There's really no point in playing Super Bowl XLVIII.
Seattle is going to win, and there's only one thing Denver can do to prevent that from happening. It has to quickly give jobs to thousands of its unemployed citizens.
At least that's the outcome confidently predicted by career management solution provider RiseSmart. The folks over there did some number-crunching, and found that, since the Super Bowl win by San Francisco over Cincinnati in 1989, the team whose hometown had the lower unemployment rate has won 80 percent of the big games.
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Entering Sunday's game, Seattle's unemployment rate was 5.9 percent, Denver's 6.7 percent. Bronco fans, take solace in the fact that, when your team comes up on the short end of the score, you'll have an airtight excuse for why it happened.
Reviewing the list provided by RiseSmart, some truly amazing trends jump out, trends amazing enough to make one wonder if this is more than a coincidence. For instance:
Teams whose unemployment rate improved after suffering a Super Bowl loss won the next time.
Examples: New England lost to Green Bay in 1997. Then, when its unemployment rate improved from 4.1 percent to 3.6 percent in 2002, it beat St. Louis, with a 4.6 percent rate.
Same with Denver, a loser in 1990 when its rate exceeded the 49ers', a winner in 1998 when its rate was lower than Green Bay's.
The New York Giants are the odds-beaters, having won three Super Bowls (1991, 2008 and 2012) despite having a higher unemployment rate than its opponents. Only Pittsburgh and St. Louis were able to turn the trick, once each.
RiseSmart offers a possible explanation.
"A case can be made that a fan base with higher employment is more likely to have expendable income to attend games, buy team merchandise, and cheer on their team at sports bars and restaurants. Maybe that additional fan support gives their team an edge that ultimately drives them to Super Bowl victory."
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
