It has been ten years since Miami hosted its last Super Bowl, so many Canes decided to take advantage of the big week. Not having a team to cheer for nor a stake in Sunday’s game did not stop students from celebrating as if they did. From volunteering to bar-hopping, here is how students made last weekend one for the books.
While the big game took place Sunday, Feb. 2, Super Bowl festivities started early in the week. Some were free and some cost more than a year’s tuition, but all of them aimed to celebrate the occasion in a way that only Miami can. For some students looking to have a good time, the weekend started as early as Wednesday.
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Junior biomedical engineering major Meaghan Wheeler kicked off the night by attending a free Chainsmokers concert at the Fillmore Miami Beach. Wheeler said the wild night began when a bouncer spontaneously let her into the VIP section of the show.
“He told me to just act like I belonged there,” she said. “It was a great night. It cost me $0, and I touched Drew Taggart’s hand.”
Sophomore Brian Earle spent his time in Wynwood but nonetheless agreed that last weekend was one to remember. He and his friends hit up Shots, a popular club and bar known for exactly what it sounds like– Saturday night shots.
Earle’s group was not the only one gravitate toward the trendy Miami neighborhood, as many students flocked to various venues in the area known for its artistic vibe for events throughout the week.
One of these was Barstool’s “Super Brawl II,” the eleventh installment of the sports media company’s “Rough N Rowdy” amateur fight series. The event took place in the old RC Cola Plant on Friday, Jan. 31 and featured food, drinks and 18 boxing bouts between local fighters.
Junior Gabriela Rodriguez, an industrial engineering major, said the event “made the start of Super Bowl weekend the best.”
“They had a variety of events and food,” she continued. “I would love to go again.”
Other Hurricanes, including junior and Miami-native Alley Masocco, looked at the Super Bowl as an opportunity to celebrate their cultures. The biology major jumped at the opportunity to volunteer with the Super Bowl Host Committee in the weeks leading up to the game.
“I wanted to help represent my city,” she said. “Who better than a local to display what Miami has to offer?”
After a week full of events, the energy culminated on Super Bowl Sunday, a day many students described as nothing less than insane.
Senior finance major Amaliya Nazarova spent her afternoon on South Beach, which– as a well-known hub of Miami nightlight– unsurprisingly drew huge crowds.
“I went to the Clevelander for a watch party,” Nazarova said. “It was so packed that people were just standing on the street watching the game.”
And afterwards?
“We went to LIV,” she added. “It was just crazy. They were charging $25,000 for a table.”
Whether they were attending free concerts or stopping by the city’s hottest nightclubs, University of Miami students ensured that the week did not go to waste. After all, how often does one of the world’s biggest sporting events happen right in your backyard? Hosting the Super Bowl comes with big expectations, but many agree that the city delivered, as staff, students and visitors alike managed to turn Miami into their own personal playground.