Such restrictions only apply to promotional purposes.
Next week, the San Francisco 49ers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.
That’s right, I said Super Bowl. Not “The Big Game.” Not “Championship Sunday.” Not “Kansas City vs. San Francisco.” I said Super Bowl.
While you may have been led to believe otherwise, you don’t actually have to be the NFL or the television station airing the game (this year it’s CBS) to say “Super Bowl.” Yes, there are some restrictions that exist — we’ll get to those in a minute. But if you hear your local non-CBS station avoiding saying “Super Bowl” in the next two weeks, just know that it’s being unnecessarily cautious.
Non-CBS stations saying “The Big Game” on repeat every. single. day. for two weeks, a tradition unlike any other! @LocalTVSPXPrbs pic.twitter.com/19KgZk1VsO
— Mike Skow (@Mike_Skow) January 29, 2024
It’s that time of year for me to remind of TWO THINGS.
1) Super Bowl is TWO WORDS. Not one. Producers, I’m looking at you and your damn lower third CGs.
2) YES, you are allowed to say the words Super Bowl. (That silly rule applies to marketing and promos. Not editorial use)
— Local Sports Anchor (@LocalTVSPXPrbs) January 29, 2024
As noted by the Local Sports Anchor X account, the use of “Super Bowl” is only prohibited for promotional use. So a non-CBS station can’t advertise a “Super Bowl Pregame Show” and a car dealership can’t run a “Super Bowl Super Sale.” But a local sports anchor saying “Super Bowl” in the context of discussing the actual matchup between the 49ers and Chiefs or the events surrounding Las Vegas next week? That’s perfectly fine.
In case you were wonder, “Super Bowl” isn’t the only term that the NFL has trademarked regarding the, um, Big Game. The following phrases are also off-limits for promotional purposes, according to the Lerman Center communications law firm:
- “Super Bowl”
- “Super Sunday”
- The Super Bowl logo
- “NFL,” “AFC,” or “NFC”
- “National Football League”
- “American Football Conference”
- “National Football Conference”
- Any team name (for example, “Chiefs” or “Packers”) or nickname
While most advertisers just resort to referring to the Super Bowl as “The Big Game,” others have taken more creative approaches. In 2014, Stephen Colbert — then with Comedy Central — advertised his week’s worth of Super Bowl coverage as “Superb Owl XLVIII.”
But again, such restrictions only apply to promotional purposes. Nevertheless, there are plenty of restrictions when it comes to airing footage of the Super Bowl, although, there are also creative means to get around those.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.