Phoenix won't ever be the same after Super Bowl weekend!

I was here when the Super Bowl was played at Sun Devil Stadium back in the late 90s - I went to three big parties - paid a cover charge for only one of them - and I thought that was one of the craziest weekends I've ever seen!

But now I can't even count how many parties are gonna jump off here! And have you seen some of the cover charges? You're gonna pay hundreds of dollars and that won't even get you VIP status!

Don't worry Mr. PhxSoul.com will never go Hollywood, but I'm lookin' forward to seeing some of the celebrities and I can't wait to see how my fellow Phoenicians react to all the paparazzi and the madness!

This sleepy metropolis is gonna get a rude awakening! Phoenix aint ready to host an event as big as the Super Bowl! Just think, we'll be hosting the NBA All-Star Game in February 2009 and the Light Rail doesn't even work!

Glendale doesn't have enough hotels and restaurants to host everybody so all of the Super Bowl guests will have to travel to Scottsdale for some real entertainment! Glendale still has a gang of farm land around the University of Phoenix Stadium where the Super Bowl is being played!

I'm ramblin' but I'm excited about this what the Super Bowl experience will bring. I think our city leaders will learn a lot about what it takes to be great hosts. I just hope the media doesn't beat the Phoenix area up too bad this time around!

Give the Phoenix area about 5-10 years and I think we'll be in better shape to provide a great Super Bowl show!!

I've lived in Phoenix, Arizona all of my life and have loved almost every minute of my existence here.

The weather is great, people are friendly, homes are affordable and the scenery is beautiful.

I believe the Valley of the Sun has the potential to become a mecca for African Americans but it's been obvious for years that we are not unified here.

There is a plethora of black organizations, community events, churches and networking opportunities here in Phoenix - maybe we have TOO many - but it seems to me that we have VERY low numbers of African Americans actually participating and getting involved.

Why?

Are we too busy with our jobs, families and other personal matters?

Is the Valley just too spread out making it hard for black people to congregate?

Do the perceived "class" differences among black people make it difficult for us to mingle with each other and pursue similar interests?

Are we just disenchanted with the idea of "black unity?"

I wish I had all the answers for my people, but for now, I just have a lot of questions.