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As the Super Bowl XLII weekend approaches, many Arizona residents are offering up their homes to the thousands of incoming Patriots and Giants fans eager to shell out for last-minute accommodations.
Arizonans located near the University of Phoenix
Stadium, where the game will be held Sunday, are advertising rentals, many touting their spacey homes with deluxe home theaters and even the use of cars in hopes of cashing in on the rush of football fans flooding the area.
The listings have similar eye-catching exclamations, proclaiming "Die Hard Patriot Fans! Act Now!!" or "HURRY UP SUPERBOWL ALMOST HERE!!!! offer wont last long!!!!"
One ad for a home rental offers an extra day to takers, writing "Rent this beautiful 2232 sq. ft home for the Super Bowl/FBR Open in Sunny Arizona!! ... Rent for 6 days and get the 7th day FREE!!!!!!"; another similarly titled listing offers easy access to the game and after-parties, stating: "Location 5 miles to all the HOT! Superbowl parties and close to your team."
A quick site search of the Boston-area craigslist pulls up more than 700 ads offering weekend accommodations. Searching through the Phoenix craigslist retrieves posts advertising house rentals and other related results in the thousands. Last year's event drew nearly 75,000 fans to the Miami area, and attendance figures of a similar magnitude are expected for the 2008 playoff.
A representative from the Arizona Office of Tourism anticipated a hectic weekend, with the town of Glendale being overrun with football fans:
"Oh yes, we're definitely getting ready for a large amount of people here for the Super Bowl." Though the rep wasn't familiar with the craigslist ads, she did let on that most of the hotels in the surrounding area are likely to be completely booked up.
Locals unable to provide lodging services are coming up with other creative ways to take advantage of the influx of party-goers. One craigslist ad targets tailgaters who intend to party hard, offering up his services as a designated driver and personal taxi during the Super Bowl festivities: "GET DRUNK, TAILGATE PARTY, WHATEVER, I WILL BE YOUR DESIGNATED DRIVER FOR YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS."
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