Flirting With the Lombardi

I have been in the presence of the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl trophy two times this week. First, I saw it up close on Tuesday at the media day event at Raymond James Stadium. It was surrounded by several security guards. I asked them if I could touch it and they said no and were not amused. Last night at the NFL party, I stood in line with other attendees to get my photo taken next to the trophy. Once again, I asked if I could touch it. They said no again. "I've touched the Stanley Cup," I explained to the guard, "does that make a difference?" Denied again. I am not sure what they are worried about. Would the winning team turn it away if it had a few fingerprints on it? It's not like I was going to try to kiss it or lick it or something. It was still pretty cool to see it up close.