I get your comparison to Superbowl to highlight the popularity to people abroad. A sibling mentions the football world championship.
But other than popularity there's big differences. Both Superbowl and world cup are highly organized, highly commercial events, planned way in advance, where top athletes perform.
The Elfstedentocht always comes unexpectedly. When there is a cold snap in the weather, a fever starts brewing among the population. As ice grows thicker people from all walks of life start to get involved to organize the event. Pumping stations stop their operation to improve ice conditions, crossings are created on patches of bad ice where one walks with skates over land (called 'kluunen'), and all across the track people start to sell hot chocolate and soup. The event is a huge social happening, not just for the top athletes. The people that come last over the finish line or the ones that just did not make it within the set timeframes are as much heroes as the winner of the tour.
Elfstedentocht is very much an event by the people, not an entertainment provided for the people.
> As ice grows thicker people from all walks of life start to get involved to organize the event.
This is not completely accurate. Sure, koek-en-zopie stuff might be organized by local restaurants or whatever, but the Elfstedentocht itself is prepared (almost) completely every single year. There is a whole foundation with internal hierarchy that oversees the process. The whole parcourse can be constructed on a 48 hour notice. The waterschappen don't stop their pumps out of hospitality or something, it is all pretty well organized.
I don't actually know, but waterschappen are elected bodies (in elections that are completely separate from those for local and national government, and in which all residents, including foreigners, can vote).
Presumably making the effort to allow skating is a vote winner. Even in places outside Friesland, when it looks like skating will be possible various authorities take steps to encourage ice formation by closing sluice gates and stopping boat traffic.
It's actually pretty well organised, since it's a big event, lots of things need to come together to be able to organise it in 48hrs time. Also the Dutch government has classified it as a so-called 'GRIP-1' type event, which means that all kinds of things have to be coordinated with the local & national government.
There is a great documentary (in Dutch) that shows what the foundation behind the Elfstedentocht has to go through every year to make sure they're ready in case the conditions are right to organise the race, not sure if it's available outside of NL:
Sounds like Vasaloppet, but rarer. It does have an organizer though, but still huge amounts of volunteers along and it's definitely an achievement just to complete it.
But other than popularity there's big differences. Both Superbowl and world cup are highly organized, highly commercial events, planned way in advance, where top athletes perform.
The Elfstedentocht always comes unexpectedly. When there is a cold snap in the weather, a fever starts brewing among the population. As ice grows thicker people from all walks of life start to get involved to organize the event. Pumping stations stop their operation to improve ice conditions, crossings are created on patches of bad ice where one walks with skates over land (called 'kluunen'), and all across the track people start to sell hot chocolate and soup. The event is a huge social happening, not just for the top athletes. The people that come last over the finish line or the ones that just did not make it within the set timeframes are as much heroes as the winner of the tour.
Elfstedentocht is very much an event by the people, not an entertainment provided for the people.