65th Super Bowl

It was Super Bowl LXV, and the stadium was jam-packed. The Cleveland Browns were playing the Jacksonville Jaguars. People had flown in from everywhere to see these 2 teams. People frantically swiped on their cell screens, called friends, and locked in their final bet.

The weather was beautiful in Miami, liquor flowed at pre-game parties, and the city lit up; people were on fire with excitement. Halftime was slated to run 10 minutes longer and was billed as an extravaganza, featuring Bruno Mars, Eminem, Benson Boone, Miley Cyrus, and Pitbull.

The streets had been blocked off for several days for open-air parties and tailgating. Miami was doing it up more than any other city had done. It would be an all-time memorable event, the largest party ever held.

On-duty and off-duty police patrolled in squad cars, on foot, and horseback, calming the rowdy and nervous older people, encouraging young kids – just all around showing up to display their police ‘chops’ – not to mention their biceps and full duty gear. Undercover cops walked the streets in plain clothes, long hair, and tennis shoes. If you knew what to look for, you could spot them walking casually, their heads rotating side to side as they observed. Muscled guys, broad shoulders, weapons hidden under their clothes. You can spot them if you watch.

Today is the day, and kick-off is soon. Traffic was so bad that people were still on the freeway, talking to friends on the car’s speakerphone or through their Shokz headphones - those bone-conduction, super-clear-sound headphones that won’t hurt your ears. They are parking and crowding into the stadium, trying to get settled and see the kick-off. Some are trying to get a beer and snacks to take to their seat, and those lines are long.

Marco had a seat, and it cost him 11% of his $75,000 salary from two jobs: part-time bartender and part-time valet. He loves his 2019 VW Jetta and his new iPhone 17. His girlfriend Sheila is also an Apple user with the iPhone 16 and the best camera. He and his friends always argue about Droids vs. iPhones, and they never reach a consensus.

Sheila is FaceTiming her girlfriends, showing the stadium and the field. She whoops as the cheerleaders take the field.

Marco is still placing bets on his phone when his sister, Arlene, calls after sending him a 911 text.

“What?” Marco answers.

“Mom is sick. You have to come home.”

“Aww, shit, Arlene, I’m at the Super Bowl. I can’t come home. What’s wrong with her?”

His phone dies. He tries to dial back, but it won’t work.

“What the hell!” Sheila is yelling, looking at her phone. “It went dead, Babe. Give me yours. I have to film and post.”

Suddenly, the entire crowd is on its feet, everyone pushing and swiping on their phones, shaking them, holding them up to the sky, and looking at the person next to them, who is doing the same: staring at a blank screen.

A loudspeaker announcement comes after loud static: Fans, we have news. Worldwide, all cell phones are inoperable. Tech teams worldwide are working to resolve this. Don’t worry, it won’t affect the game. We have a private, redundant network, so we will continue broadcasting. Our goal is to keep the game going, provide entertainment during halftime, and make it a great event despite the challenges. We will keep you posted on the cell phone interruptions and when you can expect to use your devices.

“I paid $8500 to get into this event, and I can’t FaceTime anyone. I can’t post to my accounts. No Insta, no TikTok. Dammit. Who crashed the cell coverage worldwide? They’d better get it back up before half-time. People paid me to tape the stars.” Marco frowned at Sheila and shook his phone.

Sheila pulled out her Kodak Printomatic that Marco ridiculed: It cost less than $90 – how can it take a picture and print it out? She snapped a photo of him and printed it.

When the teams lined up, she snapped another photo. Soon, a crowd gathered around Sheila.

No one could call a friend to bring Sheila more paper, and one pack held only 10 photos.

Buddy, a college kid, said he’d run to Staples nearby and get some.

The kickoff happened, and Buddy returned toward the end of the first quarter.

Neither team had scored.

“Buddy, what do you have in that giant bag?”

“I bought more of the cameras and lots of the paper. I had to pay cash because their card readers aren’t working.” People handed him $ 100 bills, and he gave them a camera.

The entertainment line-up for half-time was amazing and ended with another announcement.

“Attention football fans! We are going to play the recording that the leaders of all countries just received. Please, quiet, in the stadium.”

Surprisingly, everyone fell silent and listened.

“This is your Off the Air Conclave with an important announcement. Although cell phone technology is amazing and has connected people in ways we never envisioned, it has also caused great harm.

We have watched families sit at dinner, scrolling on their phones instead of interacting with each other. We see young mothers handing their cell phones to babies under the age of one to keep them busy, rather than reading to them or playing puzzles.

We have witnessed young and old men hiding cell phones in private areas to film unaware women. Some people now have eye issues from staring at the cell screen so much. Many have bent necks from looking down.

So we decided it was time to remove these devices. We turned them off PERMANENTLY. Okay, now we see that you all are looking at the devices and trying to turn them on. It is futile. Get used to it."     

The people were stunned … but the show must go on.

The football players took the field, and the 3rd quarter began.

            Copyright © 10/30/2026 by Andrea O. Corwin