People are everywhere, coming from every direction, so I feel lucky to find a seat even if it’s on the ground and 2 inches away from a garbage can.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday and kickoff is happening in a few minutes from Allegiant Stadium near Las Vegas.

To my right, there’s a sign for Allegiant. There’s another one straight ahead.

I’m in Allegiant Central, for sure, only I’m in Terminal 1 of the Fort Lauderdale airport. It’s thousands of miles away from the game, which Google tells me is in Paradise, Nevada. And believe me, my situation feels zillions of miles away from paradise.

We’ve just been told that our flight has been delayed.

Let the game begin!

Upon hearing the announcement, this corner of the airport erupts into a stadium-like roar of jeers and curses.

What a game it will be!

With overpriced food, a crackly intercom system, and long walks to the restroom, this terminal was feeling like a football stadium. Plus, with the departure time of Flight 169 unknown, it sounded like a good time to place bets - Sin City-style - on when the plane would finally ”kickoff” to Allentown.

To add to the Game Day fun, a guy in a muscle shirt shouted that he could watch YouTube videos on “How to Fly a Plane” and have everyone out of there in a few minutes.

We have our Armchair Quarterback!

By this point, the “real” game had started. Quite a few passengers headed to a Mexican food place - because what better time to indulge in tacos than before an hours-long flight with hundreds of other passengers and four bathrooms?

Others stayed glued to their chairs, guarding them from those arriving for on-time departures to places like Newark. I’d have flashed a giant foam finger to wish them a safe trip, only I couldn’t fit one into my carry-on bag.

It was by the end of the first quarter when the stranded began to bond. They made eye contact and started conversations - because what else can you do - after hearing the one-hour delay became two, and was now announced at 6 hours.

Talk about going into overtime!

One guy sat on the floor next to his sleeping girlfriend (who somehow managed to pack a full-size blanket), and flipped open his laptop to share footage. Others watched on their phones, not bothering to turn down the volume. As a once-a-year thing, it didn’t matter who you were rooting for - everyone was in tune.

Go team!

The noise helped to tune out a prerecorded welcome message from the mayor of Broward County that aired every few minutes. As one passenger expressed, “If I hear this one more time, I am going to tear out my hair.”

Thankfully, she didn’t, because that would have been messier than the Gatorade spilled at the end of the game. Sensing her anger, I decided to rush myself 50 yards to the restroom.

On the way from that End Zone area, I could browse a little shop that sold snacks and merchandise featuring alligators. It lacked the chicken wings and pizza that I imagined everyone “not here” was eating, but it offered plastic cups stuffed with pairs glistening hard boiled eggs. And yogurt.

Talk about halftime fun!

And if you walked a few more yards, you could watch the ups-and-downs of the escalators. If you switched your gaze to the flow of the water in the drinking fountain then blinked a few times while staring at the fluorescent lights, you could create a dazzling backdrop just like that of the real Halftime Show!

Plus there are two more quarters to go!

Admittedly, by what would be the fourth quarter, this Bad Football Fan finally learned who was playing - and the match wasn’t between Newark and Allentown.

It very well could have been, though, given the hoots and hollers that broke out as pilot and crew approached the jetway of Flight 169 with direct service to Allentown!

We’d board next, tackling our seats like defensive linemen. It was just after midnight and many got sacked by sleepiness.

The real game was over anyway.

Less than three hours later, the plane hit the tarmac, and we all celebrated a touchdown.

Contact Jill Whalen at jwhalen@tnonline.com