This is a guest post from Stuart Flint @stuartflint, who is lucky enough to be going to Super Bowl XLVII this year. A true fan, he’ll be sharing his experience with us as he watches his 49ers take on the Ravens in the biggest game of the year. You can view previous editions in the series here.

I always knew that I would be travelling home to Brisbane either deliriously happy that the 9ers had won the Lombardi trophy, or disappointed that it just wasn’t our time.  Whilst the end of the game was heartbreaking, it could have been so much worse, as up to the point where we scored 17 points in 4 minutes, it was looking like a blowout.

Ultimately, I know that the 9ers had the game in their hands for the taking but just couldn’t deliver it.  Someone said to me “wrong team!” when I was representing San Francisco with my clothing on Monday morning.  My response was short and sweet: “Right team just the wrong year.”

The event itself was fabulous and very surreal.  Many of you would have done something for the game similar as you have in years past and therefore the Super Bowl has a certain feel to it.  In the UK, it was staying up late to watch at home with a few friends.  After moving to Australia it has been the Monday morning event at a hotel which ends with you being drunk (or tipsy) at 2pm on a Monday (hopefully not something experienced often!). I think this meant that game felt surreal and I wasn’t alone with a unified sense of disbelief in the stadium. The intensity of the game was unbelievable, everyone was in-tune with each down and each play as if their lives depended on it.

I can’t tell you too much about the experience of the power outage, except spirits were good, for example I heard someone say, “This is the Super Bowl, I just want to be here as long as possible.”

Pretty much everyone was happy at having their Super Bowl experience extended 34 minutes.

Several people I heard felt bad for New Orleans, as the power outage will no doubt put a black mark on its ability to stage the big game. I said to some Ravens fans that it was because they were playing “lights out football!” However, if there is one resonating thought through fans of the two teams and the two teams themselves its that New Orleans was a fantastic host.

Volunteers gave out free pins with the Super Bowl logo on in the airport, as all the visitors who had accumulated across the days leading up to the game, all tried leaving on the same day.  Whilst not everyone was flying to Baltimore and San Francisco, a lot of people were taking convoluted ways to get back to their homes. Two flights New Orleans to Washington and Washington to San Francisco was much cheaper than the direct route and so every flight back and every gate had both 9ers and Ravens representation.

Thanks for reading my thoughts on my trip. I really did enjoy trying to give you a taste of what has been a most amazing experience.  I loved that it was on a whim, enhance by that fact that it was the first time my team had made it in 18 years, and was in a fantastic city where I’d never visited.  Stocking up on events like the NFL honours show, the flag football game etc.. complemented the host city’s arrangements and the game itself to become a mammoth event.

Now on to the NFL draft…..with the number 31 pick the San Francisco 49ers select?

There is always a next year!