millionaire bets, advertising contracts for a dogcostumes to sneak onto the field of play, are some examples of the crazy things that an NFL fan can do in super bowl times. It is that the most important annual sporting event in the United States not only moves passions on and off the field, but also encourages the most daring to commit all kinds of extravagances.
One of the points that drew a lot of attention this year was the resale price of tickets, that are offered by the same official website of the event, whose value does not fall below five thousand dollars. In fact, VIP income -which allows access to the field of play once the match is over- can exceed 80 thousand dollars. But not everyone is willing to pay it, as is the case of Dion Rich, who for 35 years entered the Super Bowl without paying a single penny.
It was the early days of 1989, and Super Bowl security had only one thing on their minds: It had been 10 years since they had been seeing an unknown face that was repeated over and over again in the images of the highlights of each final. They were sick of seeing this mystery man stalking behind Vince Lombardi, hoisting coach Tom Landry on his shoulders, dancing with players’ kids during festivities or celebrating with winning quarterbacks.
But finding him would not be an easy task, over the years, Rich had perfected his strategy, which led him to circumvent the security of the maximum sporting event about 22 times until then. Using costumes, wigs, glasses, false mustaches and beards, old press passes, and through different tricks, this man had assembled this piece of clockwork with which since the 1960s he had not paid just one ticket to the NHL finals.
Finally his own ego played a trick on him. Through a creative plan, a detective hired by the NHL posed as a journalist and gained the trust of Rich, who granted him an interview where he confessed everything in great detail. This way they would know how to catch it. In that edition of the Super Bowl, the man arrived at the Miami stadium in a wheelchair with a false disabled pass, upon identifying him, the security separated him but Instead of arresting him, they agreed that he should stop infiltrating illegally.
Far from fulfilling his promise, continued to mock security, until his “retirement” in the XXXVI edition in 2002 having witnessed 35 consecutive editions without paying. Years later, in an interview he admitted that since then he has purchased tickets legally, although he assured: “if I see a side door open with no one around, i may have to sneak back in”.
30 seconds of TV for your best friend
It is not news that one of the big deals that are set up within the handful of hours that the Super Bowl broadcast lasts is the exorbitant price of advertising space. In this edition, Those who want their 30 seconds of advertising during the event will have to pay around $6.2 million dollars, according to data revealed by NBC, the company that will broadcast the game.
That’s how much was spent years ago by billionaire David MacNeil, CEO of Weather Tech, who bought a space to thank, before the 100 million viewers who watched the Super Bowl that year, the veterinarians who saved his dog’s life.
Scott, the pet in question, had been diagnosed with heart cancer, and had a 1% chance of survival, had lost vitality and everything indicated that he was near his death. “There she was, in that little room, standing in the corner. She was wagging her tail at me when I told her “I’m not going to sacrifice you, no way,” MacNeil explained.
It was at that time that he approached the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, where through aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatment, they eradicated the tumor and saved the pet’s life.
“Scout’s illness devastated us. We wanted advertising at the Super Bowl to not only create awareness, but also financial support for incredible research and groundbreaking treatments. they are doing at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, where Scout is still a patient,” the businessman highlighted at the time.
4.5 million for the Bengals win
But if it’s about excessive spending, you can’t stop talking about the Texan businessman James Franklin McIngvalealso known as ‘Mattress Mack’, which this year bet four and a half million dollars on the victory of the Bengalsregistering the largest bet known so far.
Unable to fork out such a large amount in one go, he spent more than two hours in a liquor store registering bets on the Ceasar Sportsbook app until he reached the desired sum. She also had to move to the state of Louisiana, since recreational activities in Texas are limited.
Gambling (legal or illegal) is surely the activity that moves the most money behind the Super Bowl and probably the one that generates the most crazy things. These days, in the different places of bets you can see options that go beyond sports results.
Among the most absurd offers, you can find options to bet on how long the national anthem will last, what color Gatorade will be thrown at the winning coach, if Tom Brady will appear in the stadium or how many costume changes the halftime show will have.
