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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2004)
Aggielife The Battalion Page 3A* 1 hursday, January 2 L ). 2004 With the Super Bowl days Ura le-ni; e-he\ away y football fans plan their Super Bowl festivities ading gel^ y said M0f| raisf forhn jndr d. at to ra xt »i Ilwi ■ ima ill set achfc ct n be fa ore will sife mr J By Kim Katopodis and Tori Foster THE BATTALION ennifer Sconzo didn’t have to sell plasma to afford Super Bowl tickets; she only had to sell a few hot dogs. Sconzo, a junior journalism and international studies double lajor. will be getting a vendor’s-eye view of the Super Bowl from ie stands of Houston’s $500 million Reliant Stadium. “1 am going to be volunteering with the Humble ISD PTSA roup.” Sconzo said. "My father is the superintendent, so that is low I got the offer.” With Super Bowl ticket prices well above the im 1*1500 mark, A&M students are looking for altema- ive ways to score a Super Bowl seat. Some, like iconzo, have found ways to sneak in through the )ack door while others are settling for good old- ashioned Super Bowl parties. As the end of the NFL season plays out in louston for the first time in 30 years, many Aggies re taking advantage of the easy accessibility to olunteer. have panics and be part of one of the reatest sporting events of the year. “Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting vents of the year because it’s good fun and clean ompetition,” said freshman general studies 29\lnajor Andrew Everitt. “Being the biggest game wi: >f the year, millions of dollars are spent to draw huge crowd." Though he doesn’t remember the Miami ^ Dolphins’ victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Houston’s first l! '' >uner Bowl in 1974, Craig Cunningham is not a newcomer to the >uperBowl party scene. ill Cunningham, a senior kinesiology major, is throw ing his support ‘"Mi he Carolina Panthers’ way and said the Super Bowl is one of the imily nost watched events of the year and a perfect time for friends to 3Ut i-lather for a party. “After seeing the disappointments and surprises of watching Monday night football all last semester, it all comes down to this final game to determine the NFL’s champion,” Cunningham said. “The best part of Super Bowl parties are the bets you make with your friends over who is going to win.” Last year, Cunningham and his friends bet on the Super Bowl, with the terms that the losing team’s supporters had to go to the Student Recreation Center in spandex. “It’s always pretty funny coming up with crazy stuff for the los ers of the bet to do,” Cunningham said. “We never went through with that one though because it was just too embarrassing.” A good Super Bowl party depends on the people throwing it, Everitt said. “There can be a huge range from loud music, big screens, tons of food and block party-type gatherings all the way to a couch, TV snacks and drinks,” Everitt said. For Sconzo, the Super Bowl will start more than six hours early. She has to be at Reliant Stadium at 11 a.m. so she says it is going to be a long day. “I am going to sneak out of the booth though to see the crazy halftime show,” Sconzo said. “I also am excited to hear Beyonce Knowles sing the National Anthem.” The halftime show and commercials are a big part of the Super Bowl party hype. Cunningham said. “1 think the Super Bowl is getting bigger and better each year. Lots of restaurants and bars have big parties and contests,” he said. “Not only the game itself, but also the commercials have become a big part, The best commercials lately have been beer advertisements." Typically, Everitt has watched the Super Bowl with neighbors back home. As a new college student, he said he will have to come up with a new plan. “I usually spend Super Bowl at... a big family house party. This year I think I am gonna be stuck on campus,” Everitt said. "If I am lucky I may get to hang out with some friends.” u, I am going to sneak out of the booth to see the crazy halftime show. — Jennifer Sconzo Junior journalism and interna tional studies major If you can’t make it to the game, try these NFL-themed activities in Houston: THURSDAY, JAN. 29 Bowl with the Pros: Jillians 7620 Katy Fwy., 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. NFL players and their families invite fans out for an evening of bowling and family fun. FRIDAY, JAN. 30 Houston Bud Bowl ‘04 Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford Events include appearances by the Astros, Rockets and Texans. Staind and Endocine will play inside the park at 7 p.m. SATURDAY, JAN. 31 2nd Annual Celebrity Flag Football Challenge: Rice University football field, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Athletes scheduled to appear include Doug Flutie, Billy Simms and Jabar Gaffney. Tickets are $15, benefitting the NFL Alumni-Kids Charities. Super Bowl on the Big Screen: Alamo Drafthouse, free admission j :R )0 EEKU .0911 HRU» PREDICTS... TROY MILLER New England 17 Carolina 14 "Patriot place kicker Adam Vinatieri does it again." TRUE BROWN New England 24 Carolina 13 "Clearly this is going to be the most boring game ever." ts KYLE DAVOUST New England 14 Carolina 17 "Belichick can t stop Carolina's running game while the Panthers' defen sive front four wreak havoc on Brady." Junior electrical engineering major John Schuze (left) and junior construction science major Aaron Smith get fired up for the Super Bowl while watching sports highlights Wednesday night. BRAD BENNETT New England 38 Carolina 31 "Once again, the Cowboys were robbed." ion of ^ t lllOllJ* 1 lion-F^ single (i 1 : 30 JORDAN MESEROLE New England 24 Carolina 14 "Hopefully I won't be as bored last year and resort to just the commercials." How times have changed: Houston last held the Super Bowl 30 years ago. Here’s a look at some of the differences between then and now. Cost of a Super Bowl ticket Value of a dollar Cost of one night stay at a Mariott Hotel on Superbowl weekend Houston’s population Average cost of a gallon of gasoline Top-rated television show with Nielsen rating Billboard’s top-rated single in January $15 $1 $60 1.4M $.53 -‘All in the “The Joker” Family” Steve CBS 31.2 Miller Band * o o N f? r*ft ft ft am gf* j* jt jt $500 $.27 $309 2.0m $ ■ ■44 “C.S.I.” CBS 16.4 “Hey Ya!” OutKast Andrew Burleson • THE BATTALION Source • THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE
