More than 10,000 fans last night "packed Minute Maid Park" in Houston for Super Bowl Opening Night, and the ballpark "felt more like the venue for a glitzy, primetime awards show." The stage featured a "luxurious red curtain and four star-shaped chandeliers." Fans "poured into the stands to watch media swarm the carpeted main floor" (
HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/31). There were "glitzy introductions, thumping music and hundreds of media members" from countries including Japan, Britain, Mexico and Australia (
REUTERS, 1/31). But it was a "rather tame media night compared to the circus this event has been in the past" (
AP, 1/30).
Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan "lost his backpack while speaking with media members – a backpack containing his team's Super Bowl gameplan." S.F. Examiner columnist Art Spander had "picked up Shanahan’s backpack by mistake when he finished" interviewing the soon-to-be 49ers head coach. Spander "realized this only when he walked upstairs to the work room and was contacted by a colleague" (MYAJC.com, 1/31).
