Michigan Played Host to the Highest-Rated Super Bowl in History

With Super Bowl fever at epidemic status in Michigan, we thought we'd look back at an iconic game. Before we go any further, no the Lions weren't in it. Now that we cleared that up, did you know the most highly-rated Super Bowl in history was played right here in Michigan?

Super Bowl XVI was played on January 24, 1982, at the now-demolished Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. The game was the first Super Bowl held in a cold-weather city, but thanks to the dome it wasn't too bad for fans and players. The match-up saw the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Joe Montana-led San Fransico 49ers, in a game, the 49ers would eventually win with a score of 26-21.

Get our free mobile app

The game had quite a few cool firsts in addition to bringing the biggest game around to a colder climate. It was also the first time since Super Bowl III, that both teams were making their first Super Bowl appearance, but there was one record set that day that has stood the test of time for 40 years.

Although viewership rankings have changed over the years with the latest "Most Watched" being Super Bowl XLIX with 114.44 million viewers, making it the most-watched NFL championship in history. The game was played on February 1, 2015, with the New England Patriots beating the Seattle Seahawks, 28-24. High viewership, yes, but not the highest-rated of all time.

For all these years as viewership numbers changed, the Super Bowl played here in Michigan back in 1982 has held steadfast as the Highest-rated Super Bowl ever played. With Super Bowl ratings dating back to the very first game in 1967, the game played right here in our own backyard holds that spot with a Nielsen rating of 49.1.

Although the game had 85.24M  viewers, a record was broken several times over, the rating number has stood strong all these years later. For comparison, the "Most-Watched NFL Championship Game", mentioned above, had a Nielsen rating of just 47.5.

We may not have brought that Vince Lombardi Trophy home to Michigan back then, but we at least hold the top spot somewhere with the NFL. If things keep going our way we could see that trophy truly make it home to Michigan in the hands of our Detroit Lions.