There’s more than one winner in the Super Bowl

For many people in this part of the country, this morning is a painful one. And it has nothing to do with winning or losing.

There is a large contingent that is trying to crawl out from under the oppressive aftereffects of overindulging. Beer, wine, rum punch, vodka martinis, scotch, bourbon. And celebratory shots of tequila after a touchdown. Super Bowls are often followed by Super Hangovers.

And there are just as many Food Hangovers. Chicken wings, nachos, pretzels, potato chips, cheesesteaks, hoagies, chili. And how about those weird little hot dogs wrapped in dough and baked. Please pass the Alka Seltzer.

Then there is the emotional hangover. After every Super Bowl there is one city full of distraught people forming a vigilante gang to exact vengeance on all living relatives of celebrated sportswriter Grantland Rice, who once wrote, “It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how you play the game.”

And don’t forget another segment that lives by the credo: “It’s not whether you win or lose the game, it’s whether you cover the spread.” Sports wagering reaches its annual high each year during Super Bowl Week. Even the most ardent non-gamblers can’t resist the opportunity to purchase a block on one of those big square boards that lead to payoffs for the correct score at the end of each quarter, halftime and at the end of the game.

Economically, there are more winners than losers during Super Bowl Week.

The many gas stations that leased part of their lot to entrepreneurs who sold an amazing array of football-related shirts certainly were winners. The “Philly Philly” shirt was the big winner this year.

And the food purveyors who had cultivated a reputation over the years for either tomato pie or chicken wings certainly cashed in on their specialty over the weekend. There is a rush every Super Bowl … but the staggering amount of Super Bowl parties for the return of the Philadelphia Eagles to the big game led to record sales.

Of course, nobody cashes in on the popularity of football’s pinnacle event more than the television networks.

Last year Fox hosted the Super Bowl and netted $419 million in advertising revenue. This year NBC has the pleasure of televising the game … and raking in the big bucks. Total revenue is expected to eclipse last year’s record amount, as the price tag for a 30-second commercial reached $5 million. That doesn’t even count the cost of production for the commercials – a cost driven high by the intense competition between the advertisers for what is considered the best sales pitch.

Annually, the Super Bowl is the most-watched

television event in America. In 2015 it hit a record number of 115 million viewers. Last year it was a tick down at 111 million but that hasn’t stopped the spending. Obviously, the advertisers are betting that the strength of their commercial will result in a record sale of Bud Light, M&M’S, KFC chicken, Avocados from Mexico, King’s Hawaiian rolls, Pepsi, Coke, Mountain Dew … and the usual array of automobiles from Audi, Buick, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Kia, Lexus and Mercedes Benz. What, no Studebaker commercial?

Even Turkish Airlines is running a commercial during the Super Bowl. Not sure the connection is readily understandable … but NBC is more than willing

to collect the fee.

And, coinciding with the network television windfall, there was the enormous demand for new television sets. Outlets such as Best Buy, Walmart, Costco, BJ’s and Amazon featured amazing prices on televisions all week – prices that rivalled what is normally reserved for the wee hours of the morning on Black Friday. Many buyers couldn’t resist the rare opportunity to watch the Eagles in the Super Bowl … on the biggest and best television of their lives.

Not every business rakes in the dough during Super Bowl weekend. It’s a safe bet that most movie theaters were empty after 6 p.m. last night throughout the Greater Philadelphia area.

Winners and losers. They go way beyond the final score of the Big Game. In some cases, it may take days or even weeks to tally the economic final score.

And, don’t forget, each year there is the additional revenue generated by a victory parade. And the disappointment, in another city, from not having one.

Tony Leodora is president of TL Golf Services, host of the weekly Golf-Talk Live radio show on WNTP 990-AM and host of the Traveling Golfer television show — as well as editor of Golf-Styles magazine. He is former sports editor of The Times Herald. Send comments to tlgolfservices@aol.com.