If ever there was an event made for Dallas it would be the Super Bowl. Dallas is a city that loves to whore itself out to the most glamorous god it can find and the Super Bowl is the most glamorous sporting event there is in the good ol' US of A. Salivating Dallasites were all in a lather at the prospect of hoisting their skirts and show off what fine panties we have to offer. Local big shots were giggling like a virgin on prom night.
The NFL takes over the host city's stadium, ruling it with an iron fist. Ticket distribution, seating, media participation is handed down according to how the league wants it. Going on 45 of them, they know exactly how they want things to be and they hit town like a 1965 Beatles tour with everyone rolling over to feed the excess. That naturally sort of irked me.
Preparations started weeks before the Big Game. I took some (unwelcome) video around the stadium at that time. Everyone was stopping and taking pictures. One woman just stopped her car in the street and whipped out her camera. We were all gawking at our Jerry Jones Christmas tree sure to impress the world ant the hundreds of millions of anticipated viewers. Forget Santa Claus! The Super Bowl is coming to town!
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Saturday's crowd
Getting the ESPN crew for downtown Forth Worth's Sundance square was considered quite a coup by the city's leaders. ESPN checked out both Dallas and Forth Worth for locations and found this one to be ideal. Downtown Fort Worth has been revitalized by the billionaire Bass brothers over the last two decades, transforming it into a welcoming mixture of both old and new.
The unexpected frigid weather put a huge damper on ESPN's plans, forcing the radio personnel to move inside, requiring crews to work through the night to get cumbersome equipment moved. The sports station was not discouraged however as they found the convenience for food and lodgings so inviting they sounded like a return engagement was fine by them.
When Saturday finally came with good weather, fans poured in - but I was long gone. I came on the two coldest days while the crowds were sparse to say the least. This allowed me to get as close as possible. A few brave fans also had a great chance to get on camera with the piddling amount on hand for the camera to pan. Everyone wanted their few minutes of fame.
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The NFL Experience is a traveling carnival started in the mid 90s as an attraction during Super Bowl week. Dallas had hoped to set an attendance record with 250,000 but the cold weather was setting records of its own. Set up in the Dallas Convention Center it covered over 850,000 square feet, the NFL shop consuming 30,000 square feet on its own. The Experience lasts through game day with the shop staying open an extra two days presumably to sell the champions' gear.
On Thursday night was NFL After Dark from 9 PM to midnight for adults only with the reduced admission price of $15. I definitely recommend it though I think the crowd was down due to the slick roads. I would have liked to have seen more Hall of Fame stuff and other rare artifacts instead of commercial displays. Not like I'll be making a trip to Canton any time soon so this was my one shot for viewing pieces of football history.
Overall the NFL experience was a good experience. It's not something for the jaded to attend but I think it's a great thing for kids who want a taste of the NFL but without the huge price tag that usually comes with it.
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With all the strange weather and grumbling by the visiting media the omens did not portend a favorable game day event. But the sky was clear before the game and the sun was a welcome sight. I think everyone was relieved for game day to come at last, to get out of the house and soak up the fun. I got no ill vibes at all as I transported myself through the crowd, even between opposing fans.
Unfortunately the rest of world found out what I already knew about Dallas: we love the glitz but hate the grunt work. Reality is so inconvenient (see Trinity River levees decay). 1,200 temporary seats were sold but not constructed by the time the game rolled around. There was mass confusion on how to handle this. The NFL holds back 800 tickets for emergency situations and they ended up using every single one of them. However, that left 400 fans missing out on the trip of a lifetime for some. There is no compensation for missing your lifelong team in the Super Bowl.
The Party Plaza fans who paid 200 a pop were left hung out to dry as well. Though thousands of tickets were sold, entry was delayed for hours - for some past the first quarter - due to an inadequate number of screeners. Reports of people literally pissing their pants waiting in line were common. Concession stands ran out of beer and since they had no stadium access the attendees were forced to endure the freezing rain coming down during the second half.
The game was great at least. I didn't want Pittsburgh to rack up anymore championships so I was rooting for the Pack. Steelers fans after the game were down right pissy as they had relished the chance to celebrate on the Cowboys' home field. Try throwing to guys with the same color jerseys if you want to win.
The event organizers were left with a lot of black eyes and hopefully if they get the chance to host another game they will be more mature and seasoned in their approach. There's more to logistics than just sucking up to people (the forte of Dallas glitterati). Despite the incredible snobbery built in to the whole thing, it was still kinda cool to see the Super Bowl up close. But if it never comes back again I won't be that disappointed.
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