A First-Hand Account of the Super Bowl XLII Experience

This afternoon, I attended my first Super Bowl. It was, as you probably all know, played in Glendale, Arizona, and was a contest between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. The Giants won 17-14 in what may go down as the biggest Super Bowl upset in league history.

I was glad to see the Giants win, as I usually pull for the underdog, but I'm not a fan of either team and didn't put too much thought into which team I wanted to win or lose. More than anything I just wanted to enjoy the experience of attending the biggest sporting event in the continent.

As I write this, it's only been a few hours since I returned back at the hotel from the stadium. It very well could be that the post-event high hasn't worn off yet, but attending the Super Bowl proved to be the most amazing and absolutely unforgettable afternoon I've ever had.

I had never been to a Super Bowl before. In fact, I had only been to two football games in my entire life, and they were both pre-season games, so the atmosphere in Glendale was something I had never come close to experiencing in my entire life.

I went to the game with a group of friends, and the day began with us struggling to find parking at the stadium. Luckily we drove together, packed into the same SUV, and were able to find an open spot at a carpool-only lot. It wasn't cheap, but is anything cheap at any sporting event, and especially a Super Bowl?

We got to the stadium a few hours early, and walked around checking out the tailgating. There weren't as many people out as I had imagined, but the ones who were out were pumped-and not just due to consumption of alcohol. The mood was electric, and I felt butterflies in my stomach just walking toward the stadium.

We got to the gate, showed our tickets, got checked by security (which wasn't easy), and I felt an even greater excitement as we began walking into the stadium. It was as if we were a privileged few, walking into the history books. I had never been a part of something so big in my life, and it was beyond thrilling. Then I saw the field, filled with media and players and coaches and hundreds of media, and my heart jumped. I saw everyone in the crowd around us, and felt a collective energy being projected into every single person in the stadium.

We found our seats, sat down, and I sat silently for a minute or two, in awe of the spectacle and energy surrounding me. It seemed unreal to me that I was at the Super Bowl in person, watching real NFL players I saw on television every week warming up right there in front of me.

I was nervous just sitting in the crowd before the game started. I began to feel pressure just being a part of the experience, being one of so many anxious sports fans sitting in the crowd. It was as if we had a guaranteed spot to be a part of something historic; we were the center of the entire world and had the eyes of millions on us, and that realization was tangible and felt us with a sense of joyful apprehension. It was a feeling unlike any other I've ever experienced.

I looked at the field. I tried to imagine having to perform with so much anxiety inside me, and in front of so many people in-person, not to mention the millions watching on television around the world. In that one moment, I understood what broadcasters meant when they talked about a player's ability to "perform under pressure," and was in awe of those who could do amazing things while playing in such a heavy atmosphere. I realized in a split second what I've heard so frequently since I was a child: the mental fortitude of an individual is what separates potential from greatness. That realization is something I don't think I will ever forget.

At kickoff, the thousands of camera flashes going off all around the stadium were blinding. I'm surprised the players can see the ball while it's in the air with so much going on around them. The first quarter was tense, with the crowd waiting for a huge play on every snap. But for the most part it was uneventful, and was a 7-3 Patriots lead at halftime.

At halftime, the crowd collectively exhaled and took a breather from the tense atmosphere of the game. I made a bathroom run, which, due to the unbelievably long lines at the restrooms, took almost the entire halftime to complete. I did, however, make it back to my seat in time to catch the end of the halftime show, which was a musical performance by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. My seat was located at the side of the stadium that was behind the stage, so I didn't see much of the band, but the music was fine. I'm not a Tom Petty fan, so I'm not sure which songs they performed (other than "American Girl," which I recognized while I was in line for the bathroom), but they had a good, solid sound and the fans around me seemed to greatly enjoy it.

One guy in front of us seemed more concerned with taking photographs of the field and the players than he did about the game itself.

The second half was unbelievable. It was close the entire time, and at the end when the Giants scored a touchdown and went ahead, the crowd erupted like crazy. I think there was a special excitement in seeing New England lose, because they were undefeated coming in and, at least for me, I love seeing the underdog upset the favorite. And the crowd seemed to love it-except for the Patriots fans in the audience, of course.

After the game was over, the high I had been on for the past four hours was almost gone. I was absolutely drained of all my energy, and it seemed like many others in the crowd were also. The buzz and electricity we felt when were first arrived were still there, but the masses making their way out to the parking lots were even more enthusiastic than prior to the game-just more subdued. We were beginning to hit the wall physically, and it showed in our slow, leisurely walking pace. The experience was a demanding one for the crowd; it swept us all up, chewed us up, swished us around and was now spitting us back out.

I relaxed on the car ride back to the hotel, and tried not to think or say much for a few hours afterward. I wanted to relax and digest the experience completely before trying to articulate how I had felt during the game or how the experience had moved me.

I'm still not certain how I'll remember the experience, but one thing I do know is that 10, 20, 50 years in the future, I will never forget how I felt on February 3, 2008--the day I attended my first the Super Bowl.

I only hope this Super Bowl won't be my last.