Credit for this story goes directly to the National Football Post, who put out this story earlier this week on all the incredible costs associated with this weekend's Super Bowl. For example, the players on the winning team gets $88,000 while the losers suffer with only $44,000. However, the New England Patriots actually get financially 'penalized' for getting a first round playoff bye as the New York Giants got paid for their win in the Wild Card Round. This means if the Giants win Super Bowl 46, they will end up with more total playoff money per player than if the Patriots win.
The cost of advertising ($3.5M per 30-second commercial), the cost of a ticket to the game in the "secondary" market ($2,100-$15,000), and of course the fans' Super Bowl-related expenses around the country (new flat-screen TVs, 1.25 billion chicken wings), not to mention the biggest betting day of the year, all add up to incredible numbers.
The cost to get into the game is one thing, but the cost to get there and back, much less stay and eat there, will set you back a pretty penny, definitely not worth it unless either someone else is paying for you or if your team is playing in the game. If the Baltimore Ravens were playing Sunday in Indianapolis, it would all be worth every single penny!