NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Rob Gronkowski scarfed down some chicken wings. Marshall Faulk brought the gumbo and beignets. David Njoku walked around shirtless.

It was another wild scene on Media Row this week where more than 150 radio and television stations broadcast their shows and live segments from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (17-2) are going for a three-peat when they face Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles (17-3) in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

There are 6,414 media members accredited to cover the game and related events leading up to it, the most ever for a Super Bowl.

Many of them piled into the convention center for a spectacle that began from one radio station broadcasting live inside a local hotel in Minneapolis in 1992. It has evolved into a mecca of media, content creators, brands, athletes, celebrities and entertainers gathering in one location to hype up the big game, pitch themselves or a product.

Radio Row was officially born at the Super Bowl in Los Angeles in 1993, the year after New York’s WFAN started broadcasting onsite, according to longtime league executive Michael Signora.

Faulk, Gronkowski and Njoku were just a few of the many stars who turned out this week on the row. Faulk was named chief flavor officer for Sodexo Live! so he came with authentic cuisine to talk football and food.

“We brought you the best cuisine New Orleans has to offer,” Faulk said.

Gronkowski, the former Patriots and Buccaneers four-time Super Bowl champion, and Njoku, a tight end for the Browns, were part of an army of talent Bounty brought to its giant, two-story studio setup. Former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon, Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs and A.J. Dillon, Cincinnati’s Ted Karras and Alex Cappa, and Minnesota’s Aaron Jones and Andrew Van Ginkel were among the players who ate wings with various hosts and wiped off the mess with paper towels.

“You just gotta block out all the outside noise,” Gronkowski said about his advice to players on the two teams. “There’s nothing more important than the game. There’s parties, there’s Radio Row, there’s family members asking for a billion tickets, friends asking for a billion tickets. But you just have to focus on the game because the only thing people remember is the outcome.”

Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana appeared again this year on behalf of Pfizer to tell folks the recommended age for the pneumococcal pneumonia vaccination has been lowered to adults as young as 50.

He said the toughest thing about winning three straight Super Bowls is the health of players because seasons are long and offseasons are short.

Faulk wasn’t the only Hall of Fame running back making the rounds. Eric Dickerson was there to talk about the NFL Alumni’s new “On 3 obesity’ campaign. Thurman Thomas came to celebrate Mike Ditka’s charity, Gridiron Greats, and Pork Rind Appreciation Day with Rudolph Foods.

Each of them showed their appreciation for Barkley, the 2024 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Malcolm Jenkins, who won Super Bowls with the Saints and Eagles, discussed his business ventures in art and franchising. Jenkins was the first NFL player to secure minority ownership in a Premier League team and the first professional athlete to partner with Phillips Auction House

Saints edge rusher Cameron Jordan rode around on a Segway GT3 Pro to promote the electric scooter.

Former 49ers and Bears defensive lineman Anthony “Spice Adams” teamed with Cracker Barrel Cheese, which had a fleet of 50 high-tech cheese delivery robots rolling through the city offering free cheese to partygoers.

Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., the 2023 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, talked up Jif peanut butter. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson appeared on behalf of Visa and Chase Ink. Former Patriots Super Bowl champ Danny Amendola promoted Olipop, a prebiotic soda. Former Patriots long snapper advocated for Light helmets.

Browns quarterback Jameis Winston, who was a big star conducting interviews at Super Bowl opening night and on the NFL Honors red carpet, came with business partner Danny Cortenraede to highlight their work together with InStudio Ventures, which helps startups and up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

“We’re doing amazing things in the sports media technology space,” Winston said.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King partnered with Dove to raise awareness of the impact negative body image can have on girls in sports.

By Saturday, the hundreds of tables and elaborate setups were being broken down and only a few folks remained.

Micah Parsons, Gronkowski, Robinson, Justin Jefferson, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye stuck around to meet with military members, veterans and their families at the USAA Salute to Service Lounge. Each of the players along with Jordan and Jacobs gifted a veteran two tickets to the game.

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