Super Bowl Trip – Day 5: Game Day
I got up and had another work out in the hotel’s fitness center. They have a basic but adequate facility. There is really nothing else to do until we get our Super Bowl tickets at 9:30am so I might as well burn off some of this mega calorie consumption. Pepsi won’t release our tickets until game day, I suspect because this prevents the winners from scalping them (or certainly makes it harder).
Morning workout in the hotel fitness center
We picked up our game tickets at 9:30am from my Pepsi liaison and come to find out, we are in the upper deck of the stadium. This is fine – I can’t be picky about free tickets. At least I will be able to see the entire field.
Driving to the game, I wonder who paid for these billboards. Also wondering if today’s boring game was a hex from New Orleans!
For its arriving visitors, the city stepped up beautification efforts by planting nearly 450 trees around metro Atlanta since October. Thirty new murals were also painted around the city in support of civil rights to add to the city’s artistic culture.
Tailgating outside the stadium
No matter where you go this weekend, you see the Pepsi logo plastered everywhere. But Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola. The Coke museum is here after all. Thus, city slogans have been changed: “Pepsi in Atlanta, how refreshing.”
Coke vending machines have been covered up and/or removed. Pepsi has replaced them. Coke billboards have been taken down; Pepsi billboards have gone up in their place. Coke seems to be taking it all in stride welcoming everyone including its biggest rival.
It’s no longer a Coke town – not this weekend!
The bus from the hotel departed at 2pm and it was definitely the way to go both to and from the game. Drop off was convenient and close to the stadium as well as departure after the game. A smooth system!
Joe is wearing his referee uniform again and it’s definitely the hit of the day! He did leave his sign at the hotel as the Super Bowl prohibits signs (normally they’re allowed for regular NFL games but not for this one).
Everywhere we go, we get stares, pointing, and laughter. I never saw another referee costume the entire day while at the game. Later during the game on the Jumbotron, I did see another guy who had a fake referee shirt on. But it was rather apparent it was fake, because the zebra stripes in his shirt were awfully narrow. You could easily see it wasn’t authentic. Joe’s uniform is the real thing because well….he bought it off the site where referees actually buy their uniforms. Right down to the hat! The only difference between what Joe is wearing and today’s game referees is the NFL patch on the pocket.
Once you get past the security checkpoint, it opens up to a giant tailgate party inside the stadium perimeter
The ushers at the stadium howled with laughter – they were trying to decide if Joe was a real ref or just a Foot Locker employee. He got interviews and quotes taken by the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press. His outfit was pretty convincing and he fooled many people. Seriously, we couldn’t walk 10 feet without someone stopping us for a photo. He had a lot of fun with all the attention.
Live entertainment on different stages during the tailgate party
All day long, here is a small sampling of what I heard:
- “Excuse me, my son is one of the Make a Wish kids staying at the hotel and he was wondering if you’re one of the refs at today’s game?” And then when Joe said no, “Can we take your picture anyway?”
- A man used a $100 bill in his photo with Joe as a bribe.
- “Call it fair today Ref!”
- Later we’re eating a hot dog on the stadium concourse having a beer to which he heard several times, “Hey aren’t you supposed to be getting ready to ref the game?” Some were kidding but others were serious and confused as to what he was doing.
Of course, Joe was enjoying the attention from both sets of fan groups.
To the Patriots he said, “Hey I’m here if you need help.” Which they thought was very funny.
And to the Rams fans he said, “There will be no unnecessary roughness calls on Brady. Free reign to hit him as hard as you want!”
Who doesn’t like to play dress up?
For everyone wondering how I won my prize. The codes underneath the Pepsi bottle caps — you enter them online. Pepsi has this same sweepstakes every November-December. I’ve never entered during past years. By my estimation, I entered about 36 cap codes. Considering the contest was nationwide, I felt quite lucky to win!
They distributed free Rams and Patriots hand towels to wave at the game by the truckload
Game day security was very non-invasive. A simple bag check and pat down got us into the tailgate area around the stadium and that was all that was needed. No long lines. A few bomb sniffing dogs were patrolling the grounds but security wasn’t congested at all. One security checkpoint got you into the tailgate and then we didn’t need to go thru anything else to get into the stadium. Of course, we wore our clear lanyards that had our tickets inside them as you needed those to get to your seats. That was obviously a clear identifier allowing us to walk around. But security was a hassle-free experience.
