Every February, one small detail sparks confusion and debate. The numbering tradition behind the NFLs biggest game has deeper roots than it first appears.

The use of Roman numerals did not become an NFL tradition until Super Bowl V in 1971. The first two Super Bowls were known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The name “Super Bowl” was officially adopted for the third annual game, and the league retroactively added Roman numerals to the Super Bowls before 1971.

Roman numerals are an ancient, additive/subtractive system using seven letters (I, V, X, L, C, D, M) to represent values. Symbols are usually written largest to smallest, with smaller values added if they follow a larger one and subtracted if they precede a larger one (e.g., IV = 4, VI = 6).

The NFL season is down to two teams as the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks are set to face off Sunday evening in Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX. The biggest game in sports began in 1967,

Super Bowls eschew typical numbering conventions by using Roman numerals to convey which iteration of the game is being played. Here's how they work.

Why use Roman numerals when you could use years or Arabic numbers? The NFL has offered a few clues.

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Discover the quirks and limitations of Roman numerals in this humorous article about the New England Patriots' Super Bowl game.

As we prepare for the 59th edition of the National Football League final, we study why the league adopted the old numerals instead of modern numbers.

NBC’s, Peacock’s and Telemundo’s simulcast of the Super Bowl LX matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots reached an average 124.9 million viewers on Sunday night. Seattle defeated New England 29-13 and won its second-ever Super Bowl.