Sober Bowl party a welcome antidote to the usual boozy celebrations

There were seven live bands and solo artists, a comedian and main-floor seating for revelers to watch America's annual genuflection to football and commerce on a huge wall screen.

There was coffee and decaf, soda and lemonade, or bottled water and iced tea — but not a drop of alcohol in contrast to the indulgences at U.S. Bank Stadium one mile south and in living rooms across the country.

Welcome to Sober Bowl II. This creative and wanted antidote allows recovering addicts and alcoholics to enjoy the big game without the temptations or turn-offs inherent with one of the biggest drinking days on the social calendar.

Mainstreaming sobriety through alcohol-free events is a radical concept in the sports and entertainment industry, where booze-fueled boorish behaviors begrudgingly have become part of the cost of attending them. It should not have to be that way, according to Jeremiah Gardener, manager of public affairs and advocacy at the title sponsor Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

"Add up all the people in United States who don't drink or drink very little and it's roughly half of us," Gardener said. "There really is a market for non-alcoholic events. I'm glad we're able to help meet it."

ARK is the Houston-based nonprofit that produced Sober Bowl I last year in that host city. It was so successful organizers threw another party Sunday in Houston, and they plan to have another in 2019 in Minneapolis and Atlanta, which will host Super Bowl LIII.

"We'd love to partner with the NFL but it's not a requirement," said ARK executive director Tracy Abbott. "I don't know how long it will take but we're going to keep showing up in the Super Bowl host city."

Why bother? The NFL shield carries weight but it also can be a regulatory burden.

Sober Bowl tickets cost $20. Not bad for a cool vibe and an all-you-can-eat buffet. Seeing the joy, contentedness and full faculties on the faces of about 1,000 fans watching the underdog Eagles take on the favored Patriots.

Powerful testimonials of high-profile sports figures who crashed and burned in varying ways over the past 20 years were a highlight at this party.

Carl Eller, the hall of fame Vikings defensive lineman and "Purple People Eater," shared stories about endless nights smoking crack and freebasing cocaine before getting clean in 1981, relapsing in 2004 and becoming sober again Feb. 14, 2010.

There was Ryan Leaf, the 1998 No. 2 overall pick and infamous draft bust. Once a punch-line for arrogant and unaccountable athletes who failed to live up to their potential and blamed everyone else for failing to launch, Leaf has turned his life around as a recovering pill popper and inspirational speaker.

Leaf spent 32 months in a Texan prison, including 83 days in solitary confinement, after being convicted of stealing pain medication from a friend's medicine cabinet in 2012.

"I don't recommend going to prison," Leaf said to a ripple of laughter. "But I'm grateful for it. I needed to be humbled by it."

Appropriately it was sports agent Leigh Steinberg who guided his former client through that painful journey before sharing his own.

There was a time during the 1990s when Steinberg was as popular as the players he represented in his $120 million firm.

That included 62 first-round NFL draft choices, including eight No. 1 overall picks. He was the inspiration for Tom Cruise's character in the 1995 movie, "Jerry Maguire."

In March 2010, Steinberg was divorced, bankrupt, homeless and friendless. He had lost his license to represent NFL players when he had an epiphany lying on his late father's bed and chugging the last drop of vodka from a bottle.

"My father instilled two core values in his three children — treasure relationships and make a meaningful difference in the world to help those who can't help themselves," Steinberg said. "And I was failing."

Steinberg sought treatment, and says he has been sober for almost eight years.

"The connotation of drinking and football and the Super Bowl is heavy," he said. "This is a model and alternative way to celebrate the day."