Did you know that the first Super Bowl was played in Anchorage, Alaska? The ball was made out of cheese, the cheerleaders were naked and a group of Eskimo convicts served as referees. The game ended in a scoreless tie when an avalanche engulfed the stadium, so it was never counted in the record books.

In case you haven't noticed, we have a tendency to exaggerate things in this country. Whether it's Weapons of Mass Destruction or the wealth of Donald Trump, we are a nation guilty of telling tall tales to make ourselves seem more important.

It's a cultural thing. Whether it's our wives breasts or our nuclear weapons programs, we Americans ascribe to the belief that "Bigger is Better'. Naturally, this is a country of Winners. And to prove it, anything we do must be the most massive, most important, and most outrageous.

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The Super Bowl may be the paramount illustration of this phenomenon. What started as a simple championship game has morphed into a self-proclaimed national holiday. It's an annual orgy of gluttony and greed, and it represents a hyper-conglomeration of American corporate, athletic, military and social interests.

As The Game has grown to legendary status, so to has the number of wild and baseless claims surrounding it -- the Super Bowl myths. And since we all want to be involved with something larger than ourselves we all take part in the propagation of these lies.

Here is a short list of some of the wacky theories and Super Bowl myths that people have concerning Super Bowl Sunday. Make sure that if you hear someone spouting this nonsense, you slam down your drink, cast an accusatory finger in his or her direction, and scream "LIAR!" loud enough for everyone to hear.

Or maybe just direct them to this site.

The Rumor: Before Super Bowl XXII between Washington and Denver, a reporter asked Redskins quarterback Doug Williams, "How long have you been a black quarterback?"
The Truth: This myth is often used to epitomize the ridiculous things that people (especially the overzealous media) say and do during the weeks leading up to the Big Game.

Actually, no reports about the incident existed until the weeks after this Super Bowl. Also, all of the reports differed in both the wording of the question as well as Williams' response to it. Finally, no attribution to a writer or media outlet was every claimed. People just passed it on that, "A white reporter said…"

What actually happened is that a reporter asked Williams a reasonable, but poorly worded question regarding his race. Apparently, Williams misunderstood the question, and thought he was repeating it when he said, "How long have I been a black quarterback?"

The Rumor: Domestic violence reaches its zenith on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Truth: Because we football fans are brutish, wife-pounding Neanderthals, it's easy to understand how this one could get around. The myth was started in 1993 when a coalition of women's groups held a press conference in California and used "anecdotal evidence" to suggest SBS is the "biggest day of the year for violence against women."

Ken Ringle, a reporter for The Washington Post, did some investigating and actually debunked all of the sources and studies that were used as the crux of these claims. There's never been any evidence to prove that it's a fact, but this conjecture is useful because it helps spread awareness about a very serious and sickening problem.

The Rumor: The water mains in your city could break due to massive amounts of flushing toilets.
The Truth: That is a load of, well, you know. The idea is that old sewer systems can't contain the massive water flow that occurs when everyone gets up to go to the bathroom during halftime or at the conclusion of the game.

While a lot of people are flushing at halftime, no reported incidents have ever occurred to support this original claim. In 1984 a 16-inch water main busted in Salt Lake City on SBS, but there was never a "causal link" established between the two events. I'm sure it was just a coincidence.

The Rumor: Which team wins the Super Bowl is an indicator of what the stock market will do this year.
The Truth: Actually, this one might have some legs. The theory is that an AFC victory foreshadows a bear market, while an NFC win predicts a bull market. This gauge has been on the money 31 of 39 times (79 percent).

The hypothesis had a spotty run between 1998-2001, where it was incorrect four consecutive times. Also, it isn't the only alleged predictor of Wall Street success or failure. Rumor has it that whatever the market does in January is going to determine what it does for the year. Since 1950 this measure has actually been correct 92.5 percent of the time.

The Rumor: Two-thirds of all avocados sold in the US are bought within three weeks of Super Bowl Sunday.
The Truth: Sales of avocados do increase, due to the high quantity of guacamole consumed. But the boon is nowhere near the numbers reported.

According to the California Avocado Commission (yes, one actually exists) in the weeks surrounding SBS, about 8 million pounds of avocados (five percent of yearly sales) are sold. That still pales in comparison to the 14 million pounds sold during Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

Questions or comments for Robert? Email him at robert@docsports.com.

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