ROMAN NUMERALS

There's some sporting contest going on, where they count the event in Roman numerals. Apparently, it's something called Superbowl XLIX, which my limited knowledge of the system tells me is number 49.

How did the Romans conquer half the known world with such an odd numbering system? For a start, it takes quite a lot of chiselling to mark out two Xs, one L and an I. Basic maths must have been a nightmare.

Also, why is it not Superbowl IL? Surely, the system is simplest when you can recreate things with as few characters as possible? If it really is via romanus to use the old take-off-a-smaller-unit-from-the-subsequent-larger-unit method (IX = 9) then surely, IL is way better than XLIX? I reckon, even I could hammer out a half-decent IL, given the right tools.

Not that the Americans are chiselling out Roman numerals all over their sports stadia. That would be daft and weird - and it would take up most of the half-time entertainment slot, with millions of people watching a guy on a ladder bashing out an XLIX, hoping, beyond hope, that they won't make him also do the scoreboard. Plus, I can't imagine Katy Perry being too happy about it either, tapping her sparkly toes and looking at her watch to the sound of a lone hammer and chisel, echoing through the stadium.

"And XII has the ball..."

No, the Americans have a much more modern way of displaying information. Curious then, that they haven't discovered the beautiful simplicity of actual numbers. I mean, why are they using Roman numerals anyway? Surely, most Americans are only going to google XLIX and What does XLIX mean? What's the point? Call me old-fashioned, but I'm not old-fashioned enough to know that we all use arabic numbers much more often, and much more simply than anyone using this archaic system! There's got to be a reason, don't you think, why maths is easier like this?

And why stop with the Romans anyway? Perhaps you should start scoring baseball with Nordic rune stones? Maybe, Babylonian cuneiform should make an appearance at hockey matches? Actually, that kind of thing might liven football (sorry, soccer) up a bit.

I'm not having a go, Americans, I'm really not. There are plenty of weirder things you guys do that I could pick on, and likewise you could select almost anything you like from our lexicon of eccentricity, over here in Blighty.

One of them is Brits who stay up through the night to watch the Superbowl. You won't catch me doing that. It's already XXIII:LII, after all.