Fans and players get ready for the Super Bowl
People walk past the logo for the upcoming Super Bowl XLIX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots in an NFL fan in Phoenix, Arizona, January 28, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
A woman poses in front of a giant football in a fan zone for the upcoming Super Bowl XLIX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots in Phoenix, Arizona, January 28, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
Strong safety Kam Chancellor, center, of the Seattle Seahawks stretches during a practice at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, January 28, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
Quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots speaks to the media during the New England Patriots Super Bowl XLIX Media Availability at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona, January 29, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots speaks to the media during the New England Patriots Super Bowl XLIX Media Availability at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona, January 29, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots speaks to the media during the New England Patriots Super Bowl XLIX Media Availability at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona, January 29, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
Actress and singer-songwriter Idina Menzel poses with a football during the Super Bowl XLIX Pregame Show Press Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, January 29, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
Super Bowl Halftime performer Katy Perry speaks onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show Press Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, January 29, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch speaks at a press conference at Arizona Grand in advance of Super Bowl XLIX, January 29, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman speaks at a press conference at Arizona Grand in advance of Super Bowl XLIX., January 29, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, left, and New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick attend a joint press conference prior to the upcoming Super Bowl XLIX in Phoenix, Arizona, January 30, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
Honoree Terry Bradshaw, Friars Club Abbot Jerry Lewis, and Friars Club Executive Director Michael Gyure attend the Friars Club Roast of Terry Bradshaw during the ESPN Super Bowl Roast at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona, January 29, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis speaks to reporters during the New England Patriots press conference at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass, January 29, 2015.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
Puppies tussle with a plush football at the "Puppy Bowl" in Phoenix, Arizona, January 29, 2015.
Thursday's "players" in downtown Phoenix were all puppies - part of a drive by the Animal Planet television channel and the Arizona Humane Society to encourage adoptions ahead of the televised "Puppy Bowl" that will air on game day.
Getting ready for Super Bowl 2015
The University of Phoenix Stadium, where Super Bowl XLIX will be held on Sunday, and the Westgate shopping mall are seen next to farm fields in Glendale, Arizona, January 29, 2015.
Over the last decade or so, this city of 230,000 on Phoenix's northwest border, has reinvented itself from farm town to sports mecca. There's the domed stadium where the NFL's Arizona Cardinals play, the NHL's Arizona Coyotes arena, and the new baseball facility where the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox appear every spring for their pre-season training.
But Glendale's love of sports has come at a cost: red ink and jobs lost. All told, Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers said the town's sports fetish has produced "a house of cards."