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 As if it had been specially ordered by the National Football League
for the Golden anniversary, Mother Nature delivered perfect party
weather with blue skies and unseasonably warm temperatures hovering
around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 Celsius).
The weather helped lighten the mood as thousands of fans passed
through heavy security put in place following recent attacks in San
Bernardino, Calif. and Paris.
Earlier in the week, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson
said law enforcement officials had worked with their French
counterparts to learn from last year’s deadly attacks in the French
capital.
Those attacks included the detonation of a suicide vest outside a
soccer match.
Heavily armed soldiers backed up by armored vehicles ringed an
imposing security perimeter around the state-of-the-art stadium in
Silicon Valley.
"It looks like Operation Desert Storm,” Matt Ciszkawski, 44, of the
Bay Area said with a laugh.
Inside the security ring, bomb-sniffing dogs and law enforcement
officers patrolled the complex while fans entering the stadium faced
airport style security, passing through metal detectors and pat
downs.
Overhead Black Hawk helicopters circled while Air Force fighter jets
enforced a no fly zone.
Fans looking for last minute deals for tickets were not going to
find them with the average price on resale site StubHub sitting at
$4,577 just hours before the opening kickoff.
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Buyers from as far away as England, Germany, Kuwait and even New
Zealand have purchased tickets for Super Bowl 50.
While the 17-1 Panthers entered the championship game as almost a
touchdown favorite the majority of the 72,000 fans filing into
Levi's Stadium were decked out in Broncos orange.
One of the big questions hanging over the Super Bowl is whether it
will be Denver quarterback Peyton Manning's last game of an
illustrious career that has included a record five league most
valuable player awards.
As Manning stepped onto the field for warmups fans reached for their
cameras to record what could be the future Hall of Famer's last NFL
appearance.
ESPN reported that Manning was near tears when he addressed the team
on Saturday but gave no hint to team mates as to whether this was
his last game.
(Additional reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Larry Fine)
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