Super Bowl madness: Thriller in OT, comeback win, and ‘Tay-Tay’

The Super Bowl game that had it all—overtime, a comeback win, Taylor Swift, and not to mention, a shirtless Usher.

It seemed like everyone on Saipan were at Super Bowl watch parties yesterday—eager to bear witness to a wild Super Bowl LVIII showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, (and yes, catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift).

Public school was out in the CNMI and so were football fans of all ages who made the most of it on a mad Monday that had no blues—except for 49ers fans.

In the four watch parties visited by Saipan Tribune, the consensus was that the 49ers will bring the Vince Lombardi trophy to the West Coast—where a big CNMI community resides. There were also some “Tay-Tay” (Taylor Swift) fans out, but the Chiefs were not the favorite in the CNMI.

In the end though, Taylor Swift stormed the field into the arms of her beloved Travis Kelce as he and Patrick Mahomes scooped the Chiefs’ second-straight Super Bowl championship in a thriller OT.

Down south at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan, over 100 fans filled the sold-out Charley’s Cabaret. Gridiron fans in different jerseys lit up the space with bright colors, but with 49ers the clear favorite to win.

Reymark Castro, Super Bowl watch party host, said PIC was home to Chiefs fans in the past, but this year, the 49ers took over. Guests were treated to breakfast, lunch buffet, raffle tickets, and a chance to win on the square board, one free beer, giveaways, discounted drink specials and cash prizes, along with the grand prize of a night’s stay at PIC.

At Saipan World Resort, the Taga Hall had a huge projection of the game on the stage.

Guy Pudney, resident manager of MARPAC who sponsored PIC, World Resort, and Hyatt’s watch parties, was seen watching the game.

Despite a decrease in number this year, Pudney said it was still a great turnout at World Resort with over 60 guests. “Everyone’s coming out. From what I understand, there’s a lot of 49ers fans on Saipan… I’ve noticed for some reason, there’s a lot of females cheering this year and I think it has something to do with Taylor Swift,” he said.

One fan, Raquel Aguon, was out watching with her husband and friends and sporting a 49ers jersey. Her loyalty was stronger for the 49ers as she said she was a Taylor Swift fan, but more so a 49ers fan because she once lived in the Bay Area with her husband.

When asked how the game was so far—with at the time of the interview—the game was at 10-3, she said, “We really don’t know what’s going to happen, but as a 49er faithful, you believe in your team and push through ‘til the end.”

Hyatt Regency Saipan by far had the largest watch party turnout with a sold-out number of 160 gridiron faithful.

Marketing and Communications manager Bea O’Malley said of their turnout, “It’s great. People are coming back. We have a really good turnout this year compared to last year. We’re out of COVID so we have more people now.”

She said that Hyatt is always excited with their partnership with MARPAC during the Super Bowl. “This year is special because we did a lot of preparation—especially with the big screens because we know the Super Bowl is huge. The visuals have to be awesome,” said O’Malley.

Food & Beverage director Seiji Shindo said they had a huge selection of food and drinks that hungry fans feasted on while watching the game.

Over at the Godfather’s Bar, with still more 49ers fans, one fan—Tim Kerr—cheered for the Chiefs. He even went as far as writing “Tay-Tay” on his chest and “Chiefs” on his belly. There were also women fans inside the bar who jokingly said they were watching just for Taylor Swift, but took it back and said they were actually fans of both teams.

Overall, good vibes, alcohol, and delicious food reigned on Monday, as the sporting community day-drunk their way to start the week—a great note for Chiefs’ fans and a disappointing one for 49ers faithfuls.