First Eagles game memorable for local fan
Tickets to the Super Bowl are expensive, if you can even get them.
But many things in life are more important than money.
For Mark Dubbelboer and his wife Erika, one of those things was a life experience they won’t soon forget.
The Lethbridge natives, who now reside in Edmonton with their two children, were in Minneapolis this past weekend to attend Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots.
“It was incredible,” Dubbelboer, a longtime Eagles fan, said on the phone from Minneapolis Monday morning.
“That was pretty exciting last night. The Eagles scored first, then the first touchdown — the (Alshon) Jeffery one in the corner — and all of a sudden you’re best friends with everyone around you. It was really crazy.”
The Hail Mary attempt by Pats QB Tom Brady at the end of the game was also just down from the section the couple were in.
“When it hit the ground, it took everybody a second. Everybody that was an Eagles fan beside us was from Philly. They were all like ‘did we win? We just won.’ It was kind of surreal. It was awesome.”
The trip was spurred on by Dubbelboer’s wife. After going through a family matter a few months ago, she convinced him to pursue an adventure when one came up.
“You’ve got to take advantage when you can,” Dubbelboer said.
“I said if the (Calgary) Flames make the (Stanley Cup) finals again or the Eagles make the Super Bowl, we are going. I said it with a bit of confidence — right when (Carson) Wentz got hurt, then thought ‘it’s not going to happen.’ I’m very pessimistic. Then they beat Atlanta. Then they throttled Minnesota.”
Once they decided to fly to Minneapolis, Dubbelboer booked flights, as well as an Airbnb, then found and bought tickets on StubHub.
He has been to a few NFL games before, but not to an Eagles game home or away.
“I’d never even looked at Super Bowl tickets before. I wanted my first (Eagles) game to be important. We were talking to a guy on the train on the way out (after the game), kind of explaining that to him. He didn’t look at me funny. He was just like ‘well, you picked a good one.’”