Why does everyone make a big thing about the Super Bowl coming to town? Friends from long ago pop up like crocus through the snow looking for a place to stay, roadways and restaurants are obnoxiously full and your once-pleasant waiter is now a tired, annoyed automaton watching the clock or hiding in the cooler drawing on his vape. On the bright side, we have bragging rights to participating in an epic sporting event. Or do we? Participate, that is.
From what I have seen and read about Super Bowl XLIX coming to Phoenix/Glendale, it appears everyone is complaining. For one, the press about the city of Glendale is horrible. The whining from residents and the mayor remind me of a group of bored, hungry children at the zoo. Or maybe that’s the press’ fault. They only report drama anyway, right? No one wants to hear about happy and content people.
The NFL Experience and other events held around Phoenix and at the convention center were a bust as far as the Phoenicians I interviewed were concerned. “I don’t go out in the rain,” one resident quipped. Another resident faired the drizzle and went downtown to see the band Roots on Saturday night. She was so turned off by the crowd and public intoxication she got back on the light rail and went to a bar uptown.
But even so, the Experience and the Bowl were not for us. They were, and always are, for the die-hard fans of the teams who make it to the big game. So what does that mean for the hosting city? Some say the NFL just wants us to get out of the way, and to read some reports you’d think the NFL are a bunch of money grubbing power mongers using not-for-profit status to escape tens-of-millions of tax dollars a year. If you feel that way, it’s too bad because there is nothing you can do about it. Unless you are running for governor or president (and win) no amount of democratic voting, campaigning or complaining is going to change that. You might have a chance at change if your dad is one of the 10 richest people in the world, but at that he would probably be seeking not-for-profit status too.
Anyway you slice it, to be a resident in a Super Bowl hosting city you have two options. 1) Bitch and moan whereby all your (coolest) friends will disown you, or 2) Join the party. And if you feel you weren’t invited, do what I do and crash it! I am psyched to be living in this gem of a city. Big enough to host the biggest sporting event in the country yet small enough that I can drive anywhere in 20 unhindered minutes. I buy ripe avocados any day of the year and make enough money to have fun and live a good life. Really, what is there to complain about? If you don’t like the Super Bowl in town, rent out your house for $5,000 and go on vacation. Stop yer bitchin’.
Brad Wright, co-chair of the Arizona Organizing Committee who’s responsible for the 2016 College Football Playoff title game, said event organizers want a fan festival event at the Phoenix Convention Center and want concerts to play at Tempe Beach Park. Even if you don’t want to go to the game, there are a lot of fun things in town that you can enjoy. Final Four planners are looking at where and how the NFL has faired in our fair city as well, says Tom Sadler, president and CEO of the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority. Just imagine all the fun with music and drinking you can have without seeing one minute of a sports game. And if you are a sports fan, you are doubly lucky.
This leaves us with the big question of what happens after the Super Bowl leaves town. My answer is this: It depends on what kind of hang over you want. Do you want the kind that starts before the party even gets going or do you want to get in there, have a ball and go to work on Monday with an epic headache but a bunch of great memories? It’s your call.