Fans Get First Look At Super Bowl Stars At Opening Night
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Super Bowl week is now officially underway with one of the biggest nights that is not the game itself and that is Media Night.
The NFL celebrated opening night at the Xcel Energy Center. There must have been 1,000 journalists inside the X, and fans came from across the Twin Cities and from as far away as Philadelphia and Boston. They cheered, they booed and they looked forward to the week ahead.
"I kind of want to see all the players and just kind of see what the whole experience is all about," Vikings fan John Huber said. "It's kind of fun to be down here."
It was the kickoff to Super Bowl week as players took the stage. Eagles, Patriots and yes, even Vikings fans took it all in.
"Yeah, this thing sold out fairly quick. I bought them back in November," Huber said.
It was likely the first time Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, football immortality, stepped foot inside Xcel Energy Center, a place known for hockey. Surrounded by a mass of media members, fans were hoping to get a glimpse of the NFL's biggest stars.
"It's really cool being out here in front of everybody and getting interviewed," young Patriots fan Rexton Togbah said.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing was watching Eagles and Vikings fans hang out in relative peace and harmony.
"You know, I was saying the Eagles could be in the next 10 Super Bowls and there would be nothing like them playing here in the town that I now live in," Eagles fan James Perovich said.
"It's fantastic. I love it. It's a dream come true. Brady's at the tail end of his career so we're hoping for another one," Patriots fan Dan Norton said.
And it would be un-Minnesotan if we didn't ask the players how they like our beautiful state.
"It's been cool. It's chilly out, so kind of like Boston, but so far so good, it's a really cool city," Patriots guard Joe Thuney said.
"I think it's beautiful. I think it's beautiful," Patriots tight end Dwayne Allen said. "I'm not just saying that. It reminds me a lot of Boston."
