On January 20, 1985, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins by the score of 38–16, at Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California, the first Super Bowl played in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The halftime show didn’t feature
the likes of Rihanna or Michael Jackson. Instead, the show, World of
Children’s Dreams, featured Tops in Blue, an elite performing tour ensemble
from members of the U.S. Air Force.
I happily paid the exorbitant
price of $300, purchased from a scalper, for a ticket in the corner about halfway between the field and the nosebleed section. I can only describe
the excitement in the air as electric. It felt tangible.
That experience remains one of my
favorite lifetime events.
With all the hype, I can’t help
but compare Super Bowl XLIV, thirty-eight years later, to XIX. The most glaring
difference, according to Google, the average ticket price today is over
$7000.00.
After returning home, I sat down and wrote my very first poem.
The flight took off smooth as silk
flying toward Knob hill.
Golden Gate Bridge
beautiful view, Fairmont’s bill.
Fisherman’s Wharf,
View of the west,
Chinatown.
Ate too much seafood, no rest.
Breakfast early,
Anticipation rose with the sun.
Come on 49ers
we crave lots more fun.
Everyone is happy,
excitement crackles in the air.
Have a Bud Light
Be sad if you dare.
Montana and Marino
wait for the call.
Where is that coin toss?
Who’ll get the ball?
Fans boo Reagan,
Cheer for their team.
Drink lots of beer,
Become somewhat obscene.
The game is over,
49ers can’t be beat.
San Francisco is chaotic,
Dolphins sigh in defeat.
Cowboy players fill half the plane.
All of us hoping next year will bring,
The Dallas Cowboys
A Super Bowl ring!
