They’re throwing footballs in the desert.
No, we’re not talking about Tom Brady and Russell Wilson -- they will do their thing on Sunday at the University of Phoenix Stadium.
Rather, fans at the NFL Fan Experience in Phoenix are tossing nerf footballs dipped in various paints at blanks canvases as part of interactive exhibit sponsored by Oxygen to help promote its upcoming Street Art Throwdown competition series. On Thursday and Friday, fans, players and celebrities attending the NFL Fan Experience are putting the painted pigskins in flight as the starting points for the show’s contestants turning them into murals representing Play 60, the NFL’s youth outreach initiative, and nearby Luke Air Force Base, as charitable beneficiaries.
Award-winning artist and show creator Justin Bua, co-judge Lauren Wagner and La’Roi Glover, former NFL player and current director of player engagement for the St. Louis Rams, were the judges for Thursday’s entries.
The show’s hosts will be joined in the judging on Friday by Olympic hurdler Queen Harrison.
On Saturday, the artists will work on two massive murals depicting the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, the NBC logo, and other Super Bowl-related fare. Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, Arizona Cardinals punter Drew Butler and actor Kellan Lutz (Twilight franchise and Legend of Hercules) were expected to be on hand.
The Saturday activities will be filmed in their entirety and then edited to be included as a segment in NBC’s six-hour pre-game show.
The high-profile promotional platform comes ahead of the show -- in which 10 contestants will create various outdoor art forms around Los Angeles with the winner taking home $100,000 -- which will premiere Tuesday, Feb. 3 debut at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).
"We saw an amazing synergy between the high- energy, competitive nature of Super Bowl and street art,” said Bravo and Oyxgen Media executive vice president of marketing Ellen Stone. Partnering with NBC Sports and the NFL provided the perfect opportunity to highlight Street Art Throwdown, in an impactful way that literally touches the fans and allows them to experience the visually arresting nature of this art through on-site demonstrations by the incredible talent/artists throughout the weekend." .
Each day, the murals are vetted by the judges and then donated back to the participating charities or auctioned off by NFL for proceeds given to an NFL selected organization
OXYGEN’S SUPER BOWL SCHEDULE (all times MT)
THURSDAY & FRIDAY:
2-3pm: The charity organization stops by to meet artists, take photos at the activation site and participate in the pop-art challenge.
2-5:30pm: Pop-art challenge where consumers, fans and talent throw nerf footballs dipped in paint at blank canvas walls to create art splatter and backdrop for the mural.
6-9pm: Artists live-paint the specific theme on the pop-art splattered murals. Talent can participate in painting the mural.
9-9:30pm: Judging by two show hosts and NFL player/celebrity.
SATURDAY:
12-4pm: Live-painting massive Super Bowl XLIX themed murals – one for the New England Patriots, the other for the Seattle Seahawks. Talent will participate in the mural and hold photo opps.
4-4:30pm: Judging by two show hosts and NFL player/celebrity.
