In every football game, one team must be considered the home team and the other must be considered the away team. But how do you make that distinction when the game is being played in neither teams stadium? The answer is actually quite simple.
To determine the home team for the Superbowl the NFL simply rotates between the NFC and AFC being the home team each year. This means the representative of the NFC will be the “home team” one year. And the representative from the AFC will be home the next year.
In 2022 it is going to be the AFC that is the home team. Meaning regardless of which team makes it to the Superbowl the team representing the AFC will be considered home.
How Does Being Home Or Away Effect The Game?
Now that we’ve figured out how they choose the home team let’s break down how this ends up affecting the game. Without the physical location the designation of being the “home team” comes with two noticeable changes. Those changes being their jersey selection and the coin toss.
Jersey Selection
Being the home team you are able to select your jerseys first. Since the opposing team cannot be wearing similar jerseys. They must select their jerseys based on the colours you have picked.
This means if you decide to wear your white uppers then the opposing team will have to wear their coloured uppers. Now it is fair to say that the jerseys the players are wearing have no effect on the game at all. But you would be disagreeing with one of the games all-time greats in Dion Sanders.
“You look good, you feel good, you play good” has been said a million times on the football field. And if the saying holds true it should give a slight advantage to the “home” team at the Superbowl.
The Coin Toss
The other situation in which you may be affected from the home and away designation is at the coin toss. It is a rule in the NFL that the away teams captain is the player that calls the coin toss. This also includes an overtime coin toss.
If you have the home advantage in the Superbowl you will not be able to call the toss. Now calling the toss is not a real advantage or disadvantage as the odds are truly fifty-fifty. But some teams and especially some captains would want the future in their hands. This means they would prefer to call the toss themselves as opposed to the other team.
So in conclusion, the two changes that come about from the home or away designation should not have much of an impact on the game. Though the coin toss and jersey selection are not totally unimportant they are not likely to have an impact on the final result.
What Teams Have Actually Played At Home For The Superbowl?
In fact the only team to every actually play on their home turf in the Superbowl is the 2020 Tamp Bay Buccaneers.
Despite the Superbowl being held in NFL cities for many years the team city that was hosting never had their team make it until 2020. During this Superbowl, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were also the home team due to it being the AFC’s turn this year.
Though if Tampa Bay made and hosted the superbowl during a year in which it was the NFC’s turn to be the “home” team they could actually be labelled as the “away” team while playing in their own staidum.
The Superbowl is being hosted in SoFi Stadium in 2022 which is the home of the Los Angeles Rams. If Sean Mccvay can work his magic with his new quarterback Matthew Stafford. Then there is a chance we see another real home game in the Superbowl.
