College Times

Media Credit: Gary W. Green

Sure, there were a lot of parties that cost too much money. And yes, the hype seemed crushing after a while.

But when it was all said and done, when Super Bowl XLII was completed, there was little doubt: this was a game, and an event, for the ages.

For one week, this town was alive. It was literally the center of the sporting world - and the numbers don't lie.

Massive numbers of people swarmed the NFL Experience leading to a three hour wait to get in on Saturday; the FBR Open drew 170,000+ people on Saturday; and all week Scottsdale, Phoenix and Glendale swarmed with people from all over the country and world looking for a taste of the Super Bowl.

By all accounts, Arizona handled this Super Bowl with incredible skill. Unlike when the state hosted it 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium; there will be no gripe about the quality of the stadium.

The view from every seat at University of Phoenix Stadium is perfect; the climate is controlled; the bathrooms have real urinals, not cow troughs.

I think what's most impressive is the clear sign of just how big the Phoenix metro has become. The idea of Glendale hosting an event with as much worldwide importance as the Super Bowl would have been almost inconceivable five years ago. Now, it almost seemed like a natural fit.

This Valley of the Sun has become a big place from East to West, and North to South.

Lost in all this, of course, is the game itself. Needless to say, it lived up to its billing. The Miami Dolphins remain the only team to complete an NFL season undefeated.

The New York Giants will go down in history as completing one of the greatest upsets in US sports history. They beat the 18-0 Patriots when nobody said they could; they won 11 games in a row on the road to do it and Giants quarterback Eli Manning came of age before a worldwide audience.

Much like a former little farm town called Glendale, Arizona did, too.

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