# Super Bowl question about home/visiting teams **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-question-about-home-visiting-teams/151109 "2003-01-26T23:32:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twit)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-question-about-home-visiting-teams/151109/1 "2003-01-26T23:32:02Z")
Who or what determines who the home team is and who the visiting team is in the Super Bowl since both teams are technically “visiting”? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-question-about-home-visiting-teams/151109/2 "2003-01-26T23:45:01Z")
I’m pretty sure that they just alternate conferences each year. There really is no difference in this game. The only task assigned to the visitors at a football game is to call the opening coin toss and for the Super Bowl, they use a special coin with each team’s logo on it, so no one has to make a call. I would imagine that the home team gets the first choice on which uniforms to wear also. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-question-about-home-visiting-teams/151109/3 "2003-01-27T01:04:07Z")
Yup. I’ve only watched the national anthem, but I was surprised to see the Raiders wearing white. Evidently the Bucaneers had the choice and chose to wear their road uniforms. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-question-about-home-visiting-teams/151109/4 "2003-01-27T01:19:56Z")
Actually, in football, the home team generally wears dark. ---
**Author:** ![AmbulanceChaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4af34b/32.png) [@AmbulanceChaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmbulanceChaser)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-question-about-home-visiting-teams/151109/5 "2003-01-27T01:41:16Z")
Bob T wrote: **There really is no difference in this game. The only task assigned to the visitors at a football game is to call the opening coin toss and for the Super Bowl, they use a special coin with each team’s logo on it, so no one has to make a call.** Actually, the “visiting team” makes the call. In this case, it was the Raiders; they lost the toss. Don Shula “assisted” in throwing the coin. Incidentally, the assclown ref identified the Bucs as the visitors; you could hear them say, “No, no, we’re the home team.” Flymaster wrote: **Actually, in football, the home team generally wears dark.** Generally, yes. Unless the dark uniform is considered “unlucky” (i.e., Redskins, Cowboys) or the home team is in a warm weather city (usually, Miami or Arizona). ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-question-about-home-visiting-teams/151109/6 "2003-01-27T02:08:46Z")
Assuming the game ever actually made it into overtime, would it matter at all then? Considering the first possession is seen as lucky, even if the team doesn’t win off it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-question-about-home-visiting-teams/151109/7 "2003-01-27T02:12:50Z")
My mistake on the coin. I didn’t see the coin toss. If the game were to go into overtime, the Raiders would again call the toss. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-question-about-home-visiting-teams/151109/8 "2003-01-27T02:14:44Z")
Of course, the only way this game is going into overtime is if Oakland gets to use the special 25-point football on offense. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-question-about-home-visiting-teams/151109/9 "2003-01-27T02:42:14Z")
Now that Oakland is only down 19, they need 2 TDs, 2 2-pointers, and a FG!