Super Bowl 2012: Another Thrilling Finish Continues Golden Age of Super Bowls

After another thrilling finish in the Super Bowl, the NFL's golden age of championship games has continued. It also reminds us of how much parity football has nowadays.

Since 2000, when the St. Louis Rams tackled Tennessee Titans receiver Kevin Dyson at the 1-yard line to preserve a seven-point win in Super Bowl XXXIV, there have been eight Super Bowl contests that have been decided by seven points or less.

This era of competitive Super Bowls is so great for the sport because the 1980s were full of too many Super Bowl blowouts, with NFC teams like the Washington Redskins, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers dominating inferior AFC teams.

Six of the 10 Super Bowls in the 1980s were won by a two-touchdown margin or more, including three games that were blowouts with a 30-plus-point margin of victory.

Thanks to the addition of the salary cap and free agency, teams now have a better chance to compete for the Super Bowl. Teams can go from worst to first in just one season.

Look at the Patriots—they were picked to finish last in the AFC East in 2001 after a bad 5-11 2000 season, but they won the Super Bowl over the defending champion Rams in 2001.

The amount of parity in the NFL is amazing. Starting with the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, there have been 10 different NFC teams in the Super Bowl. Only the Giants have participated in the game twice since 2001 from the NFC.

The parity in the AFC hasn't been as impressive, but the amount of teams doing well and making the playoffs is really good for the game.

After two decades of lackluster Super Bowls, the NFL's championship game is now an event that usually has a thrilling finish, with the outcome often decided on the final drive.

The Super Bowl is not only the most anticipated and hyped sporting event of the season, it actually lives up to the expectations with some incredibly exciting games that have you on the edge of your seat for hours.

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