Super Bowl use Roman numerals?
It is unclear why the NFL chose Roman numerals as the Super Bowl numbering system. What is known is why the league decided to post a number after the Super Bowl to begin with.
The postseason can often be a little confusing. It’s about the 2024 postseason, which will determine the winner of the 2023 regular season. Since the Super Bowl occurs in the second month of a calendar year, it’s easy for fans to get confused if they’re talking about the calendar year in which a team won the Super Bowl or the season in which a team won it all.
The NFL decided to simply label the Super Bowl not by the year but by the edition of the game. According to the team’s media guide:
The Roman numerals were adopted to clear up any confusion that may arise because the NFL championship game (the Super Bowl) is played in the year following a chronologically recorded season. The numbers I through IV were later added for the first four Super Bowls.
The decision to use Roman numerals instead of the numbers used in everyday life also adds an element of seriousness to the event. The NFL may see itself as an event similar to those of the Roman Empire that brought spectators to the Colosseum en masse to gather in a large stadium to watch a massive event.
There has been one exception, which occurred for Super Bowl 50. The league called it the “golden anniversary” game, and because of that, the league leaned toward the gold element and made it the standard 50 number. Arabic. He may also have avoided calling the game “Super Bowl L.”