Good eats at the tailgate!
The tailgate festivities around the stadium were fun with various stages for bands, interviews with NFL football stars, tailgating games and giveaways, food vendors, and plenty of fun places to take your photo.
We walked around inside the stadium long before pre-game kicked off. The lines were never very long for anything…drinks, bathroom, or food. Kudos to the Mercedes-Benz stadium for the $2 hot dogs, $3 nachos, and $5 draft beers which emphasizes affordable pricing for every game throughout the year, even for the Super Bowl.
A beautiful shot of the downtown Atlanta skyline behind the tailgate
Atlanta is supposed to be a neutral location to play the game. Clearly this was a home game for the Patriots who made up the majority of the fans inside the stadium. Walking around Atlanta, several of the people we talked to said they weren’t necessarily Rams fans – they were just not rooting for the Patriots. However, those Brady haters did not have tickets to the game.
I bought a Rams jersey not because I had loyalty to either team. Like most fans, I’m tired of the Patriots dynasty – the evil Brady Death Star must be destroyed. I sat respectively and quietly cheering on the Rams in my seat while surrounded by Patriots fans. As if I was in THEIR stadium as a guest. It was that much of a home crowd advantage for them. They were all very polite. None of them were hostile based on the opposing jersey I was wearing.
I sat next to Christine and Jimmy from Boston who were very nice Patriots fan. They ended up taking lots of photos for me from our seats for the Half Time Show later which I truly appreciated.
Heading to our seats!
We had to go down for the Half Time Show at the beginning of the 2nd Qtr. At first, we were groaning a little bit about missing the game. But as you can see by the final score, we didn’t miss a thing. We had 4 security people escort us downstairs. We got hot pink wristbands to wear which identified that we were allowed to be down on the field for Half Time (the wristbands in fact said “Half Time Show” on them).
The retractable roof opened for pre-game
Now, I’m not sure what all the fuss was about Pepsi’s strict rules. First, they said that we had to wear dark colored clothing. No branding, no logos – nothing that would make you stand out. Joe brought a black polo to cover up his referee shirt and I had a navy-blue shirt to wear over my white jersey. But several of the volunteer performers who came from outside the stadium were wearing “normal” clothing. Yes, some were wearing dark clothing according to the dress code but others were wearing whatever they wanted.
The fans that would dance around the stage were brought in specifically for the Half Time Show. They were escorted out promptly afterwards as they did not have tickets to the game.
The other strict rule was no hand-held cameras for the Half Time Show — iPhones only! Now why can’t I have my hand-held camera? I realize they are very secretive about the Half Time Show practices that went on during the week. They don’t want anyone filming those practices or revealing any spoilers about the show. In fact, a lot of the paperwork I signed I noticed was to prevent filming what went on behind the scenes during practice which of course, I wasn’t part of anyway.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – a beautiful facility!
“America the Beautiful” sung by R&B duo Chloe x Halle who are also Atlanta natives
While we were waiting to take the field, I made a lot of friends in the tunnel who agreed to swap photos of the Half Time Show with me by handing out my business cards. I also had Christine who was sitting next to me agree to take photos from our section. So, I think I got a wide range of angles covered.
The Rams take the field!
We stood in this long line in the parking garage/tunnel going down under the stadium. There was probably 300 people waiting to go on. There was approximately 100 people that were put directly around the stage. We weren’t in that group. We were the next wave of 100 people after that. The remaining people we left behind in the tunnel were somewhere back behind us.
Half Time Show
As we got closer to go time, we’d be standing in the tunnel and they would have us sprint to the next location and then we’d stop. And then all the sudden they’d yell, “Here we go!” and we started running again. All the while, we had to hold up our wrist so the security people we were running past could see our wrist bands.
Anytime you watch the Half Time Show, you may see a group of enthusiastic fans around the stage dancing around, waving their hands almost as if they were choreographed. Well in fact, they are. They have Half Time Show practices before the big event where they decide who is energetic enough, who has the right “look” and those people get to come to practice and dance specifically around the stage.
