NFL fans' math and history know-how is put to the test any time they're confronted with a Super Bowl logo.
The NFL's championship game is the biggest event in North American sports. It garners more views than just about any other televised event and dominates the news cycle for two weeks.
Yet there's one aspect of the game that tends to be a bit confusing, even for the smartest of football fans: the numbering system.
The NFL assigns Roman numerals to each the edition of the game, which then pop up in the logo and marketing material. But many fans likely haven't had to use Roman numerals beyond elementary school.
Here's a look at how to understand the numbers for the Super Bowl.
What number is the Super Bowl this year?
The Chiefs and 49ers will face off in Super Bowl LVIII. That would be Super Bowl 58.
How do you get to 58? Use the following formula: L = 50, V = 5 and I = 1. Because there are three Is, you have L+V+III = 58.
Not every number has a direct equivalent in Roman numerals. In fact, it's largely only round numbers.
| Symbol | Number |
| I | 1 |
| V | 5 |
| X | 10 |
| L | 50 |
| C | 100 |
| D | 500 |
| M | 1,000 |
To get to specific numbers, you line up and add up the symbols, from large to small. But there is an exception to this rule — fours and nines.
A four would not be depicted as IIII, nor would a nine be depicted as VIIII. In these cases, the I is placed to the left of either a V to symbolize four or to the left of an X to symbolize nine.
For example:
- 14 = XIV
- 15 = XV
- 16 = XVI
- 19 = XIX
- 20 = XX
- 21 = XXI
The rule doesn't stop there. The number 40, for example, is XL, to symbolize 10 before 50. Therefore, 44 would be XLIV. The number 90 would be XC, meaning 99 would be represented as XCIX.
There is a reasoning behind this. Romans would carve the numerals, and it was easier to save lettering carving fours and nines this way rather than going XXXXIIII or LXXXXVIIII.
Roman numerals chart
There is a helpful chart that can help fans keep track of the numbers of 1 through 99. It can also help as a cheat sheet anytime someone wants to quickly look up what number Super Bowl XXXVIII, or any other numeral winds up being.
Why does the Super Bowl use Roman numerals?
Why the NFL chose Roman numerals as the Super Bowl numbering system is unclear. What is known is why the league decided to place a number after the Super Bowl to begin with.
The postseason can often be a bit confusing. This is the 2024 postseason, which will determine the winner of the 2023 regular season. Since the Super Bowl happens in the second month of a calendar year, it's easy for fans to be confused whether they are talking about the calendar year in which a team won the Super Bowl or the season for which a team won it all.
The NFL decided simply to label the Super Bowl not by the year but by the edition of the game. Per the team's media guide:
The Roman numerals were adopted to clarify any confusion that may occur because the NFL championship game — the Super Bowl — is played in the year following a chronologically recorded season. Numerals I through IV were added later for the first four Super Bowls.
The decision to go with Roman numerals rather than the numbers used in everyday life also adds an elemental of gravitas to the event. It's possible the NFL sees itself as making it an event not unlike those of the Roman empire that drove spectators to the Colosseum in droves to gather into one large stadium and see a massive event.
There has been one exception, which came for Super Bowl 50. The league called it the "golden anniversary" game, and because of that, the league leaned into the gold element and made it the standard 50 of Arabic numbers. It's also possible it was to avoid calling the game "Super Bowl L."
