Winnipeg football fan Kelly Loewen booked his Minneapolis hotel eight months ago but he and his buddies still don鈥檛 have tickets to Sunday鈥檚 Super Bowl.
鈥淗onestly, if there鈥檚 tickets to be had, they鈥檙e here in Minneapolis,鈥� the New England Patriots fan told 愛污传媒 Channel on Saturday. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 a bit of a shot in the dark, but we鈥檙e cautiously optimistic that we can make something happen.鈥�
Leaving home on Friday morning, Loewen managed to cover the 740 km that separates Winnipeg from Minneapolis in just six-and-a-half hours. Travelling with two friends, he鈥檚 been taking in Super Bowl parties and events, even meeting some players.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a ton of fun so far,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e booked the hotel on a whim ... about eight months ago, just thinking, 鈥楬ey, we鈥檒l see what happens.鈥� We had a free cancellation.鈥�
鈥淲hen it became (clear) that New England was going to be in it, it kind of became a no-brainer for us,鈥� he added.
As of Saturday evening, tickets for the sold-out football game were listed for more than US$2,500 each on resale websites. Loewen isn鈥檛 ready to shell out that kind of dough but remains optimistic about being able to nab seats.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping an hour or two before the game, maybe some people get a little bit more desperate,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e told that we should be hopeful.鈥�
And if he can鈥檛 find tickets, Loewen says he鈥檒l have no regrets.
鈥淚f we wake up in the morning and we try to schmooze with people and we don鈥檛 get into the game, then we might drive halfway back to Fargo and watch the game from there, and see where the night takes us.鈥�
While Loewen is hoping that the Patriots will win their second straight NFL championship, he says it could be either team鈥檚 game.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 going to be a close battle,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he Eagles are a great team too.鈥�
