Super Bowl Sunday , its the biggest day on the football calendar , the biggest day on the calendar for all American sports. In fact, once each year, in January, Super Bowl Sunday is like a national holiday.

Its true, of course, all across the country, stores close early , other sports do not schedule games , everybody, football fans and casual sports fans alike, make plans to watch the sporting spectacle of the year.

There are parties everywhere , huge betting pools for the serious gambler and for the guy or gal who rarely bets , millions and millions of dollars are wagered, on everything from the opening coin toss to the point differential when the game ends.

No single game in any sport anywhere, ever, has more money bet on it than the Super Bowl. And no single sporting event is watched by more people, in the U.S. and around the world, than the annual combat between the sports two best teams.

Amazingly, the worlds most popular sport,soccer, cant draw the audience enjoyed by the American Super Bowl. Thats true for the games played in the professional leagues in Europe , and for the World Cup. No sport , no individual game , nothing can match the incredible popularity of Super Bowl Sunday.

And yet, the games dont always live up to the hype. Some years, of course, the games are exciting , real nail-biters. Other years, and there have been many, the games are boring or one-sided.

There have been classics , like Super Bowl III, when the upstart AFL Jets shocked the mighty Colts and the NFL establishment with a stunning upset. Final score: 16-7. And brash, young Joe Namath, the Jets quarterback, predicted the outcome.

There have been other special games , like the 1972 Super Bowl which capped off Miamis Perfect Unbeaten Season, the only team in NFL history to win out, no losses at all!

In the late 1970s, two of the leagues titans, Dallas and Pittsburgh clashed in an exciting game still talked about today. Around that same time, John Maddens Oakland Raiders tore up the league and won its share of Super Bowls.

San Francisco dominated into the 1990s behind legendary Joe Montana. Then, Dallas and Troy Aikman went on a spectacular three year run.

Along the way, there was the great Bears team of the mid 1980s , the ferocious Big Blue defense led by all-world Lawrence Taylor , and many more memorable teams and moments.

And every year, in every game, fans took a chance and bet. The truth is its a fun game to bet , if you keep your wager under control. There are lots of crazy bets available so you can have fun with it as long as you dont bet the house.

Plan your betting early this year and your budget. Then, you might want to bet on which Super Bowl commercial is voted the best , who wins the coin toss , what turns up on the coin,heads or tails , and on and on and on.

Remember this: if betting, you can win big , but you can also lose. Bet under control.