North Americans call it "the greatest show on Earth" but in reality not much of the world is really paying attention to the Super Bowl.
Sunday's game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints will be broadcast in 230 countries and territories but the evidence indicates that in most places few will be organizing their days around the game.
Once described as having a "potential global audience of a billion", the figures indicate something different.
The annual survey by Initiative Futures Sports and Entertainment showed last year's Super Bowl was beaten in top spot in annual sports events, for the first time, by the final of European soccer's Champions League. Last year there was no soccer World Cup or Olympics which regularly beat the Super Bowl.
Last year's Super Bowl was watched by a global audience of 162 million, but the vast majority of those tuning in were in the U.S. with neighbours Canada and Mexico the next biggest markets.
There is no doubt Super Bowl is the biggest sports and television event in the U.S. but it is limited in its global impact by a kickoff time which is unsociable in many parts of the world and rules that fans find unfathomable.
Not that the NFL isn't trying - the game kicks off at 7 a.m. Monday in Beijing and NFL China is hosting parties with cheerleaders.
But in the end, like most Super Bowl fests in the world, China's will be attended by expat Americans and people educated in the U.S.
In India, the NFL was even dropped by television network Ten Sports at the end of the 2008 season because the viewing figures were so poor, with a Target Rating Point of 0.01.
Ultimately though there is no better vehicle for winning new fans than the Super Bowl itself as Saints cornerback Jabari Greer noted.
"We realize that when the Super Bowl is on it is the only game in the world at that time and we really want to put on a great show," he said.
