Super Bowl Experience a Huge Draw

One of the top draws during Super Bowl week has been the Super Bowl Experience at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The experience is chock full of everything football.

“We see Pats fans,” said Bruce Martineau a Crew 52 volunteer from Maple Grove. “We see Philly fans. Lots of Viking jerseys. Lot of Green Bay Packer jerseys.”

Three floors above the frozen streets of downtown Minneapolis, Martineau is warm and toasty.

“I had my choice of volunteering outdoors,” Martineau said, “and I decided that wasn’t for me.”

Martineau is a Crew 52 volunteer who has coveted real estate this week, because he is located in a busy and heated skyway.

“This is a constant barrage of people all the time,” Martineau said.

Martineau guides fans to the nearby Super Bowl experience and likes being part of the super scene, even though he does it for free.

“We get cool clothing to wear and that’s our payment for doing it,” Martineau said. “I think everyone who gets involved in doing this just wants to spread a little bit of that Minnesota nice.”

Inside the cavernous Super Bowl Experience, thirsty NFL fans drink up this football feast.

“The young kids when the you come with the families, they really soak it up,” said Greg Sharp of Brooklyn Park. “Because that’s when you’re really impressionable.”

“We haven’t experienced this yet in our lives,” said Lisa Thornton of Maple Grove. “We were much younger when the last one came through. I don’t know when it will be back so we are gonna get out and take it all in.”

The exhibit is the NFL on steroids. It’s all shield, all the time.

“You gotta bring your kids to things like this,” Sharp said.

Fans can play games, they can chuck the rock and they can get their kicks in too. It’s literally sensory overload.

“It is very overwhelming,” Thornton said. “Lots of people. Lots of excitement.”

“It’s just like you’re going to the Super Bowl,” Pollman said, “Except it’s just as fun.”

The Super Bowl Experience is also a way to learn about the sport and its humble beginnings.

“I liked reading about the history of the NFL and watched how it evolved,” Sharp said. “How simple it was in the beginning. They were playing championships at baseball stadiums.”

The Super Bowl Experience runs through Saturday in Minneapolis.