As of this writing, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a slight favorite to beat the Seattle Seahawks in this year’s Super Bowl. Attention to the potency of brand names in Super Bowl history suggests the Steelers should be heavy favorites. In an exclusive AdFreak analysis, we looked for previous Super Bowls in which a team with an animal nickname played a team with a profession-related nickname. In the dozen such contests, the profession-related team won nine times. (We’re counting Raider, 49er and Viking as professions, along with the more conventional Steeler, Packer and Cowboy. And, notwithstanding the bison on Buffalo’s helmets, we’re not counting a Bill as anything.) Only three times did an animal beat a professional in a Super Bowl—in 1998, when the Denver Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers; in 1974, when the Miami Dolphins beat the Minnesota Vikings; and in 1971, when the then-Baltimore Colts beat the Dallas Cowboys. By the way, teams with bird nicknames have made it to the Super Bowl only three times, and they’ve won just once (the Baltimore Ravens in 2001, beating the New York Giants). Meanwhile, every vendor on earth of extra-large apparel ought to be making the most of a Super Bowl whose title ends in “XL.”

—Posted by Mark Dolliver