Super Bowl Postcard: ‘Media Party’ seems Super excessive

The itinerary said Super Bowl Media Party.

I envisioned a low-key affair. Maybe I’d have a few hors d’oeuvres, a beer and quiz my colleagues on what they really think of Marshawn Lynch.

Boy was I wrong.

Evidently, the word “moderation” does not exist in the NFL’s vocabulary.

In a tented venue that looked like a rock concert, a female string quartet in black miniskirts played contemporary pop hits. On pedestals in front of the stage, scantily-clad dancers writhed to the music. More than two dozen female bartenders, who all looked like models, served free drinks at a 200-foot-long bar. The crowd was more than willing to imbibe. Many people were having fun, and a younger undomesticated version of me probably would too. But the whole thing felt weird.

The NFL has spent much of this season dealing with the fallout of the Ray Rice domestic abuse case. Yet I was surrounded by rampant objectification of women. The party seemed more directed at the TV media crowd. I spent the evening talking to some veteran print journalists I’ve known since entering the industry in 1998.

They told of how the Super Bowl’s hard-partying ways go back to commissioner Pete Rozelle. His vision in the 1960s was to see the Super Bowl one day become bigger than the World Series.

As part of his quest, he made sure the media were treated lavishly. Gift baskets filled with bottles of hard liquor were delivered to reporters’ hotel rooms.

Wednesday morning, I went hiking in Phoenix Mountain Preserve. The urban oasis of cacti and calm was far from the bacchanalian scene of the previous night.

From the 2,600-foot summit, the stadium that will host Super Bowl XLIX gleamed like a beacon several miles in the distance. But the only indication of the nation’s biggest event was a tiny dot that was a blimp flying overhead.

In this week of pomp and parties, it’s easy to get lost in the hype surrounding the Super Bowl.

It’s healthy to step outside for a bit.