Warriors’ Stephen Curry proud to bang drum for hometown Panthers
Stephen Curry is at the top of his chosen sport, but that hardly means the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player is too big to be a cheerleader for his favorite NFL team.
The Panthers tweeted a picture Sunday afternoon of a locker, sandwiched between those reserved for linebackers Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly, that housed Curry’s customized No. 30 Carolina jersey.
The drummer hits the 6-foot drum four times to rally the Panthers crowd after the coin toss.
Forty of the 43 players who have been named a Super Bowl MVP were introduced on the field about 30 minutes before kickoff.
Quarterback Joe Flacco, who led the Ravens to a Super Bowl win over the 49ers three years ago, received a smattering of boos.
Peyton Manning, the MVP of Super Bowl XLI, was shown via video preparing for the game in the locker room.
Joe Montana handled the coin toss and was surrounded by the five other players from Bay Area teams who have been named Super Bowl MVPs:
With recent terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino still fresh in everyone’s mind, the Super Bowl was crawling with security guards, police and military of all shapes and sizes, including imposing camouflaged Humvees with roof gun mounts, troops in fatigues holding automatic rifles, and jet-black Homeland Security assault vehicles circling the perimeter.
Helicopters were above, and police checkpoints intercepted any car attempting to approach the stadium.
The Super Bowl was designated a Level 1 Homeland Security event, meaning it had the highest level of security and personnel.
At one point, near the media entrance to the event, a column of military personnel could be seen marching into the interior of the stadium security zone, boots clomping, weapons in hand.
About four hours before kickoff, a merry-go-round of planes circled Levi’s Stadium, pulling banners for beer companies and lumber liquidators.
About 90 minutes before kickoff, one Levi’s Stadium stairwell was nearly full of spectators who sat there to escape the sunshine and heat at their seats inside the stadium.
Navin Kunde of Livermore and Kash Yajnik of Pleasanton paid $500 each (through the NFL lottery) for their upper-level tickets in Section 402.
Nearby, fans encountered another problem: a crazy long line to get into the NFL team store.
The 8 a.m. ceremony at the Moscone Center will include Keith Bruce and Daniel Lurie, CEO and chairman, respectively, of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, and their Houston counterparts Sallie Sargent and Ric Campo, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, 49ers CEO Jed York and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.