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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
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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
*
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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