Smell that?

Probably not. You're on the other side of the world. But if you were here, walking the streets of San Francisco in Super Bowl week, that smell you can smell is marijuana.

Purely medicinal, of course. It is still illegal to smoke weed in California unless you have a card from the doctor that permits you to smoke it to ease the pain.

Strangely enough, I don't see many people in pain in San Francisco right now ahead of Super Bowl 50 between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers at Levi's Stadium on Sunday afternoon (Monday AEST).

I see a city about to explode.

That man right there, in the bright yellow fur coat and matching fedora, is bursting with excitement. No pain there, my man.

So, too, is the person in the wheelchair pushing himself backwards with his feet and using two hand mirrors to navigate through the scores of Broncos fans who have lit up the city in growing numbers in their bright orange apparel.

On Saturday afternoon, rock star Lenny Kravitz and hip hop duo OutKast rocked one Super Bowl party. Later that night, the NFL Honors event, which reveals the season's Most Valuable Player and Hall of Fame inductees, was hosted by Conan O'Brien.

The hottest ticket in town on Saturday night, though, was the Leather and Laces event, which included a platoon of Victoria's Secret models and Entourage star Jeremy Piven.

Not big on your lingerie models? Go and watch Andrew Bogut and Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors play Oklahoma. That seemed to be the biggest event outside of Super Bowl. Nose bleed tickets for the NBA game started at $US179.

As for Super Bowl, one Australian man I met was prepared to hand over $6000 to have mine. He had flown to San Fran on spec, hoping to land a ticket to the game. Six thousand? There's a lot of medicinal marijuana right there.

Down at Super Bowl City – the NFL's interactive live site on steroids – the party is still going.

They have been lining up for 30 minutes to get through the metal detectors, barely noticing the trio of Hare Krishnas taking turns to chant into a megaphone. Or the Bible-bashers holding ominous signs that scream we must all repent and "to enter heaven you must be born again".

To enter the ESPN party at Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason on Friday night, you just had to know the right people.

Personally, I could have spent the night in the carpark watching impossibly good-looking people get out of impossibly large cars, flick their impossibly large hair and then walk the red carpet.

Inside, more than 2000 people filled the wharf, watching some bloke called Nick Jonas perform. Among those 2000 people were a score of NFL stars, including the game's best known virgin, Tim Tebow, and towering New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The ESPN brand is growing in Australia – Super Bowl is live from 10am on Monday – but in the United States it is as ubiquitous as McDonald's. It is indicative of the country's obsession with sport.

It might be stating the bleeding obvious, but when it comes to sport the US does it better than anyone, from their marketing to their stadiums to their television coverage to their pre-Super Bowl parties with lingerie models.

Given the size of the population, it is understandable. It is slippery trying to compare Australian sport to major codes in other countries, particularly in the US and Europe. But when you are right here in the thick of it, you get a healthy dose of perspective.

The San Francisco 49ers play out of a world-class 68,500-seat stadium. Manly are squabbling with Warringah Council over hiring out a dilapidated Brookvale Oval.

Despite this, as you look at what's going down in San Francisco in Super Bowl week, at the decadence and extravagance, you can't help but wonder … how much is all this costing?

Meanwhile, there is the minor matter of a game to be played.

Both teams trained at Levi's Stadium on Saturday at Santa Clara, an hour's drive from the city.

After the formal team photo was taken at the end of the session, quarterback Cam Newton took charge, telling his teammates to pose for pictures while pointing to the left, then pointing to the right. Then another photo was taken of every player showing their ring fingers.

And then, finally, every player and coach did Newton's signature "dabbin'" dance. (YouTube it, I don't know how to describe it in print).

"Big games don't seem to bother him," coach Ron Rivera said of his star quarterback. "He's played in several of them. He played in the junior college national championship. He played in the NCAA championship and won the Heisman. So I think big games, big scenarios don't seem to bother him. He seems to be who he is. He's kept his personality. That's been one of the messages I've had with these guys. Keep your personality, keep your energy level up and stay focused."

Things were more subdued when Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos took the field earlier in the day. Coach Gary Kubiak said he was trying to keep this week as normal as possible for his team, including the enforcement of a Saturday night curfew.

"Oh absolutely there's a curfew, for me and for them," the coach said. "Same one we have every week. It's time to get some rest and get ready to go."

Get some rest? Try telling that to the rest of the city.

Andrew Webster travelled to San Francisco to cover Super Bowl 50 courtesy of Adam Wilcox Major Events. www.wilcoxgolf.com.au