What Does Super Bowl LVII Mean In Roman Numerals? Here It Is In Digits

Every year, when the NFL announces the date of the Super Bowl and starts talking halftime shows, the cost of a champion’s ring, and more, the world wonders: what does Super Bowl LVII stand for in Roman numerals? If you Google the Roman number system annually just to forget everything you read about it by the following February, you’re not alone. Here’s what all those letters translate to.

What does Super Bowl LVII mean in Roman numerals?

While the two look nothing alike, it’s true: the Roman numerals LVII equal 57. In the ancient letters-are-numbers system, L represents 50, V stands for 5, and each I counts as 1. So, add them all up, and you’ve got 57. The Super Bowl has taken place each year since 1966, when the NFL merged with the American Football League, their rival at the time, according to Britannica.

The new agreement meant the teams would need one championship game at the end of the season to determine who was the best in the nation, culminating in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, which was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 15, 1967.

Why does the Super Bowl use Roman numerals?

The AFL founder Lamar Hunt suggested using Roman numerals to number the Super Bowls to add a bit of gravitas and theatrics, NBC Sports reports. To his credit, LVII looks much more gladiatorial than a plain old 57. The games are numbered each year, instead of being referred to by the year they take place, because they occur after the season has ended and take place at the start of the new year. So, aside from the Roman numerals thing, it’s a little less confusing this way.

Whether or not you care about football or which number Super Bowl we’re on this year, you should definitely tune in for Rihanna’s halftime performance. You already know it’s going to be epic.