Edwards\u2019 research includes the economic, social and community legacies of mega sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, with a focus on how these events shape access, opportunity and long-term outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Below, we explore some of the most common questions surrounding the Super Bowl\u2019s economic impact, with insights from Edwards on who benefits, who pays and what the numbers really show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n- How much money does the Super Bowl generate?<\/a> <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Are the Super Bowl\u2019s economic impacts sometimes exaggerated?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Who makes the most money from the Super Bowl?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How much do Super Bowl ads cost, and why is this significant economically?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Do host cities make significant money from the Super Bowl?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Is hosting the Super Bowl worth it for cities?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Are there negative impacts for host cities?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How can cities maximize the benefits of hosting the Super Bowl?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What are the broader takeaways about the Super Bowl\u2019s economic impact?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
How much money does the Super Bowl generate?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nEstimates vary widely, often from a few hundred million to over a billion dollars<\/strong>, largely due to differences in what is included, such as direct visitor spending versus broader regional or media-related activity. Revenue for the game itself comes from media rights, ticket sales, merchandise and advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nAre the Super Bowl\u2019s economic impacts sometimes exaggerated?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nClaims of huge economic benefits are often overstated<\/strong>. Some analyses suggest that net direct income to local residents<\/strong> (the actual money that local residents receive after costs and outside profits are subtracted) is far smaller than headline figures<\/strong>, often closer to the low hundreds of millions or less. <\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWho makes the most money from the Super Bowl?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"Building](\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/01\/national-football-league-building-joe-hendrickson-iStock-1500x844-1-1024x576.jpeg\")
<\/a>The National Football League (NFL) is a professional sports organization, founded in 1920, comprising 32 teams that compete annually for the Super Bowl. Photo by Joe Hendrickson via iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe NFL is the biggest winner<\/strong>, collecting all ticket revenues, tens of millions of dollars from merchandise and billions from broadcasting deals with networks like CBS and NBC. <\/p>\n\n\n\nNBCUniversal pays approximately $2 billion a year<\/strong> for its NFL package, which includes Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\nExpert Insight:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any question that the NFL is the Super Bowl\u2019s biggest winner when it comes to who\u2019s making the most money from the event,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cIt\u2019s a commercial success for them.\u201d\u00a0\n <\/blockquote>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHow much do Super Bowl ads cost, and why are they significant economically?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCompanies pay millions for 30-second commercial spots<\/strong>, which drives significant advertising revenue for broadcast partners and the NFL. In 2025, a 30-second Super Bowl spot cost advertisers about $8 million on average<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe most expensive Super Bowl ad is widely considered to be Amazon’s “Mind Reader” commercial<\/a> <\/strong>in 2022, featuring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost, which cost around $26 million<\/strong> for its extended 130-second runtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How much money does the Super Bowl generate?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nEstimates vary widely, often from a few hundred million to over a billion dollars<\/strong>, largely due to differences in what is included, such as direct visitor spending versus broader regional or media-related activity. Revenue for the game itself comes from media rights, ticket sales, merchandise and advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nAre the Super Bowl\u2019s economic impacts sometimes exaggerated?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nClaims of huge economic benefits are often overstated<\/strong>. Some analyses suggest that net direct income to local residents<\/strong> (the actual money that local residents receive after costs and outside profits are subtracted) is far smaller than headline figures<\/strong>, often closer to the low hundreds of millions or less. <\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWho makes the most money from the Super Bowl?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/a>The National Football League (NFL) is a professional sports organization, founded in 1920, comprising 32 teams that compete annually for the Super Bowl. Photo by Joe Hendrickson via iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe NFL is the biggest winner<\/strong>, collecting all ticket revenues, tens of millions of dollars from merchandise and billions from broadcasting deals with networks like CBS and NBC. <\/p>\n\n\n\nNBCUniversal pays approximately $2 billion a year<\/strong> for its NFL package, which includes Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\nExpert Insight:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any question that the NFL is the Super Bowl\u2019s biggest winner when it comes to who\u2019s making the most money from the event,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cIt\u2019s a commercial success for them.