SportsBusiness Journal asked dozens of execs throughout sports to share memorable moments from the various Super Bowls they have attended. From encounters with entertainers, to last-minute field repairs, highlights of their responses can be found both in this week's issue and throughout the rest of the week in SportsBusiness Daily.
* John Osborne -- BBDO, N.Y., President & CEO
This year BBDO produced Super Bowl ads for Snickers and Mountain Dew Kickstart.
I remember one of the first things I worked on when I came to BBDO in 1991 was a Ray Charles Super Bowl commercial for Diet Pepsi. “You got the right one, baby.” This was in the days without a lot of technology, so whenever we changed the script, which we did more than a few times, I was the guy racing across town delivering new Braille copies.
* Ray Didinger -- Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
The longtime sportswriter and member of the Pro Football HOF has covered 28 Super Bowls. He reflects on the first he covered, Super Bowl V in Miami.
What I recall about that is how small it was compared to now. It just wasn’t the mega media event it is now. To interview players, you’d go to their hotel, go in the lobby and look at the bulletin board where they had a list of the players and their room numbers. Then you went up to his room and talked to him. I remember going up to [Johnny] Unitas’ room. He’d bought some sodas already and when we showed up to interview him, he went down the hall with his ice bucket and got us some ice. This is on the Wednesday before the game. Can you imagine that happening now?
* Chris Koch -- New Era Cap CEO
Super Bowl 50 will be his 20th Super Bowl. His favorite memory is Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.
Food Network legend Guy Fieri comes into our New Era flagship store the week of the game. The store manager asked him if he’d cook for the employees. She figured he’d say no, but asked anyway to start a conversation. Needless to say, Guy said yes and he proceeded to write out a list of food and equipment including a grill, tables, bowls, ingredients, etc., to have in the store the next day at 11 a.m. Guy showed up with a team to prep the food and they set up right outside the store on the sidewalk. When I showed up at the store, Guy put me to work as I prepped and cooked with him. The menu consisted of sausage with peppers and onions and other small plates. It ended up turning into a party with all the employees and fans gathered around.
* Don Garber -- MLS Commissioner
Garber worked 17 Super Bowls in event and sponsorship roles with the NFL, the first being 1985 at Stanford.
We launched the Super Bowl Tailgate Party, which really was the precursor for all the big Super Bowl entertainment events. I booked Chuck Berry for one of the early ones. He showed up at Stanford in his own Airstream trailer rig and would not go on until we paid him in cash that I delivered to him in a licensed N.Y. Giants bag. Another of my favorite stories involved Garth Brooks, when he was selling more music than anyone. After he did the national anthem, I had to take him to his seats with his family. He comes up to me, whips off his cowboy hat, signs it for me and then asks me to introduce him to Michael Jackson. So we walk under the stadium and he reaches out his hand and says, “I’m Garth.” Michael Jackson says, “I’m Michael.” But it was clear Michael had no idea who he was, even though he had just sung the national anthem.
* Frank Vuono -- 16 Marketing Partner and former head of NFL consumer products
Vuono has been to 31 Super Bowls.
Before the Tampa 1991 Super Bowl, I had just joined a golf club and met a guy, Anthony Baldino. He turned out to be really good friends with Whitney (Houston’s) dad, from Nutley, N.J. Well, Whitney wanted to perform at halftime of the Super Bowl. It was already booked when I asked (the NFL’s) Jim Steeg, but he asks me would she want to sing the national anthem. That’s one of the most famous renditions of the Star-Spangled Banner ever sung. So, it’s fun to have been a little part of that.
* Michael Lynch -- Repucom Head of North American Consulting and former sponsorship chief at Visa
This will be Lynch’s 20th Super Bowl.
The first one always stands out, because there’s no one who isn’t blown away by the experience. Over the years, I’ve invited people like senior execs from the IOC and FIFA and watched their reactions as they saw it for the first time, how over the top it is. The fact it has become the Academy Awards for TV advertising also adds a whole ’nother element. Different competition, but just as fierce. For many folks, that’s the primary consideration, although the contest for who has the best party has gotten fierce also. The games kind of all blend together, but sharing that experience with business partners, friends and family is what lasts. And that experience just keeps getting better and better. It’s still the place to be if you are in this business. From a deal-making standpoint, the Super Bowl and in particular the NFL Tailgate is a who’s who of the industry.
* Ed Goren -- Former Fox Sports Media Group Vice Chair
Goren has attended 30 Super Bowls and worked 13 of them.
John Madden said it best when he pointed out that the Super Bowl started as a game, then it became a weekend, and now it’s a week-long celebration of football. Everything about the game is super. Especially the television numbers. Ad rates for the game are hitting $4,500,000. Name one other TV show where some tune in just to see the commercials. $4,500,000 might be a bargain when you realize that the last six Super Bowls are the six most-watched shows in the history of television. When Fox aired its first Super Bowl in 1997, we had to decide how long we should make the pregame show. I had a simple answer. Check with sales. If they can sell it, we’ll produce it. That pregame ran 3.5 hours. Today, the pregame show is longer than the game!
* Bob Lawrence -- Spectra Food Services & Hospitality Eastern Regional Exec Chef
I came across the most unique Banquet Event Order (BEO) in my career at Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans. This was the first Super Bowl after 9/11, so security was of course higher than ever. In the kitchen we received a BEO titled “Sniper BEO’s.” We thought it was a mistake or a joke, but it turns out it was for boxed lunches that were to be delivered to the roof of the Superdome prior to the game for the snipers to enjoy!
* Sean McManus - CBS Sports Chair
This has been the sixth Super Bowl I have been lucky enough to oversee for CBS, and each one holds a special memory for me. When Super Bowl XXV kicked off in Tampa, it was the culmination of a company-wide effort and the final affirmation that the NFL was truly back on CBS after we had lost it in 1994. There was an amazing feeling of satisfaction having the biggest television spectacle in the world once again on our network. We’ve been fortunate enough to have Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees win Super Bowls on CBS, had an opening kickoff returned for a touchdown and even had to deal with the infamous blackout. There is nothing comparable to the Super Bowl in terms of what it does for both CBS Sports and for the CBS Corp. Super Bowl 50 has taken everything to a whole new level, and to present it on CBS is both an honor and an awesome responsibility.
