A Super game, a Super location.
Las Vegas is a city based on falsehoods. It’s a city flowing with water that’s in the desert. It’s a place where you can buy anything, except perhaps common sense. There are so many fake things: Buildings that resemble famous landmarks, neon lights brighter than sunshine and dozens of “tribute” performers in casino showrooms.
And it’s a location that has more scams on the street than roaches in the hotels.
But I decided to risk my safety and sanity by visiting city during Super Bowl LVIII week. And I’m going to tell you all about it — at least the stuff that’s fit to print.
John Naughton visited Las Vegas during the biggest week of the year, football wise. (Photo courtesy John Naughton.)
I’ve learned that “Super Bowl” is a trademarked term and most visible references to the NFL championship was called “The Big Game.”
So you see, when the NFL has taken the Super out of the Bowl for most of the event, it asserted itself as a perfect match for a fake city. (Ouch!)
There are more than 150,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, it would take a person 415.8 years to simply stay one night in every room in town.
The hype in this town grows with every year. The miles of roads and amount of neon continue to expand, too.
Did you brave a trip to Las Vegas? My flight from Des Moines was full. Or did you play it safe and watch the Big Game in your own living room?
Chiefs and 49ers fans gathered in a city known for entertainment and hype. (Photo by John Naughton.)
I have some experience in participating in Events Surrounding the Game That Used to be Known as the Super Bowl.
I’ve never attended the game itself. But I’ve been in Indianapolis and Minneapolis to enjoy the spectacle of activities leading up to kickoff. I’ve also watched in home cities of several teams that played: Green Bay, St. Louis, Denver, New Orleans. (And if you really want a treat, visit Green Bay when the Packers are in the championship and win.)
As you may have heard or read, the game was as over the top as Las Vegas itself. The most expensive tickets, many sold on the secondary market. Extraordinary parking fees (I paid $50 for an afternoon at the Flamingo Hilton). Parties up and down The Strip that cost hundreds of dollars, in some cases.
And Taylor Swift.
The calm before the storm. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, two days before kickoff. (Photo by John Naughton.)
Allegiant Stadium shined with NFL and team logos. So did the dazzling Sphere, a dome covered with lights. Fremont Street’s overhead tunnel of light sported Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers logos.
Fans from every NFL team wore jersey tops. They came from all over, whether or not their team was in the Big Game.
Vegas was ready for this — the match of the biggest entertainment city with the biggest American sporting event.
Fake showgirls that pose for photos from unsuspecting tourists, then demand a tip were out in force. So were the dancers at the Las Vegas dance (ahem) establishments, I’m told.
The incredible game watch party at Stadium Swim at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. (Photo by John Naughton.)
I arrived in town without a clue as to where I’d watch the game. Would I somehow manage to get a ticket? View it in my hotel room? Or would a casino or sports bar be the ideal location?
As it turned out, I have a group of good friends — with a tie to Des Moines, of course — that turned out to be very generous toward me.
I posted several photos from Las Vegas on Facebook, and friend Ray Cole invited me to a corporate party and a game watch event. Des Moines-based TPI (The Printer, Inc.), a business that does commercial printing for the gaming industry among other ventures, had a small get-together for employees, associates and guests. Such great people.
The watch party… wow. It was held at Stadium View, an expansive pool and party area at the Circa Resort and Casino downtown that features a TV screen bigger than any stadium scoreboard I’ve seen. These Iowans are doing well, but they’re down to earth folks, too. (Like many successful Iowans I’ve met.)
The “scoreboard” featured the betting lines for every imaginable stat the game could offer. Did Mahomes complete his first pass? Who won the coin toss?
The Sphere is one of the latest big-time attractions in the city of neon. (Photo by John Naughton.)
I saw tickets to viewing parties at sports bars in Las Vegas at $150. Some cost more, some may have cost nothing.
As I worked my way through the Circa’s casino level, I discovered a huge crowd gathered to watch the game at the sports book.
Every available nearby chair (many intended for slots players) were taken by fans.
In a city known for hype, I suppose the game lived up to it this year.
The Chiefs won in overtime, 25-22.