As America and the world get ready to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers face off against the Green Bay Packers for Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011, we at the American Monetary Association can’t help but talk a little currency about the game. Professional sporting events are big business and nothing is bigger than a Super Bowl. Plus this one is being played in Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones’s, futuristic vision of a football stadium on the outskirts of Dallas.

So how much money are we talking? Let’s confine the discussion to the United States, even though the event is certainly worldwide in scope. Last year, 153.4 million Americans watched the Super Bowl, and the American Retail Federation estimates that they spent $8.9 billion dollars on game day alone. Where’d the money go? Consider snacks, drinks, apparel, hosting Super Bowl parties, attending super Bowl parties – this stuff adds up fast.

Pizza: What says football more than pizza? Super bowl sponsor Papa Johns plans on selling 30 million slices on Super Sunday alone. That’s 750,000 pizzas. Throw in another 1.1 million for Dominos, and 1.7 million for Pizza Hut. That’s a lot of pie. Don’t forget to tip your delivery person, and right now might be a good time to invest in pizza stocks.

Snacks: It’s not just name brand sponsors like Frito-Lays and Doritos. Grocery chains bargain brands will be doing a brisk business too. Estimates are that 166 million pounds of potato chips, tortilla chips, corn chips, pretzels, popcorn, nuts, etc will be consumed on February 6. That’s nearly $645 million dollars.

Apparel: Even if your team didn’t make it to the big game, there’s a good chance you’re going to show your loser spirit by plunking down money at Dicks Sporting Goods, Foot Locker, etc. Plus expect sales of participating teams jerseys like Super Bowl quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger to soar.

We have just two more words to say when it comes to money being spent in pursuit of Super Bowl festivities: beer and big screen televisions. Actually that was five words but you get the idea.

The American Monetary Association Team

Flickr / bilinkis