Super Bowl Q&A

Q: What time is the kickoff?

A: It is scheduled for 6:25 p.m., but it has been known to be a few minutes tardy in the past.

Q: Who is the home team?

A: The Bucs. The NFC champion was designated the home team before the playoffs began. They will wear red jerseys and use the south side of the field. The Raiders will wear white.

Q: How many seats does Qualcomm Stadium have?

A: More than 70,000.

Q: Who gets all those tickets?

A: Almost 75 percent are distributed to the NFL teams. (The participating teams each receive 17.5 percent of the tickets, the Chargers, as the host team, receive 5 percent, the other 29 nonparticipating teams divide 34.8 percent.) The remaining 25.2 percent are distributed by the league, mostly to the broadcast networks that have NFL contracts, corporate sponsors, charities and the host committee. The league uses a random drawing to sell tickets to the general public, but the deadline for the drawing was June 1.

Q: What are the Bucs doing with their tickets?

A: The team held a lottery for season-ticket holders. Winners have the right to buy two tickets at $400 each.

Q: How much do they cost?

A: Face value is $400 for most seats, $500 for club seats. Scalpers and ticket brokers will seek much more.

Q: Has the game been in San Diego before?

A: Yes, Super Bowl XXXII (Denver 31, Green Bay 24) and Super Bowl XXII (Washington 42, Denver 10) were in San Diego.

Q: What's the economic impact?

A: Super Bowl XXXIV generated an impact on the state of Georgia of $292-million, according to a study by Georgia State University of Atlanta.

Q: What does the game's Most Valuable Player win?

A: A 2004 Cadillac XLR. And, most likely, a trip to the Disney resort of his choice.

Q: Where are the teams staying?

A: The Bucs are at the Hilton San Diego Torrey Pines. The Raiders are at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla.

Q: Where will the teams practice, and are they open to the public?

A: The Bucs will practice at the University of California-San Diego, and the Raiders will practice at the Chargers facility. All practices are closed to the media and public.

Q: Who's singing the national anthem?

A: The Dixie Chicks.

Q: What about the halftime show?

A: Shania Twain and No Doubt are the featured performers. Bon Jovi is scheduled to perform after the game.

Q: Why do they call it the Super Bowl?

A: The first three were called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt saw his children bouncing a "super ball" one day, and a new name was born.

Q: Why do they use Roman numerals for the Super Bowls?

A: At the start, they didn't. It wasn't until Super Bowl V in 1971 that then-commissioner Pete Rozelle came up with the marketing gimmick. The NFL wanted to harken back to the days of Roman gladiators and create an atmosphere of pomp and circumstance. And it's sticking to it, no matter how unwieldy.

Q: What's this red zone?

A: The red zone is a popular term among fans and commentators for the area close to the end zone, inside the 20-yard line, where a team has the best chance to score.

Q: What TV network is broadcasting the game?

A: ABC with Al Michaels and John Madden as announcers. Chris Berman hosts the Super Bowl XXXVII pregame, halftime and postgame coverage. More than 220 countries are expected to carry the telecast, which will be available in 27 languages.

Q: What about that yellow line that marks where the first downs are? How do they get that on the TV if it's not on the field?

A: The yellow line is officially known as "First and 10" and was developed by a company called SportVision, the same folks who brought the glowing puck to Fox broadcasts. The line, introduced in 1998 and electronically projected so it's visible only on TV, indicates how far the offense needs to go to gain a first down. It's more difficult to produce than you might imagine. It is designed to be unobtrusive, so it often appears players are stepping on a line that's on the field. The line appears to be stationary, but it's actually moving at the same speed as the camera.

Q: What about radio?

A: CBS Radio Sports and Westwood One will broadcast the game to more than 170 countries. Marv Albert will do play by play with Boomer Esiason as analyst and John Dockery and Warren Moon on the sidelines.

-- Compiled by Mike Stephenson and Jack Sheppard.