In Minneapolis, Walsh, Pheifer, Sawyer & Adler note activists tried to "disrupt Super Bowl festivities" yesterday by "blocking streets, light-rail trains and, briefly, a stadium entrance." But ultimately, they had "little effect on fans trying to make it into U.S. Bank Stadium." At least 40 people "strung themselves across the Metro Transit Green Line tracks" near the Univ. of Minnesota. A handful "locked themselves to each other and to a railing at the station with a U-lock." Police "forcibly removed 17 of them after about 90 minutes." No one "was injured" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/5). One of the orgranizers said that they were "kneeling 'for Colin [Kaepernick] and for racial justice." In St. Paul, Mara Gottfried notes yesterday's protest, "called the Superbowl Anti-Racist Anti-Corporate Rally, was hosted by more than a dozen groups" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 2/5).
HOPE YOU CAN HOLD IT: In Minneapolis, Berkel & Prather note Eagles fans "seemed to outnumber Patriots fans -- or at least bring a more louder fan base." And while there was "heavy foot traffic in the skyways as fans made their way to the stadium, the concourses seemed to be moving well." There were "some bottlenecks, though -- at the men’s restroom." Lines to use the restrooms "snaked out into the concourse and blocked foot traffic before the game" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/5).
CAN NEVER BE TOO CAREFUL: USA TODAY's A.J. Perez writes under the header, "Counterfeit Super Bowl Tickets Leave Some Fans Furious." Perez notes all the tickets reviewed by USA Today Sports "appeared to include some safeguards the NFL has added over the years, including holograms" (USA TODAY, 2/5).
BRING YOUR WALLET: USA TODAY's Martin Rogers writes concession prices inside U.S. Bank Stadium for the Super Bowl "seemed to have evolved to a new level of financial pain this year." The cost for a "medium sized" soda was $30 at House Divided on the "main concourse an hour before kickoff, the hefty price including a souvenir cup in the shape of a cartoon football player." That was even "more expensive than the beers on offer, which topped out at $17 for a cup of draft and $13 for a can of Bud Light." A regular hot dog at Prairie Dogs "came with a tag of $15," but fans did get a "dollop of blue cheese piled on, while a side of fries set visitors back an extra $13" (USA TODAY, 2/5).
YOU HAD ONE JOB: In N.Y., John Healy notes there were "no hashmarks where the NFL and Super Bowl logos were painted onto the field and nobody seemed to notice" until yesterday afternoon. Maintenance workers were "painting the hashmarks over the logos with paint brushes just two hours" prior to kickoff (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/5).
