This Super Bowl, either Matt Ryan will have won his first and the Falcons’ first Super Bowl and have had his name etched in the history books by defeating the greatest playoff quarterback of all-time, or Tom Brady will have won his fifth and record-setting championship.

That is all beside the point, though. Everyone―well, most everyone―has heard of the Puppy Bowl: that “football game” where cute little puppies run around on a specially-designed “football field,” tackling and wrestling one another in that adorable puppy way.

Alright, time to settle this. Which is better: the Super Bowl or the Puppy Bowl?

Super Bowl

Shane Hulsey

Money talks. According to statista.com, last year’s Super Bowl generated an estimated $620 million in revenue for the NFL. That is over a half billion dollars. Where is that kind of money, Puppy Bowl?

The Puppy Bowl is cute and all, but this is real football: real human beings on a real field playing a real game, and usually an extremely competitive one at that. Aside from Super Bowl XLVIII when the Seattle Seahawks completely dismantled the Denver Broncos, the other five Super Bowls since Super Bowl XLV have been decided by a combined 31 points. That includes Super Bowl 50 last season in which the Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers by 14, the ending score being 24-10, and anyone who watched that game knows it was a better game than what the score indicates.

Football is America’s game; it is a tradition that has been a part of the culture for over 100 years. Nothing can replace kicking back and watching two of the best teams slug it out for the Lombardi Trophy. Even the commercials are entertaining. There is never a dull moment, which makes the Super Bowl the single greatest sporting event in the country.

Puppy Bowl 

Sam Bettis

According to some online sources, the Puppy Bowl is a program that mimics the Super Bowl. However, the real football players are on Team Ruff and Team Fluff. 

The Puppy Bowl is an annual program played on Animal Planet the same day as the Super Bowl. It consists of a dozen puppies on a puppy sized football field playing their little tails off. It is a fun and safe program.

The puppies are safe at all times and if the players get a little too ruff, there are veterinarians on sight at all times.

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will lend their furry friends to participate in the Puppy Bowl. Only puppies between the ages of 12 to 21 weeks are allowed to play.

The 2017 Puppy Bowl starting line-up has been released. Team Fluff consists of Alexander Hamilpup (Pomsky), Blitz (Golden Retriever), Dawson (Jack Russel/ Terrier Mix), Hope (Lab/Hound Mix), Lucky (Terrier Mix), Max (Pit Bull), Nikita (Cocker Spaniel), Nyquist (Husky/Shepard Mix), Oliver (Poodle) and more talented pups.

Team Ruff has some talented players as well, including Beebop (Terrier Mix), Bo (Terrier Mix), Daisy (Chihuahua), Daphne (Pit Bull), Puddles (Shih Tzu), Smooshie (Shar Pei), Squirt (Rat Terrier), Striker (Miniature Pinscher), Sully (Spainiel Mix) and more puppy friends.

Dan Schachner seems very ecstatic to referee the 2017 Puppy Bowl. Be sure to be just as ready as he is and watch the Puppy Bowl on February 5 on the Animal Planet.