Super Bowl XLIII
Sports

02.01.09
Tampa Bay, Fl
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals
Then
Modern football developed from rugby in the 1860s and 1870s on the Eastern Coast of the United States, the first rules of which were written in 1876. Less than a century later, the first Super Bowl as we know it took place January 15, 1967 at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35 to 10, making the Packers Champions of Super Bowl I. Roman Numerals are used to title the game because the season spans two different years (this season began in September of 2008 and ends in February of 2009).
Now
The Super Bowl is the Championship game between one team from the National Football Conference (NFC) and one team from the American Football Conference (AFC) that determines the champion of the National Football League (NFL). The Playoffs are a series of games that determine the Champion of each Conference who then proceed to the Super Bowl.
XLIII
February 2, 2009 NFC Champions, the Arizona Cardinals, will face AFC Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in Super Bowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. Both are the oldest teams in their conference, the Cardinals being the oldest continually run American football club in the U.S. today. The Steelers are the most championed franchise in their conference, while the Cardinals have not seen a championship since 1947, the second longest championship drought in U.S. sports history (second to the Chicago Cubs who have not won a championship since 1908). Both teams have dynamic histories, which should provide for an entertaining matchup.












The Olympic Games in Beijing start in 17 days! The same 28 sports and 302 events will compete, but this year will include ONE NEW sport. The new BMX sport will be included in the Olympic program with events for men and women.
The People’s Republic of China is the world’s largest nation, with 1.3 billion people (for every American, there are at least 4 Chinese). China is home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Its sports team has been one of the best performing at recent Olympic events (2nd behind the US in Athens 2004). Nonetheless, no Olympic games had ever been held in China. Beijing nearly edged out Sydney for the 2000 Summer Olympics, but it was not until the July 31st 2001 announcement that the 2008 games would be held in Beijing that a long-cherished dream of the Chinese people came true.
Every year since 1875, crowds have gathered in Louisville, Kentucky to watch “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” known as the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby is a 1¼ mile race for 3 year old purebred horses. The race has been held at the Churchill Downs race track since 1937.


