I’ve been asked 100 times if I’m going to New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII — and then asked 100 more times if I’m disappointed that I won’t be there in person to watch the Ravens take on the 49ers. Most people are surprised when I tell them “no” and “no”.
After Baltimore knocked out New England in the AFC Championship, getting tickets and making a road trip never even crossed my mind. That doesn’t mean that I’m not extremely excited about Sunday’s game. I just don’t have the desire to watch it in person.
Some of that has to do with the fact that I think football is a TV sport. My family used to have Ravens season tickets and my brother and I would go to a few games a year and watch the team from the 400 level at M&T Bank Stadium. We’d brave the Pittsburgh fans during Steelers week, freeze our asses off in December and dodge the drunks after the night games (1 PM games too, I guess).
But I began enjoying football much more from my couch than I did from my plastic purple seat. I like hearing the commentary, following the conversation on twitter and checking in on my fantasy roster. I get 10 times more out of staying at home and watching on TV than I do paying 100 bucks to watch from afar.
The Super Bowl is a completely different matter. There are no fantasy stats to check and it’s the biggest game on the biggest stage of the season. Fans have asked me if I want to be there as the confetti falls if the Ravens walk away victorious, if I want to cheer on Ray Lewis as he dances one last time or if I want to watch Beyonce lip sync the halftime show.
Well, at least the first two.
Honestly, I don’t really have a desire to do any of them. Yeah, it would be cool to be there in person, but I’m perfectly content surrounding myself with friends in purple and watching the game at home.
The Super Bowl has a very corporate feel. It’s at a mutual site, which means it won’t be real loud one way or the other. Tickets are thousands of dollars and most of the media (who can’t cheer) has to sit out amongst the fans.
I’m going to be with a rowdy group of friends. We’re going to enjoy buffalo chicken dip, Ravens football and (hopefully) some awesome commercials. I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all.
Zach Wilt is the Founding Editor of BaltimoreSportsReport.com and host of the BSR Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @zamwi or send him an email: zach@baltimoresportsreport.com.
I’m with you Zach.
Football has turned into the sport of the privileged. Cheapest ticket is $90, parking runs between $30 – $40, add a few refreshments and you are closing in on $200 for one person to go to a regular season game. Crazy.
And now the team has shut down training camp, so kids have little or no chance to see their heroes. Big mistake. Those kids are the season ticket holders of the future.