When we talk Super Bowl, we often mention the 5,000 credentialed media members from around the world.
The NFL requires reporters - or more likely their bosses - to apply for the credentials in November and there is some sort of vetting process. Then when you show up to the event, you go to the media center, show a state-issued ID and collect your placard - with your photo on it - that must be worn when you're in the media area.
The credentials come with various levels of access. Game-day credentials are a separate category and aren't issued until later in the week.
I've attended two Super Bowls now with a media credential. In San Francisco in 2016 and here in Houston, I've spent a lot of time in the media area working. We have a media "lounge" with a never-ending supply of much-needed bottled water and Pepsi products. The DIet Mountain Dew ran out first. There's coffee, popcorn, snack-sized bags of Doritos, pretzels and nuts along with apples, bananas and hot lunches and dinners.
Houston has done a great job in the care and feeding of reporters so much so that one day I did not step outdoors until 9 p.m. The media hotel I'm in, the Hilton Americas, is connected by skyway (yes!) to the convention center across the street.
It's a weird bubble where you frequently see - and don't recognize - famous players and personalties. My favorite this year: Charles James. I was chatting with Kevin Cooper of the Houston Host Committee when he greeted James, a former Texans player now with the Indianapolis Colts.
James, featured in the HBO Series "Hard Knocks." James played in U.S. Bank Stadium twice last season - because of the mid-season team switch. Without prompting, he said he liked the new stadium. The Florida native, however, didn't enjoy the temperatures in December.
On Friday night, I went outside the media bubble to see Leon Bridges at Super Bowl Live. My credential allows me to bypass the entry lines, but once inside, I get no perks. Happy to report that standing among the energetic crowd at the event and on the grassy lawn for the concert was a fun change.
