The Big Game: Interesting Things You Might Not Know

Sure, it's fun to get together with your friends to gorge on food, tip a couple back, check out the musical entertainment and cheer on your favorite team, but there's so much more that goes into the big game.  Here are some of the interesting facts of the behind the scenes stuff that you might not know about.

1 million- The number of people who will take to the streets of New Orleans for Mardi Gras, which Super Bowl XLVII falls smack dab in the middle of this year. Think of two of America's biggest parties being combined into one that's what Feb. 3 will look like in the Big Easy. (Source: neworleanssuperbowl.com)

10- The number of times New Orleans has hosted the Super Bowl, tied for most with Miami. The rest of the top five? Los Angeles (7), Tampa Bay (4) and San Diego (3). When combined, the four cold-weather locations to host the Super Bowl-Detroit, Minneapolis, New York and Indianapolis would be fourth on the list. Lesson: No one wants to vacation north in February.

$750,000,000- The amount of money spent on upgrades to the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina, including a "Champions Square" entertainment space outside that will serve as "Fan Plaza" on Super Bowl Sunday. (Source: nola.com)

$434,000,000- The estimated amount of economic activity the big game is expected to bring to the Big Easy, according to the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. This still pales in comparison to annual Mardi Gras celebrations, which draw five times as many people but can't match the invaluable national exposure of the Super Bowl. (Source: nola.com)

6,000- The minimum number of volunteers needed to make Super Bowl XLVII a success, according to Job Monkey. Roles to be filled include greeting visitors at the airport and hotels, supplying directions in the city, handling hospitality at various events, and charity efforts such as building playgrounds and cooking food.

5,000- That's at least how many credentialed media members are expected to cover the game between the Ravens and 49ers, representing more than 20 countries and no less than 600 media outlets. (Source: neworleanssuperbowl.com)

5,000- This is not a repeat: that's how many pounds of hot dogs are expected to be sold during the game. As for how this relates to the 5,000 media members, feel free to draw your own conclusions. (Source: wearecentralpa.com)

$200 - Number of dollars you can expect to pay for parking outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on game day, as was the case last year at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. This makes Sunday a good day to own a one-acre parking lot close to the field, which could net around $25,000. And yes, you will be double-parked into your spot. (Source: @DarrenRovell, Twitter)

111,300,000- The number of U.S. viewers who tuned into last year's game between the Giants and Patriots, making it the most-watched program in television history. It was the third consecutive year the Super Bowl broke that record, which had been held by the series-finale of M.A.S.H. since 1983. (Source: AP)