The Super Bowl experience

Attending a Super Bowl is a dream of every NFL fan, and this year the Franchise Tag team got to experience it.

As the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs, this was a week to remember. From the Super Bowl opening night to the Press Conferences and the city of New Orleans itself, it was quite the magical week.

I flew out to New Orleans and shared the same Airbnb with fellow members of the Franchise Tag podcast in Freddie Hall, Gareth Smith and Skye Pank, who all gave their opinions on their Super Bowl experience, along with friend of the show Shane Brennan from the Irish NFL Show and Irish Independent Sport.

Super Bowl opening night

One of the most memorable features of Super Bowl week is the opening night. This gives fans the first opportunity to see the players prior to the game and media have their first chance to ask them questions. From Patrick Mahomes to Andy Reid and from Jordan Mailata to Dallas Goedert and Zach Baun, asking questions to these players was a really surreal moment.

For myself, to ask two questions to Mahomes, who may go down as the second-best quarterback of all time, is something that will live with me forever. Gareth spoke on his experience. As you walk through the media workroom and then out to the field, you are immediately struck by the sheer nature of the event. The stadium is filled with tonnes of fans, there’s television crews everywhere and you are constantly around current and former players.

He said: “A true whirlwind of an evening where first you are brought into the extremely impressive Caeser Superdome, an arena fitting any final. Once inside, you are informed of the order of play for the evening. With the Philadelphia Eagles choosing the earlier time slot.

“The team is brought out as one and introduced to the audience, which comprises various NFL media, celebrities, and fans who are all in attendance. The addition of the fans made the whole experience more impactful with various chants and players engaging in a unique opportunity for these fans who got tickets to this evening. Then, once the introductions are done is where the chaos truly begin. Some of the biggest names of each team are given a fixed podium, and instantly, you can tell where the head coaches, Jalen Hurts, (Patrick) Mahomes, Saquon Barkley and Travis Kelce would be that evening. A huge scrum of television cameras, microphones, and even mobile phones was all ready to capture what was said on these podiums. In addition, around the edge, in addition, the rest of the team was available for one-on-one interviews. In addition to those dealing with media duties, other players used this time to interact with the fans, sign shirts, balls, and other merchandise, or engage in general conversation with these fans.

“The one hour with each team flew by and then realisation of what that evening was. Truly a memorable one that will stick with myself for a lifetime. Made even more special as an Eagles fan.”

Attending the media days and Radio Row

Another key feature of Super Bowl week is Radio Row.

Every television show and radio broadcast are often seen with a backdrop of Radio Row or the Super Bowl experience. This is the big show, one where all media want to be. This is defined by the stars that you see. You walk from one end to the other and you will see at least three current or former NFL players. During the week on Radio Row, I walked past the likes of Joe Montanta, Myles Garrett, George Kittle, Rob Gronkowski and Drew Brees to name a few. Pat McAfee was also seen recording his show every day and even Hollywood A-listers such as Adam Devine even found their way next to the Franchise Tag’s table.

Whilst I did not have a table for my podcast, Across the Pod, who I attained week of game credentials for in New Orleans, the Franchise Tag boys did and got to interview some excellent guests, such as Jason McCourty, Adam Rank and the Rich Eisen Show’s Chris Brockman.

Me and the Franchise Tag crew also got to experience media days for both the Chiefs and Eagles, as well as attending the Fox Sports media day. I managed to interview the likes of (Travis) Kelce, (Jalen) Hurts and (Saquon) Barkley as well as Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan, Julian Edelman and Peter Schrager, whilst Skye got to interview some of his NFL heroes.

He said: “After watching the NFL for just over 20 years, being at the FOX Sports media day and walking among legends from different eras was a surreal experience I’ll never forget. Standing in the midst of these gladiators, players I had watched and admired for years, felt like stepping into a dream. If you had told me back in 2004 that I’d one day be asking a question to Michael Vick, the cover athlete of that year’s Madden, I wouldn’t have believed you. At the time, I was barely scratching the surface of the NFL. Fast forward to 2010-2013, when I was studying journalism and aspiring to one day be in this position, I could only hope for an opportunity like this. To not only attend but, as a Patriots fan, have the chance to ask Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski a question was the ultimate full-circle moment and cherry on top of the cake”.

A wholesome experience at the Man of the Year community day

One of the highlights of my day was getting the attend the Man of the Year community day, as most team’s nominee for the award attended the event at the Rosenwald Recreation Centre in New Orleans.

As the players and children of the Boys and Girls club of Metro Louisiana mixed, the players showed exactly why they were nominees, playing games with the children, painting helmets and discussing their future hopes and dreams. From the likes of Cam Jordan, Alec Ingold and award winner Arik Armstead, you were surrounded by players left right and centre. I had the chance to speak to players in attendance such as Jared Goff, Solomon Thomas, Dion Dawkins and Bobby Wagner.

It was a day that I cannot speak highly enough of.

Experience inside the stadium

Whilst me and the Franchise Tag boys did not get credentials to watch the game in the press box, we still managed to watch it in the stadium in the media workroom.

One person that did manage to watch the game from the press box was the Irish NFL Show’s Shane. He said: “The NFL is known for how games are events more than just a sporting clash. The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of this - as soon as you walk into the stadium all of your senses are attacked.”

“Lights. Music. Marching bands. Halftime shows. Celebrities. Boisterous Eagles fans. Even the President - it’s all-American, and it’s all there.”

“As for the on-field action, watching Cooper DeJean run in a pick-six felt like slow motion when perched in the stands on the opposite corner. I don’t know how it felt on TV, but you could almost hear the ‘Chariots of Fire’ music play as he marched in and shattered the Chiefs’ aura of invincibility.”

“What a once-in-a-lifetime experience… that I hope to do again next year in California”

City of New Orleans

And finally, there is the city of New Orleans. It is simply a place designed to host a Super Bowl, as we all got to witness first hand exactly why the city has done so eleven times. Freddie gave his take of the experience. He said: “New Orleans. A city of colour, music and good times. Walking Bourbon Street with its buzz you’d mistaken thinking you were in a Spanish resort. However, this city has much more. It has a friendliness and kindness that might rival the greatest cities in America. It’s small so easily accessible and caters for whatever night life you want to experience. You won’t stay for a long time but you’ll always remember the good times.”

It was the best of weeks and hopefully here’s to the first of many.

Andy Davies