BARBADOS – I’ll admit, I briefly considered cutting this trip a bit short to fly directly to Phoenix for the big game. Cheapest Super Bowl ticket I could find was $2,200.
So much for that.
Now the challenge, to find a venue, and some Seahawks fans, in Barbados: the island where my Dad was born and raised.
Reservation made at Bubba’s Sports bar. I checked the place out. It would involve four hours of viewing with my head tilted up at a 45-degree angle. Reservation cancelled.
On Accra beach, a guy from Delaware on vacation with 12 family members. A Patriots fan named Randy. “I just hope it’s a good game,” he said. I wish his team luck and we toast each other with a swig of Old Brigand rum.
A local named Rudy shows up with a monkey on a leash. He thinks the Seahawks will win, even though he’s a huge 49ers fan. Tourists approach him to get pictures with the monkey. Other locals arrive to purchase the infamous island product concealed in his back pack. He’s busy.
At The Tiki Bar, the bartender Richard Yarde is a huge sports fan. “The Packers are my team,” he says. “Sorry about the conference final,” I reply. He agrees to put on my Seahawks hat for a picture. But we won’t be watching the game together.
Down the beach I run into Larry from Ohio. A long suffering Cleveland Browns fan who is still distraught that his team drafted Johnny Manziel. “I’ll cheer for a Seattle win.. but preferably in overtime,” he says.
Non-partisans want a close game.
My search fails to produce any Hawks fans, but I’ve found a venue. Bert’s Bar, co-owned by Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnynk. My Super Bowl Sunday is set. There may not be many 12s down here, but I have a dozen family members of my own, who I’ll convince to cheer for the repeat.
Game on!
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