For nearly 45 years, each season’s Super Bowl has been categorized with a Roman numeral. That tradition will change in 2016 with the NFL announcing plans to break the Roman numeral streak for Super Bowl 50. The hiatus will only last one season, however, with Super Bowl LI on tap for 2017.
NFL ditches Roman numerals for Super Bowl 50
There will not be a Super Bowl L as the NFL will go away from Roman numerals for a year and just call it Super Bowl 50.
Andy Lyons
While Super Bowl L doesn’t have the best ring to it, the NFL said the reason for the change was to “further elevate and celebrate the historic 50th Super Bowl.” The league began using Roman numerals for the game in 1971 with Super Bowl V and will continue the streak this year with Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona. The move away from Roman numerals will be the only major change in the logo with the Vince Lombardi trophy still being the focus. There will also be multiple regional logos, featuring notable San Francisco landmarks.
Like cursive handwriting, Roman numerals are a dying aspect of modern society. Switching to numerals might help bring the Super Bowl into the 21st century, but after a brief reprieve in 2016, people will once again be forced to know a Roman numeral above the 12 they might see on a grandfather clock.
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