Game unlike any other
TAMPA, Fla. — The night before Super Bowl 55, Tom Henschel took a ride to Raymond James Stadium.
“I wanted to check on the parking situation,” the 79-year-old Cabot resident said. “I'm glad I did.
“For a mile and a half (from the stadium), every lot was charging $150 to $200 for Super Bowl parking. My wife and I decided to take a Uber ride.”
Henschel, one of three people — joining Don Crisman of Maine and Gregory Eaton of Michigan — to attend every Super Bowl, lives in the Tampa area during the winter months. His house is 15 minutes from the stadium.
He paid $15 for a Uber ride to the stadium for the game, $37 for another Uber ride home.
“I saved money on parking, anyhow,” Henschel said. “The game itself was a disappointment ... pretty boring.
“There was nobody sitting within five seats of us. All of the fans were sitting apart and there were 30,000 cardboard cut-outs of people occupying most of the empty seats. It was a strange setting, very different.”
Each fan was handed a bag upon entering the stadium. The bags contained a mask, hand sanitizer and ear plugs, among other small items.
Henschel described Crisman as “a big Tom Brady fan ... he was dressed up in Buccaneers' gear. He and his daughter were five seats down the same row as my wife and I.”
Now that Super Bowl week is over, Henschel's life will return to normalcy. He was featured in the Tampa, Orlando and Wall Street Journal newspapers, and appeared on the Today Show, Fox and Friends, CBS Sports Network, Inside Edition and the Super Bowl pregame show on CBS all in the past week.
Henschel, Crisman and Eaton were also treated to a luncheon Friday, with reporters on hand to interview them about their history with the game.
“It's all fun, but it does wear you out,” Henschel admitted. “I was pretty tired Monday morning. I didn't get out of bed until 10:30 or so.”
But he vows his Super Streak will continue.
Super Bowl 56 is slated for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles next year.
“Everything is so spread out there,” Henschel said. “The traffic in L.A. is awful. I'll have to rent a car to get around.
“I'll be calling around for a hotel reservation within the next few weeks. Overall, I figure to drop $5,000 between my game ticket, hotel, flight and car rental.
“I want to get to 60 (consecutive Super Bowls). That's been my goal. If I make it that far, I'll call it quits then,” Henschel added.
He doesn't expect Tampa Bay to return to the big game next year, calling this playoff run “a fluke, similar to what the Steelers did when we won three road games before beating Seattle in the Super Bowl.
“I don't see Kansas City getting back, either. I like Buffalo of Cleveland to break through and get there.”
Henschel wore a Steelers shirt to the Super Bowl Sunday. He doesn't expect to see his hometown team in a Super Bowl game anytime soon, however.
“It's time for Ben (Roethlisberger) to retire,” he said. “We need somebody younger in there.”
