Super Bowl LII Diary, Day 3: Being Bold in the North
Joe Oberle
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On Tuesday night of Super Bowl week (you might have heard we were having a Super Bowl here in the Twin Cities), I ventured down to SB LII South at the Mall of America (MOA) for the “Media Thaw,” which was the ice breaker party for all the media to come out and let off some steam (and hopefully said steam wouldn’t freeze and fall on the ground).
The MOA closed Nickelodeon Universe to the public and feted the assembled media with food, drink and access to the rides in which to throw it all up into. Speaking of food, I spotted the local famous foodie Andrew Zimmern from The Food Network chatting with Vikings executive V of public affairs Lester Bagley. I suspect they were comparing notes on the bacon-wrapped meatloaf available at Hard Rock Café, where a band played and someone dressed as the King of the Dilly, Dilly! Bud Light commercials was posing for photographs. I picked up a shirt with the aforementioned tagline on it and will send it to my son, who is a craft beer drinker and no fan of the ad series. I sense he will creative with it.
I sat down to check in my beer on Untapped (a Joe IPA, thank you very much) below the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ride, and was reminded of my discussion in the Vikings locker room with Percy Harvin about the Turtles a few years ago. He often would wear a Turtles stocking hat here in the winter, and since my kid loved the TMNT, we would chat about them. I recall that Percy’s favorite Turtle was Leonardo. (Whose wasn’t?)
Nearby, I overheard a Miami journalist by the name of Richard Gibson telling someone on his phone that he walked from his hotel to the Mall that day and said “my eyes froze!” He went on to say he needed to get the hell out of this frozen wasteland.
Of course, like a good Minnesotan, I had to come to the state’s defense and warm him up a bit and talk him off the slippery, icy ledge. We chatted for a while, and I found out Richard has been at 32 Super Bowls, so I reminded him that for Super Bowl XXVI that was here in 1992 the weather was not in the single digits like this one. Unfortunately, that was the only Super Bowl he has missed in the past 33 years. He did say the weather here was better than at the Atlanta and Dallas Super Bowls, where wicked ice and snow storms wreaked all kinds of havoc.
Had he been here in ‘92, he might have remembered to bring a warmer jacket and a stocking hat (which had to purchase) this time around. But I filled him in on dressing in layers, taking the skyways and embracing the weather as something unique and worth experiencing at least once in your lifetime.
Gibson agreed and said the area was great and people were even better, and he is actually looking forward to when he and the Miami Dolphins will return the Twin Cities next fall for a regular season game—but that he is hoping for a September or October matchup. We plan on looking each other up that week.
Wednesday was a work day (yes, it’s not all fun and games in the media), but on Thursday, I travelled down to the banks of the Mississippi for a zip line ride across the half frozen river in zero degree temperatures. There was an hour set aside for media rides and I, not surprisingly, did not see my new friend Richard Gibson waiting in line.
Dressed, myself, in so many layers I felt like a real turtle with barely usable arms, I nearly passed out from the 155-step jaunt to the top of the zip line tower (who knew you had to be in shape to sit and ride a cable across a river?).
The effort was worth it, as after the first harrowing step off platform (when you still weren’t sure the apparatus was going to hold your girth), it was a cold, yet exhilarating trip over to downtown Minneapolis. The sun was out, and the air nipped your nose, but the sites were gorgeous and worthy of a few yelps along the way. When I finished, I considered going again, but then recalled the rigorous stair climb it would require, so I gallantly decided not to be piggish and risk sacrificing another of my media brethren their chance at the ride. (Yeah, that’s right, that’s what I decided.)
Instead, my wife and I took in the Super Bowl Experience over at the Convention Center. First stop (whenever going to a new place with my bride) is the NFL merchandise shop to pick up souvenirs for the offspring. While she shopped, I stood like a mannequin in my new SB LII hat and encountered a small group of Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders. Imagining what she might be wearing (or not wearing) on Sunday, I asked what she thought of the weather and she surprisingly said “it’s not been too bad.”
“We had bad weather in Philadelphia all season, and it can get pretty cold outside there in our outfits,” she said.
She was looking forward to the heat being on at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, and she was not talking about the heat that Tom Brady might bring on the Eagles defense. With a bright and friendly smile on her face, she also spoke of how great the people of Minnesota have been since she had been here.
That is becoming a common refrain we have been hearing all week. I am starting to think that either we really are Minnesota nice or else Roger Goodell (who spoke to the media this week) sent out a directive that everyone must tell the poor butt hurt Minnesota Vikings fans how nice they are or else prepare for retaliation from last week’s experience in Philly. There have been stories—but maybe they aren’t true and we Minnesotans are all putting on a great face. Dilly, Dilly!
The SB Experience itself had changed quite a bit since 1992, but only changed in a way that there was a lot more room dedicated to many of the same games and exhibits. The addition of a piece of the Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibit was nice—it had the busts of Alan Page, Bud Grant (with hair) and Cris Carter and Brett Favre to name the former Vikings among the other players. And I had my picture taken near (not next to—didn’t want to wait in any long lines) the Lombardi Trophy. I positioned myself in a proximity that I was comparable to how close the Vikings have come to holding it—which is still not within grasping distance.
We did stop to watch the footballs being made and talked woman who had been doing it for decades in Ohio, as her mother did it before her. She explained the very interesting process to us and then, of course, I had to make smart-ass comment that she has heard way too many times: “And then you have to let a little air out for Tom Brady, right?”
With a quick eye roll, she responded: “That’s on him.”
The SB Experience is nice to see, especially if you have kids (Daunte Culpepper was signing autographs in the NFL Shop while we were there) and a lot of money to spend. And a word to wise, the Skittles new fiery “Sweat Heat” flavors that were handed out for free were not to my liking. Just keep making the tried and true version, as far as I’m concerned.
Friday morning became another trip down to the MOA to pick up the game-day credential and a walk through the zoo surrounding “Radio Row.” I heard some Eagles chants and saw plenty of NFL team uniforms, although the number of Vikings jerseys had diminished somewhat since last Friday when I was there.
I had a Philly cheese steak for lunch, thinking no self-respecting Philadelphia native was going to have that for lunch since there is no way a “Minne cheese steak” is better than the Philly original and the lines would be shorter. My strategy proved sound.
Then it was downtown to check out logistics around the stadium and see if I could scout a parking spot that would cost less than the value of the car I would be driving. The NFL would like us to drive down to the MOA, shuttle back to the stadium and then do the return after the game. And since I live north of the downtown Minneapolis, adding two hours minimum to my game-day travel does not excite me. Besides, my three trips to the MOA this week have already surpassed the number of trips I have made there in the past 10 years.
I might be in for a cold hike on Sunday. But, hey, if I can survive the Mississippi zip line without frostbite, I can handle a stroll across a frozen downtown. Who says the media has it all so cushy? Time to show how bold we are in the North.