\u201d\u00a0\n <\/blockquote>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHow much do Super Bowl ads cost, and why are they significant economically?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCompanies pay millions for 30-second commercial spots<\/strong>, which drives significant advertising revenue for broadcast partners and the NFL. In 2025, a 30-second Super Bowl spot cost advertisers about $8 million on average<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe most expensive Super Bowl ad is widely considered to be Amazon’s “Mind Reader” commercial<\/a> <\/strong>in 2022, featuring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost, which cost around $26 million<\/strong> for its extended 130-second runtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Are the Super Bowl\u2019s economic impacts sometimes exaggerated?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nClaims of huge economic benefits are often overstated<\/strong>. Some analyses suggest that net direct income to local residents<\/strong> (the actual money that local residents receive after costs and outside profits are subtracted) is far smaller than headline figures<\/strong>, often closer to the low hundreds of millions or less. <\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWho makes the most money from the Super Bowl?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/a>The National Football League (NFL) is a professional sports organization, founded in 1920, comprising 32 teams that compete annually for the Super Bowl. Photo by Joe Hendrickson via iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe NFL is the biggest winner<\/strong>, collecting all ticket revenues, tens of millions of dollars from merchandise and billions from broadcasting deals with networks like CBS and NBC. <\/p>\n\n\n\nNBCUniversal pays approximately $2 billion a year<\/strong> for its NFL package, which includes Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\nExpert Insight:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any question that the NFL is the Super Bowl\u2019s biggest winner when it comes to who\u2019s making the most money from the event,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cIt\u2019s a commercial success for them.\u201d\u00a0\n <\/blockquote>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHow much do Super Bowl ads cost, and why are they significant economically?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCompanies pay millions for 30-second commercial spots<\/strong>, which drives significant advertising revenue for broadcast partners and the NFL. In 2025, a 30-second Super Bowl spot cost advertisers about $8 million on average<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe most expensive Super Bowl ad is widely considered to be Amazon’s “Mind Reader” commercial<\/a> <\/strong>in 2022, featuring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost, which cost around $26 million<\/strong> for its extended 130-second runtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Who makes the most money from the Super Bowl?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/a>The National Football League (NFL) is a professional sports organization, founded in 1920, comprising 32 teams that compete annually for the Super Bowl. Photo by Joe Hendrickson via iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe NFL is the biggest winner<\/strong>, collecting all ticket revenues, tens of millions of dollars from merchandise and billions from broadcasting deals with networks like CBS and NBC. <\/p>\n\n\n\nNBCUniversal pays approximately $2 billion a year<\/strong> for its NFL package, which includes Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\nExpert Insight:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any question that the NFL is the Super Bowl\u2019s biggest winner when it comes to who\u2019s making the most money from the event,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cIt\u2019s a commercial success for them.\u201d\u00a0\n <\/blockquote>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHow much do Super Bowl ads cost, and why are they significant economically?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCompanies pay millions for 30-second commercial spots<\/strong>, which drives significant advertising revenue for broadcast partners and the NFL. In 2025, a 30-second Super Bowl spot cost advertisers about $8 million on average<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe most expensive Super Bowl ad is widely considered to be Amazon’s “Mind Reader” commercial<\/a> <\/strong>in 2022, featuring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost, which cost around $26 million<\/strong> for its extended 130-second runtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>The NFL is the biggest winner<\/strong>, collecting all ticket revenues, tens of millions of dollars from merchandise and billions from broadcasting deals with networks like CBS and NBC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n NBCUniversal pays approximately $2 billion a year<\/strong> for its NFL package, which includes Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Expert Insight:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Companies pay millions for 30-second commercial spots<\/strong>, which drives significant advertising revenue for broadcast partners and the NFL. In 2025, a 30-second Super Bowl spot cost advertisers about $8 million on average<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most expensive Super Bowl ad is widely considered to be Amazon’s “Mind Reader” commercial<\/a> <\/strong>in 2022, featuring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost, which cost around $26 million<\/strong> for its extended 130-second runtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any question that the NFL is the Super Bowl\u2019s biggest winner when it comes to who\u2019s making the most money from the event,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cIt\u2019s a commercial success for them.\u201d\u00a0\n <\/blockquote>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHow much do Super Bowl ads cost, and why are they significant economically?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n