Ad Meter panelist one day, Big Game Sweepstakes winner the next.
While there will be nearly a year’s worth of wondering and guessing which teams will punch the coveted ticket to Los Angeles for Super Bowl LVI — not to mention who will sing the national anthem, perform during halftime, and, of course, which brands will hit pop-cultural pay dirt with the top commercials — we do know one thing.
John Lentini and his wife, Joanna, will be there to take in the experience. Lentini is the winner of the Big Game Sweepstakes, selected among thousands of panelists who rated the commercials in USA TODAY Ad Meter’s commercial class of 2021.
“You gotta be kidding me …” John paused in perfect, happy disbelief when notified of the news by phone. “That’s incredible!”
In conjunction with USA TODAY Ad Meter, the Pro Football Hall of Fame provides the grand prize winner a travel package to next year’s Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, plus extraordinary access to star-studded events during the week leading up to the big game.
From the Merlin Olsen luncheon, which Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has called “one of the best events during Super Bowl Week,” to the VIP Tailgate Party hosted by Emmitt Smith, it’s a parade of NFL legends and big-name celebrities, complemented with top-shelf food and drinks.
Such a rush of possibilities tempts the imagination, of course. For John, it might be a chance to meet Barry Sanders, one of his favorite Hall of Famers, who transformed the running back position. Joanna, who is a writer and photographer, now has a blank canvas awaiting her creativity.
So which team would John most like to see run out onto the field next year?
“Well,” he sighed, “I’m a Giants fan, so we’ll see. It could be the [Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers], if I had to guess, actually.”
The current hardship of being a Big Blue fan aside, don’t overlook the New York resident’s predictions. John did he pick the Bucs to win this year, based on respect for Tom Brady and “what he’s accomplished.” Plus, his favorite commercials — Jeep’s “The Middle,” Tide’s “The Jason Alexander Hoodie,” and Doritos’ “Flat Matthew” — all landed in the top 15 of this year’s commercial class.
Beyond the culmination of his fun-filled Ad Meter experience, John’s backstory makes this grand-prize tale even more special. He advocates seizing the day, a carpe diem mentally that has grown from life lessons which have shaped his unique journey — including the unimaginable experience of working on the 80th floor of 2 World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
It was from that challenging moment that he decided to travel and see the world, including living abroad.
In the decades since that harrowing day, he’s championed younger generations to persevere through adversity and life’s roadblocks. To get out and see it all.
As he eloquently wrote to his high school’s Class of 2020: Travel is another one of life’s truly great teachers.
So with that in mind, John and Joanna — congratulations, and enjoy the Big Game Sweepstakes learning experience in 2022!