Ok so no, we weren’t in the first group of choreographed fans. We were the next wave of people after them. So while we still got to see the stage, no I was not right next to Adam Levine.
I’m standing there on the field, waiting for the Half Time Show to start and this camera guy taps me on the shoulder and says, “What is your role here?” I’m like, “Huh???” He points to the panel lights laying on the ground and says, “Are you going to be holding one of those?” I’m like “No.” And he said, “Well you’re going to have to move because you’re standing right where the car is going to drive out.” Ha That would be Big Boi who later drove out in the car. Ok, no problem.
It was surreal being on the field and actually, it was quite hot. I didn’t realize how hot and sweaty I was til after Half Time was over. Those flames that were coming out of the stage were scorching! I’m not sure how Travis Scott managed to dance surrounded by them.
Thanks to the Patriots fan Christine sitting next to me for getting aerial shots while I was down on the field
While the Half Time Show didn’t have the best artists or performance, it was certainly a unique experience that I will never forget. Nor will I forget trying to get back to our seats. There wasn’t a lot of direction on where to go once the Half Time Show concluded.
The field crew was in a hurry to tear down the stage. We wandered back to the Northwest Tunnel which is the one we had come out of to enter the field. There were some equipment guys next to us and plenty of red-coat Security people. I suddenly realized, something felt very wrong. Where did everyone ELSE go? All 300+ people who were on the field with us were nowhere to be found. Joe and I were suddenly on our own in the tunnel.
The Half Time Show ends – one last photo on the field wearing our required dark clothing 
And now I understand why all the others got herded off in a different direction. Because we were standing in the Patriots tunnel! I look up and rather abruptly, there are the Patriots walking by me getting ready to take the field. I gaze upward as Gronk is towering over me. Joe and I are having a star struck moment watching them all walk by. Nobody seemed to pay attention to me or Joe. In fact, if he had taken his black polo off to reveal his referee uniform, I bet he could have stayed down there. Nobody paid us any mind at all!
The Patriots get ready to take the field and we got to see the whole thing up close!
The big headline the next day was about some guy who grabbed a red Security jacket and walked into the Patriots locker room. They threw him out of course. But in hindsight, I see that it probably would not have not been that hard. We were only steps away from the locker room and nobody seemed to care we were standing in the tunnel. After we watched them take the field, we asked a Security person to help us figure out how to get back upstairs. They just laughed at us when we told them we got lost.
After the game ended and we walked to our bus, we found someone trying to buy our Super Bowl ticket stubs for $20 a piece on the street. What??? Then we get on the bus and we found people were selling their ticket stubs for $100 online. Hey, who wants to buy my ticket stub for $100? I will totally sell you my ticket stub for that kind of money! You crazy Patriot fans.
What can I say about the game? I got to witness Super Bowl history — lowest scoring game and longest punt! Well, I have to find something positive about the game. Yes, it was a snooze fest as most defensive struggles are. Luckily neither Joe or I have strong feelings about the NFL teams. I only get upset when the Hawkeyes lose but I take NFL losses in stride. I don’t think either of us were emotionally invested in the outcome. We’re just happy to be here!
This is the risk you run with entering sweepstakes. Back in December when I entered, you don’t know who is going to the Super Bowl nor can you predict what kind of game it will be. You take what you get and you’re grateful to win. The overall Super Bowl experience was a great weekend!
I think Atlanta did a fantastic job hosting the event. Lots of fun things to do, restaurants were easy to get to and also easy to get seated without a reservation. I always felt safe walking around. There’s no chance of getting lost with 10,000 Atlanta hosts walking around downtown in big white puffy jackets to help direct you to landmarks. Atlanta wanted to emphasize Southern hospitality – mission accomplished! Everyone was so welcoming.
The pre-game tailgate was a lot of fun. While the score of the game and the Half Time Show weren’t as exciting as previous years, those are not within the city of Atlanta’s control. Great job by Atlanta! Next year’s Super Bowl is in Miami. The hosting bar has been set high at Super Bowl LIII.
Pepsi sponsors this same Half Time Show sweepstakes every year, so you might consider entering. Check this off my bucket list – it was one incredible weekend!
