This is home for me,” football legend Larry Fitzgerald told me during a recent Downtown photo shoot. Despite quietly ending his storied career with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, the presumptive retiree plans to remain a fixture in the Valley – and so, it seems, does the Super Bowl.
Like a slot receiver racking up first downs, Greater Phoenix has settled into a nice little rhythm where the NFL’s signature game is concerned. We’re firmly embedded in the regular Super Bowl rotation now, reliably getting one every seven or eight years – and it’s a helluva party each time.
To celebrate Super Bowl LVII, coming to Glendale this February, PHOENIX magazine is resurrecting one of its own traditions – the Super Bowl preview issue, which we first did way back in 1996 for Super Bowl XXX in Tempe. Partnering with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, we’ve packed this one-of-a-kind fan guide with game-week and event information, watch-party recs, a highlight reel of all-time great Arizona Super Bowl moments and, to cap it all off, a cracking history feature about the high-profile public policy drama that preceded Arizona’s admission into the Super Bowl champagne room.
Naturally, we also took time to catch up with Fitzgerald, whom the Host Committee sagely tapped to serve as Executive Chair of the organization in 2023. From his charitable efforts to his amiable persona to his 17,560 career receiving yards, the retired superstar is the best possible face for Super Bowl LVII – which is why we put him on the cover. Both covers, actually – this one and its WM Phoenix Open counterpart on the other side.
Because it turns out Fitz has a solid chip shot, too. And to the chagrin of his playing partners, it’s also here to stay.
