Super Bowl XLV: Fans come from all walks of life

By Joe Olvera ©, 2011

For Ricky Najera, Super Bowl XLV (45) being played at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is no big deal. Not when the Cowboys aren’t playing. Najera, a life-long Cowboys fan, said he would rather any two other teams would play than the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers, two avowed enemies of his favorite team. “I don’t want the Steelers, or the Packers, to win in our stadium,” Najera said. “I would’ve liked for our Cowboys to be there, winning the Super Bowl on their own turf.”

Najera, a former star Quarterback for Ysleta High School, is, like many an El Pasoan a Cowboy’s fan. At the onset of this year’s NFL season, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had predicted that the Cowboys would be the first team in history to play a Super Bowl on their own, brand-new, $1.2 billion stadium. But, the fortunes of war didn’t turn out as Jones expected, as the Cowboys struggled to a 6-10 record.

Super Bowl XLV, for Steelers fans, will present an opportunity to their team to boost their Super Bowl victories to seven, two more than Dallas. For Green Bay, it will be their fourth victory, if they should win. The Steelers, by their appearance this year, also tie the Cowboys in appearances, with eight.

One Green Bay fan, however, is thrilled that his team is, finally, in the big game, and it is a big one – with more than 100,000 fans expected at the stadium, and with millions more watching on t.v. Listing himself as 777Bandman on e-Bay, this young fan from Dallas is so intent on watching his favorite team play that he is auctioning himself to the highest bidder – bids start at one penny.

This guy, however, doesn’t want just a seat at the palace – no, he wants to join someone in a luxurious suite where he will grace someone “with my presence. I’ve been waiting for my beloved Packers to return to the Super Bowl since I was eight years old,” 777Bandman wrote. “I’m a small skinny white kid, I don’t take up much space I am trying to diet to minimize the space I take up to get ready for the big game.” But, that’s not all, 777Bandman says that he is a Dallas area native, so it won’t be a problem getting to the stadium, thus, shipping is free.

It’s no wonder 777Bandman is seeking free entry to the Super Bowl, with tickets selling for $5,578 for the experience of watching Steeler’s Quarterback Ben Roethlisberget, who stands 6’ 4” and weighs 245; and the thrill of watching Packers Q-B, Aaron Rodgers, who stands a mere 6’ 2” at 225 pounds. Yet, there’s no discounting B.J. Raji for the Packers, a behemoth at 6’ 2”, 338 pounds, but, who looks a lot bigger.

Although there are a few fans for either team in El Paso, the number isn’t so large. However, large or not, fans will gather at their homes and at such viewing sites as Frankie’s Bar, 1660 N. Zaragoza, where longnecks will sell for $2, and $2 for “you call it” after 6 p.m. Another familiar location is the Kings X Bar, at 4119 N. Mesa, which bills itself as the Sports Home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

One-long time Packers fan, who is no longer around to watch his favorite team in action, is Francisco “Pancho” Estrada. A long-time fan, Estrada never wavered from his support for the Pack, even during their losing seasons. Even now, as he dwells in Heaven, he will get a good birds-eye view of the game, as he looks down on the players. Yes, Cowboys Stadium will open its retractable roof so that Estrada, and other fans in Heaven, can also enjoy Super Bowl XLV.