You all know how closely Soccer Therapy follows the game lines. Sure, the MLS in Vegas series fell off the map, but it was really out of control… perhaps it’s for the best (it’s definitely for the best I gave the MLS wagering effort an honest go with Monopoly money before any wild decisions about taking my talents to Las Vegas). The point is, the Vegas bookmakers and their spreads have always fascinated me, and the Super Bowl is among the most exciting gambling events year in year out! So when I came across this interesting slideshow with the spreads and results for all 50 Super Bowls, it seemed appropriate to bring Soccer Therapy out of hibernation. I put a little something together and below is yet another post about Fútbol Norte Americano:

I consider the birth of the modern era, pro football as we know it today, to have started with the rise of Kurt Warner. His breakout season was 1999, when he won League MVP and led the Rams to the Super Bowl title. I don’t really know, but if I am trying to pick a year in which the NFL moved from ground-and-pound football to the air-it-out style that does so well today, 1999 seems like a good year (Kurt Warner won the MVP in the 1999 season, Super Bowl was in 2000).

It didn’t take long (when looking through that SB Spread Slideshow) to notice that the favorite has performed poorly against the spread in the “modern era,” and especially over the last decade. In fact, Super Bowl favs are on a four game losing streak – Heck, the last favorite to even win was Green Bay over Pittsburgh way back in 2011! Here are the numbers:

So while the favorites are 8-8 in terms of winning the contest since 2000, they are just 4-11-1 against the spread. Even worse, they’re 1-7 over the last nine seasons (one game was a pick’em). Anyway, I guess the point is, bet on Atlanta! The Falcons are 3 point dogs when they face the Evil Empire on February 5th in Houston, Texas for the grand prize. Or maybe don’t bet on the dog to cover, only a fool would bet against Tawmy and Bill Belichick at this point, and the favs are due for a cover in this game… right?

Other Thoughts on the Slideshow:

-I know it’s easy looking back, but BAL at just -3 over NYG in 2001 was free money. I watched that game alone because no one else wanted to watch it (game sucked too, 34-7 Ravens).

-Seattle v. New England: This was the pick’em. Damn those guys in Vegas are good.

-That 18.5 point spread for the 49ers over the Chargers in ’94 is loco… and they covered!