Corporations entertain their staff in various ways to harness loyalty towards the company. My employer recently raffled tickets to attend a Football game in our area between the SF 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
I got lucky and won a spot to attend. Not just a ticket to the game but to be part of something special. Many companies rent out large lounge areas with some of the best viewing in the house to host client get togethers as well as employee morale build events. My employer, as one of the marquee sponsors of the NFL franchise has a suite in the stadium. This being the relatively new Levi's stadium in Santa Clara.
I got to it by driving to a local park and ride and then riding in on a VTA train to the stadium.
A swanking massive facility built at the south end of the SF bay it has been home to the 49er brand since their move out of their old Candlestick park on the northern end of the bay.
Many businesses rent out specific square feet of deluxe air conditioned suites that don't face the setting sun. The suite is indeed like going into a First Class airline lounge at the airport. Decked out with warm food and all the alcohol you may need to enjoy your home team's success or drown out the loss.
In spite of a 25 year drought of not having the crowning trophy aka the Superbowl the Fandom Faithful (as they like to refer to themselves) have been showing up for games hoping this is the year it happens.
I managed to get their an hour before the game actually began and enjoy the festival like atmosphere that permeated the environs. Starting from people grilling many racks of pork ribs in the parking lot to the sea of 49er maroon that the fans were sporting and the 100 db music blasting from some band that had put up shop outside, the walk from the train station to the suite itself was like walking through a parade.
Never having been to watch American style NFL football, in a stadium ever, this was indeed the only way (in hindsight) that one should do it. If one is lucky to do so. The pageantry begins an hour early with cheerleaders dancing their hearts out, to paratroopers jumping in through the sky hole above the stadium and the anthem culminating in a fighter jet flyover the stars and stripes as they flutter held together by 50 or so volunteers on the field.
The game began sometime around 1.30 pm local time with a coin toss and one side choosing to defend. The game itself is physical and for anyone that has watched it for some time a matter of some strategy and lots of fits and starts and stops. The objective to get 12" oblong leather projectile to the opposite team's goal line. Four chances to move the ball 10 yards else you forgo the ball to the other team to try to do the same. So on and on it goes till one team manages to get that ball that 0 yard line. Touchdown!
Another massive treat for football fans and somewhat cool in retrospect for me too, was the opportunity to shake hands with Dan Bunz, an erstwhile linebacker from the 1980s who played for the 49ers and took them to the Superbowl. I got to check out his two diamond studded Superbowl rings and shake what is admittedly a large, calloused and firm hand.
Chill day at the field amidst colleagues that I had enjoyed working with but had not seen in a while, and sipping cold beverages taking in the revelry as top of the heap sports personalities tended to their business of throwing the ball fifty yards below. A sweet suite experience indeed.
I managed to stick through the first half and left before the entire 75,000 or so attendees piled out either upset with home team loss or wildly enthralled with an opposite outcome. Smart thinking that. I got to the train with seats to sit on and without much jostling made it back to the parking lot and into my car for the ride home.
As I reached home I turned on the TV to check the score. The home team had won and it was a close call. SF leads the series 3-0.
I got lucky and won a spot to attend. Not just a ticket to the game but to be part of something special. Many companies rent out large lounge areas with some of the best viewing in the house to host client get togethers as well as employee morale build events. My employer, as one of the marquee sponsors of the NFL franchise has a suite in the stadium. This being the relatively new Levi's stadium in Santa Clara.
I got to it by driving to a local park and ride and then riding in on a VTA train to the stadium.
A swanking massive facility built at the south end of the SF bay it has been home to the 49er brand since their move out of their old Candlestick park on the northern end of the bay.
Many businesses rent out specific square feet of deluxe air conditioned suites that don't face the setting sun. The suite is indeed like going into a First Class airline lounge at the airport. Decked out with warm food and all the alcohol you may need to enjoy your home team's success or drown out the loss.
In spite of a 25 year drought of not having the crowning trophy aka the Superbowl the Fandom Faithful (as they like to refer to themselves) have been showing up for games hoping this is the year it happens.
I managed to get their an hour before the game actually began and enjoy the festival like atmosphere that permeated the environs. Starting from people grilling many racks of pork ribs in the parking lot to the sea of 49er maroon that the fans were sporting and the 100 db music blasting from some band that had put up shop outside, the walk from the train station to the suite itself was like walking through a parade.
Never having been to watch American style NFL football, in a stadium ever, this was indeed the only way (in hindsight) that one should do it. If one is lucky to do so. The pageantry begins an hour early with cheerleaders dancing their hearts out, to paratroopers jumping in through the sky hole above the stadium and the anthem culminating in a fighter jet flyover the stars and stripes as they flutter held together by 50 or so volunteers on the field.
The game began sometime around 1.30 pm local time with a coin toss and one side choosing to defend. The game itself is physical and for anyone that has watched it for some time a matter of some strategy and lots of fits and starts and stops. The objective to get 12" oblong leather projectile to the opposite team's goal line. Four chances to move the ball 10 yards else you forgo the ball to the other team to try to do the same. So on and on it goes till one team manages to get that ball that 0 yard line. Touchdown!
Another massive treat for football fans and somewhat cool in retrospect for me too, was the opportunity to shake hands with Dan Bunz, an erstwhile linebacker from the 1980s who played for the 49ers and took them to the Superbowl. I got to check out his two diamond studded Superbowl rings and shake what is admittedly a large, calloused and firm hand.
Chill day at the field amidst colleagues that I had enjoyed working with but had not seen in a while, and sipping cold beverages taking in the revelry as top of the heap sports personalities tended to their business of throwing the ball fifty yards below. A sweet suite experience indeed.
I managed to stick through the first half and left before the entire 75,000 or so attendees piled out either upset with home team loss or wildly enthralled with an opposite outcome. Smart thinking that. I got to the train with seats to sit on and without much jostling made it back to the parking lot and into my car for the ride home.
As I reached home I turned on the TV to check the score. The home team had won and it was a close call. SF leads the series 3-0.
Comments
Post a Comment