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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — With all the pomp and circumstance, it might not immediately register, but Super Bowl LX isn’t only the biggest annual sporting event in the United States — this year, it will also help commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.
The ball, the sidelines — even the coin that’s tossed to determine which team receives the ball first — will be emblazoned with the America250 logo to honor the country’s semiquincentennial.
“This is a yearlong celebration tied to moments that bring communities together,” America250 Chair Rosie Rios told Spectrum News. “Football is something that’s very near and dear to many Americans.”
As they do every year, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy will conduct a joint Super Bowl LX flyover with an eight-ship aircraft formation. For 2026, it will honor USA’s 250th anniversary when the American flag used in Flag Sojourn 250 — a single American flag that’s traveled to every state, territory and overseas military cemetery — will be in the cockpit of one of the formation’s aircraft.
To help honor America’s 250th, the NFL said it plans to assemble care packages for the military community through its Salute to Service initiative that seeks to honor, empower and connect with active-duty service members, veterans and their families, the league said.
America250’s partnership with the NFL kicked off during Week 18 of the 2025 season that was played in early January 2026, following its presence at college football’s “Iron Bowl” in Auburn, Alabama, in November and the Rose Bowl Parade on Jan. 1.
“Sea to shining sea is what’s really important,” Rios said of the organization’s goal of engaging all 350 million Americans to celebrate the country’s big birthday.
On Super Bowl Sunday, as the New England Patriots square off against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, it will get almost two-thirds of the way there, when a record 213.1 million U.S. adults are expected to tune in, according to the National Retail Federation.
In the days leading up to the game, America250 has been part of the Super Bowl Experience fan event at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, where an Airstream trailer has been transformed into a recording studio for Americans to share their personal stories — some of which will be archived at the Library of Congress.
“The semiquincentennial is about storytelling. It is about convenings. It’s about making people feel at home,” Rios said.
Sporting events are a natural connector.
After Super Bowl LX ends in a blizzard of confetti and the Vince Lombardi Trophy has been claimed, America250 will have a presence at another marquee moment in football: the NFL draft in Pittsburgh in April.
“We are going to the Super Bowl and beyond to show those experiences with the fans and in these beautiful moments that we’re sharing together,” Rios said.
America250’s collaboration with the NFL is one of several with sports organizations as the country prepares to celebrate its big day.
The sports collaborations will continue with Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia and the FIFA World Cup games over the summer.
One day after America’s 250th birthday is officially in the books, America250 will hand off its U.S. celebrations to LA28 — the organizing committee for the next summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The handoff will take place July 5, during the FIFA World Cup.
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Susan Carpenter
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