The match-up we’ve been waiting to see for two weeks is finally here!

Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers versus Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. The coaches are ready, the players are ready, but the question is, are you ready? Before you answer that, let’s make sure that you’re all caught up on the important events and stories leading up to this game.

“Did You Know: Super Bowl Edition”

1)    Did you know that the majority of the Steelers cannot spell Troy Polamalu’s last name. Crazy, right? What could they possibly be doing with their free time besides learning how to spell his name? It’s like they don’t even care about their fellow teammates. Maybe they should spend a little less time studying the playbook and spend a little more time studying the team roster. As the saying goes, a team that spells together stays together.

2)    Did you know that Aaron Rodgers does not have a Super Bowl ring? I could have sworn that he got one last year, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. According to several credible sources, Rodgers will be aiming to get his first ring today.  I’m still not sure if I believe them, though. He just seems like he would have a Super Bowl ring by now.

3)    Did you know that Ben Roethlisberger took his offensive linemen out to dinner for BBQ on Tuesday night? Turns out Big Ben paid for everything and dropped about $1000 at a piano bar. TMZ even has footage of Benny boy singing Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”. And you thought he couldn’t have any G-rated fun…

4)    Did you know that it’s snowing in Texas right now? I swear to the Super Bowl gods that I’m not making this up. If you don’t believe me then I’m sure you can find maybe one or two tweets about it. I wouldn’t use Google, though. You can’t really trust that site.

5)    Did you know that the Packers first-string running back will not be participating in this game? Seriously. You can Google it. Supposedly he hurt himself or something in the beginning of the year and hasn’t been able to play for a while. I don’t mean to be selfish here, but my fantasy team would have been a lot stronger had someone told me that earlier this season.

6)    Did you know that Brett Keisel has a beard? I, for one, cannot believe that an athlete is allowed to go in public without a clean-shaven face. It might be innocent fun now, but next thing you know it will be a baseball player sporting a beard, or god forbid a hockey player. Let’s just pray that this fad doesn’t catch on.

7)    Did you know that Clay Matthews has long hair? I’m not sure if you guys have heard about this story yet, but it’s pretty wild. Apparently Mr. Matthews has been growing his hair out for quite some time now and has no desire to cut it off. And this might just be a myth, but I’ve even heard that he signed an endorsement deal with a shampoo company. LMFAO. Who does that?

8)    Did you know that Hines Ward dressed up like a cowboy when the team arrived in Texas on Monday? When he got off the plane, he was seen wearing: a black cowboy hat, a black dress shirt (with the top button undone) and a huge belt buckle with the letter ‘S’ in the center. According to my exclusive sources, he even went the whole ten yards and decided to rock some blue jeans as well. Some people will just do anything for attention.

9)    Did you know that brands pay millions of dollars to show their advertisements during the Super Bowl? Why in the world would they do that? They might as well just throw all that money away because it will basically have the same outcome. Put it this way, if Super Bowl commercials were worth the money then all the major brands would be doing it. And the last time I checked, Pop Tarts doesn’t have a Super Bowl commercial. Fact.

10)   Did you know that the Black Eyed Peas are performing at halftime? How unbelievable is that? It doesn’t even matter if the game is close or not, this halftime show will be worth every penny paid. I heard that the ticket prices were reaching the $3,000 mark, so I’d say that’s a fair deal when you consider that they’ll be watching Fergie perform. I just hope they play “Pump It” because that song is off the charts amazing.

And that’s basically all you need to know. So grab a box of Pop Tarts and enjoy your time with your friends and family and remember that the Super Bowl is a lot more than just some silly football game.

Used with permission of the author.

Los Angeles Based Logan Rhoades is the Associate Editor of the website JocksBehindBars.com. With an extensive knowledge of ESPN topics and celebrity gossip, he is known for mixing sports and pop culture. Check out his “Skip to My Logan” blog and Follow him on Twitter @loganrhoades.

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