Sunday, February fifth, is not a holiday/ in the United States, but it may seem like one/ to millions of Americans. They will be attending parties/ to watch the championship game/ of American professional football/ on television. Thousands of others/ will attend the Super Bowl game/ in Detroit, Michigan.

The Super Bowl/ is played every year/ between the champion teams/ of the two conferences/ of the National Football League. On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers/ will play the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks/ are playing in the Super Bowl/ for the first time/ in the team’s thirty-year history. American sports experts say/ the game/ should be a good one. Still, they expect Pittsburgh/ to win/ by a little more than three points. The Steelers/ have a historic link/ to the Super Bowl. They have won it/ four times. But that was in the nineteen seventies.

The Steelers say/ they had another important reason/ for getting to the Super Bowl/ this year. One of the oldest Steelers players/ is Jerome Bettis, whose hometown/ is Detroit, Michigan. All year long, Bettis/ has been telling his teammates/ to help get him home/ to Detroit/ for the Super Bowl. Bettis/ is expected to retire/ from professional football/ after this year. So it was even more important/ to him/ to play/ in the Super Bowl/ in his hometown.

Detroit/ has been preparing/ for the expected one hundred thousand people/ who will arrive/ for the game. The city/ has spent a great deal of money/ improving the central business area. Visitors/ will also attend some of the one hundred twenty other events/ in the city/ linked to the championship football game.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick/ told the New York Times newspaper/ that having the Super Bowl/ in his city/ will help the local economy/ greatly. He says/ the Super Bowl/ could bring as much as three hundred million dollars/ to the city. This includes/ spending on hotel rooms, food, transportation/ and other activities/ in the city.