Why the NFL labels Super Bowl LX with Roman numerals

Nbc reports Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will be played on February 8 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

The "LX" is a Roman numeral that denotes 60 (L = 50, X = 10), marking the 60th consecutive Super Bowl since the NFL's first championship game in 1967. The league began using Roman numerals with Super Bowl V and has continued the practice each year; in NFL lore the idea to use Roman numerals and the "Super Bowl" name is widely credited to the late Lamar Hunt. The NFL explained in a fact sheet promoting Super Bowl XL that Roman numerals were adopted to avoid confusion because the championship is played in the year following the season.

The only break from the tradition came in 2016, when the league branded that game as Super Bowl 50 using Arabic numerals. Extensive pregame coverage for Super Bowl LX begins February 8 at 1 p.m. ET, with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET; both pregame coverage and the game will air live on the network and stream in simulcast on Peacock.