The Super Bowl: An answer to Duane Thomas.

Former Dallas Cowboy running back Duane Thomas asked back in the early days of The Big Game, "If it's the 'ultimate', why do they play it every year?"

Good question...
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Here's Yahoo! Education's definition. Basically.

ul·ti·mate (lt-mt) KEY

ADJECTIVE:
1. Being last in a series, process, or progression
2. Fundamental; elemental: an ultimate truth.
3. Of the greatest possible size or significance;
4. Representing or exhibiting the greatest possible development or sophistication: the ultimate "bicycle." (Or: the ultimate "wipeout." See SB XXIX, San Francisco 49 vs. San Diego 26. King Peter may do a story soon on how San Diegites...San Diegans...SC city dwellars are still pissed at officials and celebrating opponents.)
5. Eventual: hoped for ultimate victory. (see Landry, Coach Tom: preseason speech 1960-1990)

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none (0) -- Pre Super Bowl Era featured Detroit's Lions, Baltimore's Colts, and even the (Name That City) Cardinals winning titles. Yes, it's true. No cable, either.
I (1) -- Packers win.
II (2) -- Packers win again. City hibernates for three decades.
III (3) -- Joe Willie kicks ass. Merger is officially on.
IV (4) -- The late Hank Stram jumpstarts NFL films with priceless gab.
V (5) -- The first truly crappy one.
VI (6) -- The second.
VII (7) -- Nixon calls play for losing team. Hmmm. Sounds familiar.
VIII (8) -- The third. Or fourth, depending on who's counting.
IX (9) -- Now we're talkin'. The Steel Curtain against America's most trusted name in financial advice. Steelers win first of four.
X (10) -- The first of the great ones. Still possibly the most memorable due to Swann's artistry.
XI (11) -- Madden's farewell. Special moment.
XII (12) -- Right thinking folks have always hated the Cowboys. And always will.
XIII (13) -- Another great one.
XIV (14) -- The first one to go to directly to the Smithsonian. Warren Beatty couldn't beat Pittsburgh that night. No one could. The last for the greatest team ever.
XV (15) -- 'Vincible Philly beaten by wild card. Good on ya, Jim. You deserved it.
XVI (16) -- A terrific game that broke our hearts. We didn't know any better back then; thought Anderson was a better bet than Montana. We fucked that one up.
XVII (17) -- Marino's only game. A football warrior comes up empty.
XVIII (18) -- The greatest running play in the history of the NFL helps wins it for Davis.

XIX (19) to XXXI (31) -- NFC 490 vs. AFC 216. (Note: Buffalo lost 139-73.)

XXXII (32) -- Elway! Finally!
XXXIII (33) -- Elway! Finally.
XXXIV (34) -- Good game. LA finally wins a big football game. (They'll always be the Rams de los Angeles to the 'Pent.)
XXXV (35) -- Ravens destroy Gints. Justice.
XXXVI (36) -- Ty! Redmond! East Boston! Adam! Pats win!
XXXVII (37) -- The most boring, disappointing SB in the history of SBs.
XXXVIII (38) -- The greatest of all Super Bowls. More twists and turns in the last 35 minutes than any football game ever played. We'll never forget Rodney Harrison after the game, celebrating in pain.
XXXIX (39) -- Pretty dull game and Rush's wet dream. But Donovan is a HOFer, white or black, or chunky style.
XL (40) -- Big Ben, you are officially the youngest starting QB ever to win this game. More to come, we're sure. Go easy, big fella.
XLI (41) -- Not a fucking clue who will be there and who will win. We'll be watchin', though. For the commercials, man. For the commercials.
XLII (42) -- Still no idea. But expect a new Bud Bowl sometime soon.
LL (50) -- Bill Belichick's last game. Super Bowl win number VIII.
LLX (60) -- Baltimore's MLB Ray Lewis' last game. The greatest linebacker of all time wills his Raven teammates to a 2-0 win over Tokyo. The only score is a Lewis sack of Tokyo QB Ichiro Jr. in the final minute of the game. King Peter writes after the game that "that Ray Lewis may just be a HOFer."
LLXXV (75) -- Co-coaches Stephen, Amanda and Brian Belichick win their record IXth Super Bowl for the Barcelona Dragons of the IFL. Jon, Michael, and Jayson Gruden, co-coaches of the Spaniards, are, to say the least, pissed and jealous. Take a 20 minute nap and then start to prepare for next season.
C (100) -- The one hundredth Big Game is played in the city once known as "Los Angeles", now called "Outer Beijing." The city's Red Army team beats North Beijing's Reddest Army team 7-6 in an ineptly played game all the way around. Interest in the spectacle is on the wane, what with the three nuclear wars and George Bush VII's catastrophic reign as "King of All He Surveys", (2055-2059 AD). You think the "voters" would have learned following the disasterous George P. Bush "Armed and Fabulous" Presidency of 2020-2024.
D (500) -- Game finally cancelled after Game Show Channel preempts post-game coverage for "Match Game 2566" reunion special. Richard Dawson's ghost molests entire audience. "Match Game" and its reruns finally fucking cancelled for good. As is SB.

Overall, it was pretty cool while it lasted.