Super Bowl Sunday in the USA is immense. The two conference winners of the National Football League (NFL) clash with the aim of lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Across the country, people gather for viewing parties. Advertisers will pay up to $7m for 30-second television commercials during the game played on 12 February 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.
Viewing figures in the US peaked above 99 million during last year’s Super Bowl. Famously, some television viewers tune in specifically to watch ads made for the occasion. For others, it’s all about catching the halftime show. This year Rihanna will perform in the coveted slot previously headlined by The Weeknd, Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga.
At the time of writing, official ticket packages (available from onlocationexp.com) started at $4,972.50 for Super Bowl LVII. That’s without a flight to Phoenix and hotel accommodation.
Yet for fans of American football the idea of being present in the State Farm Stadium for Super Bowl LVII is a prospect that’s mouthwatering – a term that has broader associations with the day. Only on Thanksgiving is more food eaten in the US. One estimate suggests that 1.4 billion chicken wings and 28 million pounds of chips (crisps, as they are known on this side of the Atlantic) are consumed.
Enjoy forward planning? Next year’s Super Bowl will be held on Sunday the 11th of February at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The state-ofthe-art venue opened in 2020 and is the home to the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels. Over the coming months, it will also host concerts by the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.
Stadium tours are a way of stepping into the dressing rooms used by the Raiders and the Raiderettes cheerleading squad. They also mean being able to stand on the platform where coaches address members of the media and enter the owner’s box, overlooking the halfway line.
I toured the impressive stadium two days before an NFL game. The UNLV Rebels Astroturf pitch was still being rolled up. My guide explained how the grass surface used by the Raiders would enter the climate-controlled stadium on a sliding tray weighing 19 million pounds.
The lush turf was firmly in place for my gameday return. Prior to re-entering the $2 billion stadium, I visited the nearby Fan Zone. Video footage of other NFL games was being screened as part of the pre-match build-up drawing whoops and cheers. Interactive games offered prizes and allowed me to prove to myself and onlookers that throwing an American football accurately is nowhere near as easy as star quarterbacks make it appear.
Fans wearing the jerseys of both clubs mingled over beers and hotdogs. Enjoying food and drink is part of the experience of attending sports in the US. Pleasantly, the tribal hostilities that prompt the segregation of supporters of opposing football clubs in Britain were never even remotely evident as the Raiders hosted the Houston Texans.
The mood was party-like and several fans attended in fancy dress. Far, far away from the Death Star, Darth Vader politely waited in line to have the ticket on his mobile phone scanned to enter the stadium.
Without the tour, I would have been oblivious to the significance of the Al Davies Memorial Torch. Named after a former Raiders’ coach and owner, it stands 92ft tall and, reminiscent of the Olympic Torch, is lit by a guest of honour. Fans jostled for photos by it ahead of the game.
Up in the fourth tier, my padded seat was comfortable, had ample room for my long legs and offered a fine view of the playing field. Fortuitously, it was towards the end with the stage on which the Raiders House Band played and where rapper Iggy Azalea performed at halftime.
Finishing 38 – 20 for the home team, there was also plenty of entertainment out on the field. Afterwards, I walked among fans along Mandalay Bay Road for a beer in the nearby Luxor casino. Even more so than a typical weekend, Vegas will be buzzing when it hosts Super Bowl LVIII.