Media Descend On New Orleans For Super Bowl Opening Night

The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles have arrived in New Orleans and completed their first (and biggest) round of media appearances. As of Monday evening, Super Bowl week has begun.

Originally designed as an event allowing the media full access to players from both teams, a few years ago the National Football League expanded the event’s footprint. Now billed as “Super Bowl Opening Night,” fans can watch the press briefings from the stands, giving football enthusiasts the opportunity to share in the Super Bowl hoopla, albeit at a much lower price than the thousands of dollars a ticket to attend the game itself.

The 10,000-20,000 who filled much of the lower bowl of the Louisiana Superdome Monday evening witnessed what has become a made-for-TV spectacle. Credentialed media from around the country and the world, including me, gathered around to ask players all manner of queries regarding the game and much else.

While each team’s 10 biggest stars sat at small booths to take questions from the press, other players roamed about the sidelines. Those covering the event had to keep their heads on a swivel because they were bound to bump into players — sometimes quite literally.

Our pop culture-obsessed society being what it is, various celebrities and personalities also attended the event to witness the happenings and to become part of the event themselves. Guillermo, the security guard from “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” spent time roaming the sidelines and attracting attention. Cooper Manning, brother of Peyton and Eli, conducted interviews for Fox Sports while dressed as a drum major. (And before you ask, no, Taylor what’s-her-name did not make an appearance Monday evening, although Travis Kelce said she makes good homemade Pop-Tarts.)

With press from around the world in attendance, questions ranged far afield from the gridiron. One media member asked about a blockbuster NBA trade over the weekend that saw Luka Doncic traded away from the Dallas Mavericks. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the football players said they didn’t follow basketball closely enough to have an opinion. Eagles players received questions about Philly cheesesteaks, and one reporter asked Andy Reid, the not-exactly-svelte Chiefs coach, if he had any New Orleans restaurant recommendations. (Reid replied that he’s been on lockdown preparing for the game.)

Despite the inane and/or repetitive questions the players received — such as “What would your nickname be if you were a pro wrestler?” — some responses ventured into the philosophical. Eagles veteran Brandon Graham quoted the book of Ecclesiastes in looking back on his career. His teammate C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who previously took flack for driving a modest car, said he doesn’t want to take playing in the NFL for granted. And while Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley said he wanted to enjoy every part of the experience and take it all in, the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce cautioned not to be consumed by the hype. 

And hype was abundant Monday evening, from loud pumping music to dancing cheerleaders to smoke and spotlights. Amid all that hype, one thing is for sure: A football game will break out by the end of the week. And the winner of that game will have the chance to make sporting history.