For nearly 60 years, the Super Bowl has become a central part of American culture well beyond the sphere of pro football. And for many, the Super Bowl also prompts the need to touch up on a certain other piece of culture that always re-enters the collective conscience around Super Bowl time.
The Super Bowl is one of the select few mainstream events still using Roman numerals, a system that has largely been forgotten outside of certain spaces. Although the numeral system of Ancient Rome began to fall out of use in favor of Arabic numerals around the 14th century, there are still a few instances in which Roman numerals are commonly used: on clock faces, to identify lineages — particularly for royalty and other important figures — and to denote each edition of the Super Bowl.
While the use of a classical numeral system contributes somewhat to the gravitas surrounding each Super Bowl, it’s always important to remember exactly why the NFL’s championship game uses the Roman numeral system, and also sharpen up on how Roman numerals are read to begin with.
Why does the Super Bowl use Roman numerals?
The use of Roman numerals for each Super Bowl dates back to the fifth Super Bowl, with the league adopting the use of the system to avoid confusion over the year the game is associated with. The Super Bowl is always played in the year following a chronologically recorded season, so while this Super Bowl is being played in 2025, the game itself will determine the champion of the 2024 NFL season.
In addition, the idea to use Roman numerals for the Super Bowl is also credited to Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, who believed their use would add an element of grandeur to the NFL’s biggest game. Hunt, of course, is credited with coining the term “Super Bowl,” and his Chiefs are competing to become the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a row.
The first Super Bowl to use Roman numerals was Super Bowl V between the Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys, and the first four Super Bowls were retroactively renamed as Super Bowls I, II, III and IV respectively. The first two Super Bowls had initially been called the “AFL-NFL World Championship Game,” and though the Super Bowl name was adopted starting with Super Bowl III, it was still tagged as the “World Championship Game” without the use of a chronological numeral.
The Super Bowl has used Roman numerals ever since, with one notable exception: For the 2015 season, the NFL elected to refer to the 50th edition of the game as “Super Bowl 50” instead of “Super Bowl L,” as the letter L is far better understood as signifying losses in football. The 2015 Carolina Panthers were spared the indignity of having been known as Super Bowl L’s losing team, and the traditional nomenclature was restored the next year with Super Bowl LI.
How to read Roman numerals
Roman numerals use the letters of the alphabet, which are then used in combination the higher the number. The symbols for numbers 1-10 are as follows:
- 1 – I
- 2 – II
- 3 – III
- 4 – IV
- 5 – V
- 6 – VI
- 7 – VII
- 8 – VIII
- 9 – IX
- 10 – X
In literal terms, the prefixes or suffixes in Roman numerals read out as being either less than or greater than either the number five or 10. For example, a literal reading of the Roman numeral IV would be “one less than five,” and the numeral VIII would be “three greater than five.” After the number 19 (XIX), another X is used to signify every 10. For example, Super Bowl XXI is “Super Bowl 21,” Super Bowl XXXII is “Super Bowl 32,” and so forth.
As the numerals for 4 (IV) and 9 (IX) are written using subtractive notation, the smaller symbol (I) is subtracted from the larger symbol (V, X), which avoids the longer and clumsier IIII or VIIII. Subtractive notation is also used for the numbers 40 (XL), 90 (XC), 400 (CD) and 900 (CM).
For those keeping track, Super Bowl XL was played between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks in 2006, while Super Bowl XC is set to be played in 2056. Assuming professional football lasts that long in its current form, Super Bowl CD and Super Bowl CM would take place in the years 2366 and 2866 respectively.
While the numeral L entered the equation beginning with Super Bowl XL, you won’t have to learn any new individual numerals for a long time: The Super Bowl will only feature the numerals L, I, V or X until Super Bowl XC, when C enters the picture.
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