The NFL Drops Roman Numerals For Super Bowl 50

The NFL will replace the traditional Roman numerals with numbers for Super Bowl 50, scheduled for Feb. 7, 2016, in San Francisco.

The NFL will drop Roman numerals, used since Super Bowl V in 1971, and switch to numbers for 2016's championship game, according to ESPN.

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The league has used Roman numerals since Super Bowl V in 1971. They've become commonplace in Super Bowl culture, but the NFL has decided to take a one year hiatus from the roman numerals because "'L' isn't pleasing to the eye."

"When we developed the Super Bowl XL logo, that was the first time we looked at the letter 'L,'" said Jamie Weston, NFL's vice president of brand and creative, according to ESPN. "Up until that point, we had only worked with X's, V's, and I's. And at that moment, that's when we started to wonder what will happen when we get to 50?"

The league has created two logos for the big game, including a regional one paying tribute to the city of San Francisco, where the 2016 Super Bowl will be held.

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The two logos will have the "50" numbers in gold, signifying the Super Bowl's "golden anniversary," along with being played in the "Golden State." They'll also showcase the Lombardi Trophy, which has been included in the Super Bowl logo since 2010.

"We think what we have makes a very powerful statement for the NFL brand," said Weston, according to ESPN.

The NFL will go back to using Roman numerals for Super Bowl LI, which will be played in 2017 in Houston.