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decade ago, when Miami last hosted the Super Bowl, a biblical deluge of rain sidelined much of the pregame festivities.
But this year, a full day of crisp air and delightfully picturing, esque weather allowed the city to shine through as one of the stars in the Big Game, showcasing a renovated stadium, stunning aerial views of beaches and a sparkling skyline. On the ground, cameras toggled between cloudless skies and a uniquely Miami mix of celebrities and just regular fans — if you can call people toting tickets costing thousands of dollars regular fans.
Unlike so many other Super Bowls, this one was electrifyA with the Kansas City
Chiefs rallying to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 31-20. The outcome was in doubt until nearly the final seconds.
The halftime show had a distinctly Miami flavor, with Latina superstars Shakira and Jennifer Lopez joined by Bad Bunny and J Balvin, two stars in their own right.
And yes, that was A-Rod — J.Lo’s fiancé — bouncing on the field during the performance.
Twitter engaged in a fierce battle over whether it was the Best Halftime Show Ever — or at least the best since Prince mesmerized the crowd and TV audience at the 2007 Super Bowl (also in Miami). Some of those saying yes (including Jeb Bush) might harbor a tinge of pro-Miami bias.
Still, some on social media demanded an appearance from Miami’s signature hype man. Dozens of tweets sounded off
Fox Super Bowl broadcast brings some attention to the Miami area,
Protesters at Super Bowl oppose Formula 1 in Miami Gardens,
Scalpers and their customers: the game outside the stadium,
on the same refrain: “Where’s Pitbull?”
“America was robbed,” tweeted music critic (and U.S. Sen.) Rick Scott, who used Pitbull’s favored Spanish slang #Dale as his hashtag.
Although Miami basked in praise, the game was actually played in Miami Gardens, which also came off looking very good. A group of local residents did wage a protest outside the stadium grounds calling attention to plans — opposed by many neighbors — for a Formula 1 race at Hard Rock Stadium, starting in 2021.
“This is a bedroom community,” said Bobby Wooden, 74, who was joined at the protest by his representative on the Miami-Dade Commission, Barbara Jordan. “We shouldn’t be subject to all that loud noise.”
(A separate protest was waged by a national group that demands an end to the practice of circumcision.)
There was some jostling but people mostly got along.
As with any event of this kind, scalpers worked the crowd, looking for marks, er, customers.
Inside the gates, football die-hard and expenseaccount-fueled fans chose from an array of up-priced offerings, including something called “steak kankan” on a stick for $32. (Sales weren’t sizzling. )
Because this is the 305, the days leading up to the game were filled with celebrity sightings.
On the eve of Super Bowl 54, locally grown bazillionaire Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez dined at the center table at the Bazaar at SLS South Beach, each with friends. Bezos took a selfie with Lizzo, the Detroit singing, songwriting sensation, during the game because, why not?
The stars glittered all over Miami, or more accurately, South Beach. A couple of blocks north of SLS, actor Aaron Paul tweeted a picture of him and his “Breaking Bad” co-star Bryan Cranston standing outside Sweet Liberty, the popular cocktail bar.
Sunday’s festivities kicked off early with Kanye West’s “Sunday Service Experience” at Bayfront Park at 11 a.m. before everybody began to migrate north to Miami Gardens.
One person notably absent from the Hard
Rock was President Donald Trump, ensconsed at his Mar-a-Lago mansion. Some thought he might drop in, although he did buy a couple of commercials during the game. Son Eric Trump, his wife, Lara, and Brad Parscale, the president’s 2020 campaign chairman, looked on from a luxury suite, the men sporting Keep America Great caps.
Those yet to attain fame or fortune saw moneymaking opportunities in the bustling crowd. A man dressed in baby blue charged $200 for a chance to guess the winning bottlecap in a shell game.
But tickets to the game — the football game, not the bottlecap game — were being offered by scalpers for as much as $7,200.
Nigel Spill, a 56-yearold Westwood, California, resident, wasn’t going to pay that kind of money. He budgeted $2,000 for a ticket and didn’t bring his ATM card so as not to be tempted to spend more.
Spill said he has been to 35 consecutive Super Bowls, but if he didn’t find a ticket he could afford by kickoff — and he didn’t — he planned to watch the game at a bar for the first time in his life.
“This is the least sad sob story ever,” Spill said. “I’m bummed, it’ll sting for a few days.”
Spill said he paid $950 for a ticket to the 2019 Super Bowl. But this year, he said, he was unsure if the tickets the scalpers were offering were legit.
While plenty of people were clamoring for a chance to get inside, many others had been gifted with tickets by their corporate employers or a well-connected friend.
Everything from food stands to fan areas had a corporate sponsor on Sunday. Throughout the day, branded blimps and airplanes tugging banners flew overhead in a continuous aerial advertising parade.
On the ground, Dustin Taylor, 47, from Philadelphia was one of around 140 Microsoft employees who said he won a company contest for tickets. Asked for whom he was rooting, Taylor said,
“Couldn’t care less.”
The group was staying at the Kimpton Epic hotel in downtown Miami and came to Miami Gardens around 2:30 p.m. on a chartered bus. Taylor split off from the rest of the group and walked around the outside of the stadium before going to the Super Bowl Live area that requires a special pass the company also provided.
“It’s so over the top,” Taylor said, pointing around at the sea of red fans. “Crazy the amount of money that’s being spent.”
Crazy, but fun.
Ben Conarck: 305-376-2216, @conarck