Trivial Pursuits in New Jersey

I wanted to post something that might help you sound like a Super-expert on Sunday, but nothing came to mind until somebody fumbled some interesting stuff my way and I decided to pick it up and run with it. 

I did a very little bit of research to create a little Trivia game that might add a little levity during time-outs, concussions, instant replays and over-long reviews.

Warning to those planning to charge a cover for your Super Bowl party:  Section 110 of the copyright law says you can show the game to a big crowd, provided you’re not charging a fee for people to watch it and that when you tune in, you only use a single receiving apparatus of a kind commonly used in private homes.

What is a Seahawk? A seahawk is another name for an osprey — also called fisher hawks. Basically, they are fishing birds that swoop down and grab prey right out of the water.  Like a certain corner back swoops and grabs interceptions.

• 2013 Salary Caps are close:  Seattle won: $133,800,000 compared to Denver’s $132,900,000.
• Broncos QB, Peyton Manning earned $19.2 million in 2013. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson earned $526,217. 
• Lowest salaries: Denver – Julius Thomas $420,758;  Seattle – Michael Morgan $465,000
• The average cheerleader makes between $50 and $75 per game. 
• Who came up with the huddle? His name was Paul Hubbard. In the 1940’s he was the quarterback for Gallaudet University (a university for the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington, D.C.) the 1940s. Hubbard’s purpose was to prevent other teams from reading his team’s sign language. It caught on.
• Football evolved in medieval Europe from “Mob Football.” There were an unlimited number of players and you had to get the ball to the center of town any way you could as long as it didn’t lead to manslaughter.
• Every NFL official football is made in a Wilson Factory in the Village of Ada, Ohio.
• It takes 600 cows to make enough footballs for an NFL season.
• The highest score in Football occurred in 1916. Georgia Tech beat Cumberland 222 to 0.
• The Baltimore Ravens are named after Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem “THE RAVEN” … Not the bird!!!
• The Dallas Cowboys haven’t played in Dallas since 1971 … the stadium is located in Arlington, TX.
• The St. Louis Rams were the first NFL team to put their logo on their helmets.
• The ‘G’ on the Green Bay Packers helmet does not stand for ‘Green Bay’. Though the Packers are the NFL’s second-oldest team, their iconic logo did not come about until 42 years after the franchise was founded! Prior to this time, the team had used several different logos, but none were placed on the headgear until equipment manager George Braishear came up with the elliptical “G” design in 1961. It stands for GREATNESS.
• Since the American Football Association became the National Football League in 1922, the Chicago Bears are the only team not to change its name or city.
• The Green Bay Packers are the only publicly owned corporation in the NFL.
• The NFL is considered a Non-Profit organization … and thus Tax Exempt.
• The American Sports industry is worth $422 billion and employs 1% of the population! 
• 78% of NFL players are bankrupt just two years after finishing their careers!  
• The average life expectancy of an NFL player is 55 years. 
• The NFL requires that all stadiums are built facing north and south so the sun never interferes with play.
• Dr. James Naismith invented basketball … everybody seemingly knows that --- just like 15 minutes can save you 15% on car insurance.
• But did you know that Naismith also invented the football helmet (which could be used in basketball now).
• James Naismith graduated as a medical doctor, primarily interested in sports physiology and what we would today call sports science. He was a Canadian.
• Former Minnesota Vikings kicker, Fred Cox invented the Nerf Football in 1972 … and he continues to collect royalties on every one sold. 
• Deion Sanders is the only person to hit an MLB home run and NFL touchdown in the same week. He's also the only person to play in the World Series and the Super Bowl.