Game day has arrived and TC offers his pre-kickoff thoughts. The MVP to him was obvious. Read on! – the editor
As I write today, the “Big Game” will be a mere 6 hours away from my computer that is 4 miles away from Allegiant Stadium. With all the hype, this time around, I find the real star of the Super Bowl is not Travis and Taylor, Mr. Irrelevant, Usher and his half-time show, or even the incredible advertising between plays at $7 million a 30-second pop, (although the creativity of the ads every year impress me a lot.).
The real star is my adoptive hometown of Las Vegas.
Who would have thought 16 years ago we would have been a sports town?! In hindsight, why were we considered in the first place?
With the biggest hotel room inventory in the USA, only next to Orlando, we have the capacity to handle the crowd coming in. Our airport is big, although an extra executive airport to handle the plethora of private jets coming in would have been handy this weekend. Road infrastructure is a little dicey, but which city isn’t when it comes to the “Big Game”?
…the hours of media coverage showcasing my town has been exceptional!
But the hours of media coverage showcasing my town has been exceptional. I believe the “Big Game” was more of a sure deal than the Grand Prix was—especially when it was the first major race in many years. The Negative Nancy’s and Debbie Downer’s are notably absent this week. Maybe they skipped town for the week. Maybe they hunkered down at home, changing the channel on the TV, or started to binge watch a Real Housewives or Vanderpump Rules marathon on Peacock.
As mentioned in earlier columns, Paramount Global, the parent company of the broadcast home for this year’s game, CBS, came all-in. We knew that the Bellagio fountains would be the center stage of all the special broadcasts this week, from NFL Today, CBS Mornings, CBS Evening News, The Talk, The Drew Barrymore Show, and more. The takeover of the volcano in front of the Mirage hotel/casino by Paramount Mountain and the Destination Paramount exhibition was executed flawlessly. It was corporate synergy at its finest. The option to watch the Big Game on Nickelodeon with Spongebob Squarepants and friends is icing on the cake.
Our media outlets stepped up and showcased the events all week– Focusing on the excitement, but not shying away from the local people all working hard to host the signature event.
Local paper – The RJ
Local CBS affiliate – KLAS
I think the kicker decision that brought all of this was from the Supreme Court, allowing for Sports Gaming in other jurisdictions, other than Vegas. Sports Gaming gave a lifeline to my other adoptive hometown, Atlantic City, when casinos started to open in other states, other than Nevada and New Jersey. While our first major professional team, the Vegas Golden Knights, started play before this landmark decision was made, it cemented our status as a sports town, with Major League Baseball on the horizon, and NBA on the wish list.
When all the hoopla subsides, the fans head home, and the last of the hungover walk-of-shame passengers get on their flights, Vegas will heave a sigh of relief.
[pause]
Take a quick moment to regroup.
[pause]
Then… it’s back on!
Got Mardi Gras followed by Valentine’s Day, the President’s Weekend… all leading to March Madness.
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas! We weren’t kidding!
Thanks for reading and hanging out with me during this event’s run-up. Enjoy the show!! –TC
—30—
That’s a wrap. From today’s (13 Feb 24) RJ:
Hill: Sorry, haters. Tremendous Super Bowl week terrible for Vegas critics https://lvrj.com/post/3000059 via @reviewjournal