Fiesta Bowl
Well here’s a review I wasn’t expecting to write. Last week, I was given the chance to attend the Fiesta Bowl with my friend, Tori! I’m not much of a football guy, but I was super excited to witness the Ole Miss/UMiami matchup.
Until about a week before, I had no plans to make it out to the annual event. However, Tori is currently an Ole Miss student, so I was able to snag a student section ticket from her roommate who couldn’t make it. As aforementioned, I’m not a huge football fan (I usually prefer baseball), but I can never pass up an adventure while Tori’s in town! On the conveniently rainy day, we made our way out to State Farm Stadium to take in all that the day had to offer. After somehow scoring a free parking spot, we got right into the pregame tailgate on the lawn adjacent to the stadium. There wasn’t much going on, but we got some free sodas and talked with some of the people who were working the booths. We then met back up with Tori’s parents at the other fan event. We piled in to see that Dierks Bentley was about to play a show! The two of us didn’t end up staying, but I saw some videos and it seemed like a good time! Luckily, it didn’t rain much, but we caught just enough to stay cool. I was worried that it would be super cold, but the sun came out and warmed everyone up real quick. As far as the fan events go, I enjoyed them! They’re nothing to write home about, but it’s fun to get hyped for the game as it approaches. I wore red, like I was supposed to, but it was helpful for me to get into the competitive spirit. (Hotty Toddy!)
Once we made it into the stadium, I got very excited to find my free Taco Bell Student Section scarf. Even though I’m not technically a student, I fit in well enough and I probably had more school spirit than some of the people sitting around us. Anyways, apparently these scarves are a hot commodity in the College Football Playoffs world, so we quickly snatched up our scarves once we got to our seats. After a little bit of waiting around, we got to hear the bands play and see the game get going! Ole Miss has a pretty long call and repeat chant, so I’m glad I got a little prep time to nail it down.
As a kid, I didn’t love going to sporting events, but a big part of enjoying them is understanding how they work! Once I started to understand how baseball is played, I really started having fun at baseball games. Even though it took me a good portion of this game to figure out how it all worked, I was really invested by the end! Ole Miss got SO close in the 4th Quarter, but Miami came back to get one more touchdown at the end. Though it was a bit of a bummer to see their playoff run close, I still had a blast getting to explore this event. The Fiesta Bowl has been played here since 1971, so it was cool to be a part of this event that has such close ties to Phoenix. The Fiesta Sports Foundation, which helps host the yearly event, does a lot to give back to the community — especially regarding youth, sports, and education. It was very interesting to see how they stay involved within the community year-round with donations and service opportunities.
All in, I really enjoyed this event! It definitely helped that I had a friend and a free ticket, but I would highly recommend checking it out, even if you just come down for the pregame activities. It’s so much fun to see all the fans decked out to support their teams, and the community spirit is very admirable!
