It’s Tom Brady versus Russell Wilson. It’s three time champions versus defending champions. Two massive titans, the Patriots and the Seahawks, will face off on the Super Bowl battleground to determine who is the greatest.
So as I fly with my family to Phoenix, Arizona, I will take The Feather along with me. I want to give a perspective of what it is like to get the full Super Bowl XLIX experience. All the highs, all the lows, and all the in-betweens.
SUPER BLOG POST No. 4, Feb. 2, 2015.
With a trip so amazing there had to be some low points during the course of the trip. Of course there were a few obnoxious fans, crazy protestors, and a few drunken idiots that might prove to be mild annoyances. Even the sun, which shined directly in my face for the whole first part of the first quarter was very annoying, but all these were manageable. Except for one.
The traffic. The traffic was almost unbearable. It took almost 3 hour to leave the parking lot. I became hot and sticky, my mouth was dry, my phone was dead and I was begging for release. But release would not come for hours, I was truly trapped.
But all in all, the Super Bowl experience I had was simply unforgettable. Even suffering through the traffic was well worth it for what I had the extreme pleasure of witnessing. The fans, the sights, and most importantly the game left an impression of extravagant displays of emotion and how to enjoy the little things properly. One might even learn a little about themselves, or about the world them if they took a trip like this.
SUPER BLOG POST No. 3, Feb. 1, 2015.
I truly underestimated the hustle and bustle on Super Bowl Sunday. As I stood calmly in the hotel lobby waiting for our Prime Sport guide to take us to our shuttle; a rude suit appeared from the shadows howling “Clear the way!”. He then proceeded to forcibly shove me and my family and our own attendant out of the way. Hopefully the game is not full of these suits.
The activity at Westgate, directly outside the Super Bowl stadium was insurmountable. The people were countless, almost like a swarm of ants all bunched up together. People were pushing and shoving each other out of the way to make room simply to move. Taking advantage of the situation, a number of sports bars in the area demanded an entrance fee. The highest fee, which is just for entrance not drinks, was $1,000. Now if you want drinks that’s a total of $3,000. That was very sneaky, but very opportunistic.
As we started making our way towards the stadium I noticed a number different things about the people. First being that the Seahawks fans were more creative in their costumes and dress than the Patriots. Blue and green mohawks, face paint, body paint, crazy hats with long green hair poking up from the top could be seen almost everywhere. They are very devoted to their team.
The second thing I noticed were these church folk that took the streets speaking of the end times. They chanted end time scriptures and handed out pamphlets detailing what heaven will look like, and that science has discovered that “pure gold looks like blood red”. I was unsure if I was being condemned to hell or if they were inviting me to a church service.
Entering the arena
As I entered the stadium I felt very small. The sheer size of the stadium is enough to make a person feel small, but the amount of people rushing and dashing past me made me feel even smaller. A big stadium, big people, and big lights make for a grand experience that could leave one feeling bewildered.
The fans were truly a sight to behold, they were just as fiery and explosive as the game itself. Patriots and Seahawks were intermixed, they were cramped together with close seats, and their blood-alcohol level was more than likely over the legal limit. Some fans were fiery and quick to burst at mild grievances, screaming and yelling if someone in front of them decided to stand while they wanted to sit. But others took calmer approaches, and even decided to make conversation with people rooting for the other team.
Though the fans did have their differences; there were a couple of unifying factors. Namely the half time show hosted by Katy Perry. The stadium sparkled in red, white, and blue lights as the Super Bowl attendees flashed their LAD lights. The stadium itself was a spectacular sight, but all who witnessed Katy Perry ride a flying star as fireworks went off around the area dropped their jaws. All were unified, even if it was only for a brief moment, under Katy’s extravagant performance.
More jaw-dropping than Katy Perry’s show was the last few minutes of the game. One moment the Seahawks had the lead, than it shifted to the Patriots, than the Seahawks were a few yards away to getting a touchdown to win the game only to get the ball intercepted. As the ball was passed the hopes of the Seahawks were dashed. With the Super Bowl won 28-24, the Patriots were louder and more fiery than ever, but the Seahawks were quiet; almost silent. Even though there can only be one victor, both sides seamed to agree that this game was one for the ages.
Stay tuned for posts throughout the next couple of days.
SUPER BLOG POST No. 2, Jan. 31, 2015
Waking up at an hour before 12 in the afternoon is no easy task for most teenagers, and it is almost considered taboo or unholy on weekends. But oh, how sweet it was to hear my alarm clock chime that electrical ring directly into my ear drum in the early morning, because that meant Super Bowl adventure was about to start.
Getting ready to travel on the day before the Super Bowl was a more difficult task than I thought it would have been. I was given a total of 10 minutes to get ready and about another 5 minutes to get out the door and into the car to make it to our flight. I didn’t even get to eat in my own house. However, my family made up for that by getting StarBucks inside the airport. And as I sipped on that bitter-sweet nectar from the divines; I knew that I now had the energy to get through the next few hours of travel on a cramped plane.
As the plane started its descent, I could see the downtown portion of Phoenix flooded in festivities. Flooded may seem like an exaggeration, but is is really the only way to describe the tremendous amount activity going on in those streets. When we began leaving the airport itself I could see a sea of blue and green, Seahawk fans suddenly emerged from almost every conceivable direction. Men, women, adults, children; all of them wore the same blue and green, I thought I was in a flash mob for a moment. The Seattle Seahawks should be proud of the devotion they inspired in the people I witnessed today.
Perhaps the most interesting thing to see though was the amount of advertisement for the Super Bowl. Every corner had some sign with some ticket offer or package for the event. I expected commercialism, but to see it on this scale was truly something amazing to see. And some of the Seahawk pre Super Bowl parties at the hotel I am staying at (Westin Villas) were, in a way, jaw dropping. The chocolate cakes with gushing fudge, the guitarist with golden vocal chords singing slow rock, the bright green and blue lights reflecting over mirrors and water is truly a sight to behold. To think this will pale in comparison to the parties tomorrow.
Stay tuned for posts throughout the next couple of days.
SUPER BLOG POST No. 1, Jan. 30, 2015
As to be expected, there were some minor complications in the travel plans. My flight on Friday night to go to Phoenix, Arizona, was cancelled. As I read “cancelled” go across the flight monitor, my heart dropped and thought that my Super Bowl experience was over before it even began.
But like a warm ray of sunshine, my dad came in and was able to get another flight out of Fresno on Saturday morning. “The story isn’t over until the fat lady sings.” I hope that everything goes as planned tomorrow and that this trip will end with me and my family getting to enjoy the Super Bowl.
Stay tuned for posts throughout the next couple of days.
For more Feather opinions, read Aaron DeWolf’s Jan. 30 article, World of Sports: Super Bowl XLIX.
This writer can be reached via Twitter: @RRoggenstein. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather and on Instagram: @TheFeatherOnline.
