Super Bowl: Minneapolis partying like it’s 1999

In the late Prince’s hometown you can party like it’s 1999 — so much that you might forget there’s a game of football on.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady throws during a practice session in Minneapolis

There’s the Snoop Dogg party on First Avenue. No place for the faint-hearted. The Playboy party. Even more so. The Cigars With The Stars party. The Leather and Lace party. The Justin Timberlake rehearsal party inside Prince’s old joint at Paisley Park. There’s non-stop revelry on these snow-lined streets.

The Prince impersonators in downtown Minneapolis are so lifelike that one of them might actually be him. There’s the extension of closing hours for the pubs and clubs until 3am. Thousands upon thousands of local, interstate and international visitors are refusing to let the elevator take them down, to quote Minnesota’s favourite purple son. How many nights in a row can people party like it’s 1999? You could forget that Super Bowl week actually has a football match at the end of it.

It’s 8pm at the time of writing, snowflakes are drifting on the breeze like confetti and Prince’s signature tunes are already blaring from somewhere further down South Marquette St. You may as well stay indoors all week. The temperature will hit a sultry -26C tomorrow.

Bookmakers are having a fine old time, too. Markets are available for the following:

What colour will Pink’s hair be when she sings the national anthem? White or blond is the favourite at 5/4. Green is the 5/1 outsider. Will Pink be airborne at any stage of the Star Spangled Banner? Yes is 5/2. No is 1/4. How often will President Trump tweet during Superbowl LII? Over or under five tweets is the even-money line. What colour will New England coach Bill Belichick’s shirt be at kick-off? Blue is 4/5. Gray is 3/2. Red and white are 15/2. Will Timberlake cover a Prince song in his halftime gig? Yes is 2/1. No is 1/3. Not everyone here is happy about Timberlake moving in on Paisley Park, about a 30-minute drive from the city. They recall a fleeting rift between the two. When Timberlake sang the lyrics, “I’m bringing sexy back,” Prince is said to have complained, “Sexy never left.”

There’s other issues to address other than the blockbuster game itself. Like the number of birds being killed by the venue for the Patriots versus Philadelphia Eagles on Monday morning, (AEDT).

USA Today wrote on the front page of its sports section: “The birds didn’t have to die like this, hundreds of them crashing into the reflective glass at US Bank Stadium, site of this year’s Super Bowl. The debacle could have been avoided. Years before construction began on the $US1.1 billion stadium that opened in 2016, the decision-makers were aware of the problem and a solution. The problem: the stadium sits within a migratory bird pathway, and reflective glass that gives the stadium a spectacular look also leads to fatal occasions for birds that mistake the glass for sky.”

No bird droppings? Just dropping birds? When doves cry. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was laughing when he was front-and-centre again at his team’s media commitment. The 40-year-old, five-time Super Bowl champion was asked how much longer he could keep sacking Father Time.

“Why does everyone want me to retire so bad?” Brady grinned. “I don’t get it. I’m having fun. The team’s doing good. I know I’m a little bit older than most of the guys but I’m really enjoying it.

“Obviously I enjoy the experience of playing in this game. This has been a dream come true many times over. It takes a lot of hard work to get here. Our team is working hard. We’re playing against a great football team so I’m not thinking about retirement. I’m thinking about the Super Bowl and trying to win the most important game of the year.

“I’ve always wanted to play to my mid-40s, so we’ll see. But football is such a physical sport. Every game could be your last game. That’s the reality.”

Brady’s job is to throw the ball for a mate to catch it. Much of the NFL season has been dominated by controversy over what actually constitutes a catch, perhaps similar to the confusion felt by Stuart Broad when he refused to walk at Trent Bridge in 2013. The NFL rule book takes 322 words to give an explanation that vexes the issue even more. The problem is mainly the level of control a player should have before he hits the ground, and NFL boss Roger Goodell yesterday indicated the current definition would be scrapped in order to find a more simple one.

“Clearly catch, no-catch has been a lot of discussion and a lot of disagreement,” Goodell said. “I think we can clarify this rule and I think we can do it with a lot of hard work and focus to get to a place where — I’m not going to tell you there won’t be controversy, but I believe we can get to a much better place. I’m not just somewhat concerned. I am concerned.”

What odds on Pink getting airborne during the anthem? Perhaps more to the point, what odds on a player taking a knee when she’s singing it? The issue has faded but if a player wanted a platform to protest once more about racism and police brutality, he’s about to get one when ESPN and CBS coverage reaches more than 200 million people worldwide. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the movement in 2016 that so incensed President Donald Trump when it continued this season. Kaepernick no longer has a club. He’s filed a compliant to the NFL about franchises colluding to keep him out of the game after none of them offered him a contract.

Goodell said Kaepernick’s absence was not a matter for the NFL itself. “I’ve been very clear on this before that all the clubs, individually, have to make their own decisions about who’s on the roster, who’s not on the roster,” Goodell said. “Colin, as you know, has filed a grievance, so I’m not going to talk specifically about that case. But I think that’s something that the clubs have to make, that decision. We as a league do not get involved in that in any way. So I don’t anticipate that happening in any way.”

Will Swanton travelled to Minneapolis courtesy of ESPN. The Super Bowl will be televised live on ESPN on Monday from 9.30am (AEDT).