IU students make trek to Miami

Like many other times in his life, sophomore Jason Fried is traveling to Miami.\nBut his trip down south this weekend isn't about getting a tan, swimming or visiting relatives. After spending some serious coin, Fried will travel to Miami this Saturday to make a trip to football's mecca: the Super Bowl. \nAsked if he'd ever consider giving up his tickets, Fried said, "There is no way, there is no price. Unless somebody's going to pay me $100,000 a ticket, and I could go scalp another one, there's no way in the world I would give up those tickets."\nThis weekend the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears will face off in the Super Bowl, with both teams hoping to end serious championship droughts -- 21 years for the Bears and 36 years for the Colts (formerly of Baltimore).\nAt the same time, the Bears-Colts Super Bowl XLI matchup has become the second coming of Christmas for the good chunk of the student body at IU that calls Illinois and Indiana home.\nRegardless of the cost, some students at IU will be at Dolphin Stadium to watch the game, along with about 76,500 other fans.\nFried, a Carmel, Ind., native and Colts fan, who is one of the lucky few to go to Miami, discussed the possibility of going to the game after the AFC Championship victory over the New England Patriots on Jan. 21.\n"My dad told me that he was trying to look for tickets, but he wasn't sure about it because they were very expensive," Fried said. "Right before class, I called him up, and he told me he had (tickets in the second row) and he would tell me about it later. He gave me the section number and told me to look it up and see what I thought. After that, I was pretty excited."\nNot only will he go to the Super Bowl and participate in Miami's festivities, but Fried and his family are going first-class all the way. Flying in a private jet with family friends who are also going to the game, the group will take a limousine to a hotel in Naples, Fla. Then, they will enjoy the game in their second-row seats on the 5-yard line.\nOn the other side of the picket fence from Fried is freshman Jack Zimmerman, a Bears fan.\nZimmerman's grandfather has ties to the NFL Players' Association and is close with Gene Upshaw, the organization's president. Every year, Zimmerman's grandfather has gone to the Super Bowl. Zimmerman will attend the Super Bowl on Sunday.\n"My dad was at the Super Bowl when the Bears won in '85 and said it was the best weekend of his life," Zimmerman said. "I'm hoping that this will be the best weekend of my life."\nLiving in Bloomington hasn't softened his heart for the Colts and their fans, though.\n"I'm an extreme competitor, so part of me is naturally pissed off because it sucks being around here right now listening to all the Colts fans talk," Zimmerman said. "So I feel like I've got a chip on my shoulder for the game, and I just kind of hope the Bears win so I can come back here and stick it to the Colts fans a little bit on my floor. I've got a little bit of emotions flying."\nLike Zimmerman, sophomore Mike Smith was ready to go support the Bears in Miami after his uncle, a Bears season ticket holder, won six tickets in a lottery for season ticket holders for the 17th row, between the 40- and 50-yard line.\nHowever, Smith will be watching the game at Opie Taylor's instead of a prime view at Dolphin Stadium.\n"I've never been to a Super Bowl and it's one of the biggest events, in my opinion, and I've always wanted to go," Smith said.\nAfter his uncle was offered a "significant amount of money" for the tickets, combined with Smith's broken foot, the trip to Miami was called off and the family sold their tickets for an undisclosed price.\nAs of Thursday, though, seats in that area of the field were selling between $7,300 and $8,500 on StubHub.com. For those with the appropriate sum, a sideline suite seating up to 50 people cost upward of $465,000.\nBut for Fried and Zimmerman, the financial aspect of going to the Super Bowl doesn't faze them. The only thing that does matter is that both are ready to soak in the feeling of watching their favorite teams.\n"I'm ready," Fried said. "I've been ready for a while, and it's going to be absolutely incredible when I get out there this weekend."\n"It's extreme excitement," Zimmerman added. "It's just going to be a great weekend"