Fun Fact Friyay

Fun Fact Friyay

Share this post

Fun Fact Friyay
Fun Fact Friyay
This Unlucky Super Bowl Number
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

This Unlucky Super Bowl Number

And yes, of course there's a Taylor Swift mention in here.

Joey Held's avatar
Joey Held
Feb 09, 2024
9

Share this post

Fun Fact Friyay
Fun Fact Friyay
This Unlucky Super Bowl Number
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

Hi, I’m Joey! Welcome to Fun Fact Friyay, the newsletter for curious people. There’s no bad blood here, but there may be some lucky (or unlucky) numbers.

closeup photo of football players
As you may have guessed, this is neither of the Super Bowl teams, nor even an NFL game. (Photo by Muyuan Ma on Unsplash)

Only one quarterback wearing the No. 13 has ever won the Super Bowl.

Share

Taylor Swift fans “invading” the NFL has made plenty of people mad. Perhaps one of the silliest outcomes is that these fans have spent approximately three months following a team — the Kansas City Chiefs — before seeing them reach the Super Bowl.

Think about people who root for teams like the Detroit Lions or Cleveland Browns. Both those squads are older than Swift, and they’ve NEVER made the Super Bowl. Wild.

In any case, loyal Swifties know that the singer rocks No. 13 as a lucky number. But for this game, she’ll be rooting for someone else (Travis Kelce’s 87, of course, but also the #15 that Patrick Mahomes sports).

That’s because San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy wears No. 13. And the 49ers are notably the opponent of the Chiefs during this Super Bowl.

While 13 has good connotations for Swift, it’s proven to be a detriment to NFL teams. Only once has a quarterback wearing No. 13 won the Super Bowl. In 2000, Kurt Warner and the then-Saint Louis Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV in one of the most exciting finishes of any Super Bowl.

Mahomes’s No. 15 has a much better track record. Bart Starr wore the number and won the very first two Super Bowls. Earl Morrall won three years later. And in Super Bowl XXV, Jeff Hostetler and his No. 15 emerged victorious.

The Chiefs have also won two Super Bowls with Mahomes under center. That means quarterbacks wearing No. 15 have won six times as many Super Bowls as No. 13-touting QBs.

Hopefully, there’s no bad blood during the Super Bowl, or else we might have some confessions. And since both teams wear red, we can’t even get the blues during the game.

Okay, I’ll see myself out. Happy Super Bowl, y’all!

Fun Fact Friyay is a reader-supported publication. Get rid of that blank space in your inbox: To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. It’s a real love story!

Arielle Nissenblatt's avatar
9 Likes
9

Share this post

Fun Fact Friyay
Fun Fact Friyay
This Unlucky Super Bowl Number
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Sylvester Stallone and His Very Cute Turtles
The "Rocky" actor has a fun bond with two of his co-stars.
Dec 6, 2024 • 
Joey Held
14

Share this post

Fun Fact Friyay
Fun Fact Friyay
Sylvester Stallone and His Very Cute Turtles
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
4
A Basketball Arena and a Soccer Pitch Walk Into a Bar
The patrons flee in terror, because both of these inanimate objects are very big.
May 10, 2024 • 
Joey Held
12

Share this post

Fun Fact Friyay
Fun Fact Friyay
A Basketball Arena and a Soccer Pitch Walk Into a Bar
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
So, Tell Me What You Want
Tell me what you want, what you really really want.
Nov 22, 2024 • 
Joey Held
12

Share this post

Fun Fact Friyay
Fun Fact Friyay
So, Tell Me What You Want
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
2

Ready for more?

© 2025 Joey Held
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Create your profile

User's avatar

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.