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00:00Talk more about the numbers of the Super Bowl. Let's bring in Richard Tarditz. He's a former
00:04American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the NFL and joins us
00:09now from New Orleans. It's such a pleasure to have you with us on the program today.
00:13Thank you very much.
00:14So first of all, for those of us, especially in Europe, that may be unfamiliar with the scale
00:20of the Super Bowl, help us get a quick idea of just how big of an event it is.
00:25Well, you know, that event is ranked among the top three watched events in the world.
00:32It's in the same level as the final of the 100 meters or 200 meters running race in the Olympics
00:38or in the final of the soccer World Cup that only happens every four years, where the Super
00:44Bowl happens every year. And every year you gather more than 140,000 people, I mean 140
00:50million people watching on television and you fill up a city like New Orleans, which is pretty
00:55amazing. Now, advertisers are willing to fork out, you know, something like seven to eight
01:00million dollars for a 30 second ad spot during the Super Bowl. But to advertisers, this is this
01:06is worth it. It is worth it. You know, when you have 150 million people watching TV and you have,
01:12you know, the stadium filled with eighty five thousand, I think the most expensive 30 seconds
01:19on television is the just before the kickoff, where I think it's up to 10 million dollars for
01:2430 seconds. And, you know, people are going to watch it and it's worth it. And it's not just
01:29about the ads, you know, but there's also the universe around the Super Bowl that's, you know,
01:34that profit. There's also merchandise and all the merchandise, but also, of course,
01:38the sports betting that turns millions and billions of euros. It is and it's really amazing
01:44because it's the fifty ninth Super Bowl. And then you think that the game has not really much
01:49changed much, you know, over the years. And yet, you know, every year it seems like the hype
01:53gets, you know, higher and higher and more people want to be involved around the game.
01:58And, you know, and let's not forget, it's the America is the only sport where they play American
02:04football. It's not like soccer or anything else where it's played around the world. You know,
02:08only Americans play American football. And the season is very short and it's the last
02:14game of the year and nobody wants to miss it. Now, let's talk about Taylor Swift and
02:19Travis Kelce because they're, of course, the couple that's the most talked about in the Super
02:23Bowl. Taylor Swift has made the NFL almost a billion dollars since she started dating
02:28Travis Kelce. Help us make sense of this. This Taylor Swift effect.
02:33Well, it's a huge effect. I know I don't know if you remember last year where I know it's also
02:38very political effect, you know, which actually going to make President Trump,
02:41maybe come down to New Orleans, be the first time ever that an American president is attending the
02:47Super Bowl. I guess Taylor Swift and Kelce have made the choice clear last year that they were
02:52supporting Joe Biden, you know, as next president of the United States. And Donald Trump won that
02:59election. And Trump said that he may come to the game. So everybody is expecting him to be there
03:05just to show Taylor Swift and Kelce who is a champion, you know.
03:11And now, you know, the Super Bowl and American football in general are not as big in Europe as
03:16they are in the US. What inroads has the NFL made to broaden its viewer base here in Europe?
03:23Well, many. I mean, I don't know if you've noticed, but in the past four years, you know,
03:26there have been many games, regular season games played in Europe and around the world. There was
03:31a game in Brazil last year. There were two games in Germany, two games in England. Next year,
03:37there's a game in Spain. There have been talks and also a game in Ireland. There are talks that
03:43there may be a game in France. I think they're trying to make, you know, the sport a global
03:48sport, even though it's not played much in those countries. And yet people are passionate about the
03:54game and they want to watch it and be a part of the NFL. Now, I have to ask you a few questions,
04:01not just about the numbers, but about the game itself, because we have the immense pleasure of
04:05having you, a former NFL player on the program. This is a repeat of the Super Bowl two years ago.
04:12In your opinion, is this the game that America wants or will there be viewer fatigue?
04:18Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure the Americans really care who is going to be.
04:22And if it's a red team, a blue team or black team, you know, it's the Super Bowl. You're
04:27going to find a story on every game. You know, I mean, this game happens to have many, many
04:32clinching situations, a revenge of the game two years ago, a fact that if the Kansas City Chiefs
04:38can win the game, they'd be the first team ever to win three times in a row. So, you know, you
04:43could find the story and the Americans are very good at finding stories for any event and to hype
04:48up the event like they've been doing it. And as you just mentioned, you know,
04:52how historic would it be for the Kansas City Chiefs to win the third consecutive Super Bowl
04:56title? Well, they would make a dynasty out of this team. You know, there have been many dynasties,
05:02you know, in the 59 years of the Super Bowl. We've heard of Dallas Cowboys, about the San
05:07Francisco 49ers, the New England Patriots, you know, in the beginning of the 2000, 2010. And
05:14the Chiefs are now the dynasty in the NFL and they are the team to beat.
05:20And in your opinion, you know, is this sort of dynasty that that inevitably, you know,
05:24gets established with like multiple title wins? Is that good for the game?
05:30Well, it's very good. But as I just said, you know, the NFL is about what's going to be next.
05:35I mean, tonight the game will be over, there'll be a new champion. And yet we'll be already talking
05:40about next year and all the trading and which team has a chance to be in the Super Bowl. And
05:45could the Chiefs do a four pick, you know, if they win tonight? Could the Eagles be the new dynasty?
05:50It's really interesting how it's way beyond the game. And it's really a business. And what you
05:56want to do, you want to make your supply and demand go higher and higher, make the demand
06:00higher. So when the game is over, you just put it on a shelf and you go to 2025. And who's going to
06:07be in the Super Bowl? And what's going to be the story behind it? You know, it's all a business.
06:11It's very exciting. It is a game at the end of the business. But in the end, you know, it's
06:16who's going to be coming and watching the game. And lastly, and quickly, if you will, as we're
06:21unfortunately running out of time, I'm going to end on a very unfair question. Is there a side
06:25you're personally rooting for? Well, yes, I am, you know, because I like the Eagles. You always
06:32like a challenger, you know, I mean, they'd be great, of course, for the Chiefs to continue
06:36that dynasty. But you want the challenger. They've been there two years ago. So I think
06:40everybody is kind of rooting for the Eagles just to have a new kid in town, a new color,
06:46you know, in all your T-shirts and flags. Richard Tarditz, former player for the New England
06:51Patriots. Thank you so much for your time. It's been an absolute pleasure to have you with us
06:55on the program.