The Super Bowl 2013 NFL Experience kicked off today (Jan. 30) with the delivery of the iconic Vince Lombardi Trophy to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, where it was installed at the interactive fan festival with all the expected pomp and circumstance. Accompanying it, though, were no small amount of Who Dats and where y?ats.
Former Saints runningback and enduring fan favorite Deuce McAllister got the party started, donning white cotton gloves to carry the trophy down a red carpet to its perch in the middle of the event floor, where it will reside until being awarded to the winner of the big game on Sunday. (And where fans can take pictures of themselves with it.) Leading the way for McAllister were members of the Louisiana State Police. Behind were Saints mascot Sir Saint, the Saintsations cheerleaders and the St. Augustine High School Marching 100 marching band.
And all around, watching the procession and snapping away with cell-phone cameras, was a heavily black-and-gold crowd. That?s because today was Saints fan appreciation day at the NFL Experience, whereby anybody wearing a Saints jersey got a $5 discount off the price of admission. Local fans took advantage of the opportunity.
Diehard Saints fan Jeff Hall of Meridian, Miss., was one of the members of the Who Dat Nation in that number, making a beeline to the event?s autograph stage. Accompanied by son Dustin Hall and family friend Chris Elder, he brought along a Saints helmet -- already peppered with autographs -- as well what one NFL Experience volunteer declared to be the oddest item of the day to be autographed: a three-foot oval wooden plaque with a fleur-de-lis in the middle.
Hall's plaque was already covered with the autographs of 20 Saints players, including that of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, for which Hall reserved the plaque?s central fleur-de-lis. (?We got it after the last game of the season,? Hall said. ?We had to fight the crowd to get it, too.?)Today?s additions: McAllister?s and current Saints runningback Mark Ingram?s signatures, bringing the number of autographs to 22.
?I?d like to get (Marques) Colston and Pierre Thomas, and then I think we?ll be done,? Hall said after collecting McAllister and Ingram?s autographs on the plaque, which he got two years ago and which hangs in a place of honor over his television.
Another popular stopover for black-and-gold jersey wearers: the Hall of Fame exhibit, which includes the bust of? Hall-of-Famer and former Saints standout Willie Roaf.
The hometown bias of the crowd can be expected to change this weekend when fans of this year?s Super Bowl teams, the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, arrive in town for the big game. The size of the crowd -- which today resembled sort of the NFL Experience?s version of a Jazzfest Thursday -- will, too.
But with the event covering more than 850,000 square feet and including everything from games to museum-quality exhibits to a working NFL Network set, there?s plenty of room for fans of all colors.
Tickets to the NFL Experience driven by GMC -- to be held at the Convention Center daily through Sunday (Feb. 3) -- can be purchased over the phone by calling (866) TIX-4NFL (849-4635), online at www.SuperBowl.com or at the stadium box office at Gate A. Fans can also purchase tickets at the Convention Center box office one hour before opening.
Non-discounted, single-day general-admission tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under. Several discount packages are also available. A limited number of NFLXtra wristbands will also be available on-site for an additional $47 and will allow holders to bypass lines for some of the event?s more popular attractions, including the autograph stage.
See below for a full schedule of hours of operation for the 2013 NFL Experience (subject to change):
- Today, Jan. 30: 3 p.m. - 10 p.m.
- Thursday, Jan. 31: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
- Friday, Feb. 1: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 2: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
- Sunday, Feb. 3: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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NFL Experience insider tips (video)
Source: http://www.nola.com/superbowl/index.ssf/2013/01/super_bowl_2013_nfl_experience_4.html
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