Despite being blocked from picking up my credential because I came during the wrong hours, I am still getting slowly, er, excited about the Super Bowl. The NFL and the city had to commandeer a parking lot to allow people who are working the game to dive into the building to get their credentials. Oh, and they also had to commandeer another building in order to give out those credentials.
I was able to see a part of U.S. Bank Stadium while I was trying to find the entrance to this place. There's a lot of stuff going up, and there's a lot of activity that's taking place. I think, for example, they're putting in an arch on a street leading into the stadium. Nice touch.
Last week I stopped by the Mall Of America to look at Radio Row. There was no broadcasts going on, but that's when I got a little excited about what's coming. And then, last night, instead of going to Caffetto or a strip club, I decided to head downtown. Well, I first tried to scalp a ticket for Drive-By Truckers at First Ave. But when I didn't see anyone, I decided to brave the crowds at Nicollet for Super Bowl Live. Well, what's left of it; there was nobody there because the free concerts were done by the time I got down there. But what was there -- ice sculptures, a snowhill that can't be used because it's broken, broadcast booths that would be on during daylight hours, people just as curious about how Nicollet Mall is being transformed like me -- was enough for me to stay for more than two hours. It was really fun, and it showed me how much the eyes of American sport will be upon the Twin Cities, putatively starting tomorrow.
And yet, I am nervous. When I was downtown for Super Bowl Live, all the happy faces I saw, I think, were local ones. I feel as though this weekend is for us Minnesotans, and the rest of SBL is for the Patriots and Eagles fans and other vacationing visitors. I don't know how many local faces are going to be happy after that. Because, frankly, I fear the worst from those people.
For one thing, we have an influx of people who don't live here. They feel they can do whatever they want because they will be gone once the Super Bowl's done. So, shoot, they could, what, be rude to the locals, not tip waitresses, vandalize stuff. And I don't want to sound paranoid, but I can see a bunch of outsiders going to the poor side of town and beating up -- and maybe killing -- some homeless dude on the street. I'm serious.
And for another thing, this is stereotyping, but I don't like the fanbases who are coming here. Obviously it sucks that Eagles supporters, a notoriously violent group, beat my Vikings. I and many other people are having a hard time getting over failing to reach Super Bowl LII and playing at "our" own stadium. What makes this worse is the downside to playing a game for the right to play the Super Bowl at home; if you lose the Conference Championship Game ... the team that beat you will play the Super Bowl at home instead. These fuckers are going to shove that loss in our faces the whole goddamn week, I'll guarantee you that. And I think they'll be even more thuggish, more violent, around town because of that. (In that sense, I wish the Vikes would have finished 3-13, like I once feared they would this season. With absolutely no chance of a hometown Super Bowl, I wouldn't feel so pissed that my ViQueens shit the bed, and there would be no team that beat us two weeks ago lording it over us.)
But I'm not holding out hope the Patriots will be that cordial, either. This goes beyond the fact that they're the Borg of the NFL, probably will win their sixth Super Bowl title, Bill Belichick is a cheating, morose dick and Tom Brady is a cheating, strange dick ... although that's a source of a lot of hate I have for them. It's also that I have a bias against East Coast cities. I hear, for example, that as much as the South has been traditionally racist, they may not be as racist as working-class enclaves in the East Coast, the perception of which Boston is sometimes head-and-shoulders proud. Here's an example; also note that the Boston Red Sox was the last team to integrate its roster. I will not completely discount the idea that Patriots fans can be as thuggish as Eagles fans in a situation where they feel emboldened to get away with anything.
The more I think about it, the more I believe this is the worst matchup Minneapolis could possibly have for hosting a Super Bowl. When you step back, most football fans hate both teams. But they're here. And in my worst nightmares, I feel like both fanbases, instead of fighting each other if they come across each other on the street, see their common assholiness, realize that they may never be back in this city ever again, and team up in order to loot and run riot on our fair, gentle town. I keep harkening back to the days where I got ganged up in junior high by people who weren't friends with each other. I see Iggles and Pats fans as seeing us Minnesotans as timid and weak, and so they feel entitled to tear down all the Super Bowl stuff we put up and give the finger to all the volunteers who just want to help out and show a positive face in the name of our city.
Therefore, I have to temper my impending excitement of my city being the belle of the ball. Don't get me wrong; I do notice that in being the perfect host for people who are not from here, the city is doing dirty to the people who live here -- taking over parking ramps, charging people (including locals) upwards of $100 to park in those spots instead, closing streets to inconvenience downtown workers for Super Bowl Week, and shoving families in shelters downtown into other dark corners of Minneapolis where the visitors won't see them. That is bad, and there should be a reckoning about what we Twin Citians have done in order to placate out-of-towners. But I also think that we need to prepare for an invasion of dickhead football fans. They're going to trash stuff, beat up the locals, and be general assholes. And at some point this week, we're going to see something, either on the street or on the news, and we'll say to ourselves, "Goddammit, I can't wait for this fucking Super Bowl to be over."
Guess we'll see how rude our guests will be. Hope for the best, expect the worst.
No comments:
Post a Comment