NASHVILLE — Before Challenger, a bald eagle, soars around the stadium for his stirring portion of the pregame routine, he takes the same trip upstairs as many fans heading to the upper deck.
He rides the elevator.
Challenger’s trick is swooping from his perch high above the field and circling over the fans on his way down to the waiting left arm of one of his handlers, with the occasional extra loop around the field.
“He recognizes people are clapping, applauding, taking pictures,” said Al Louis Cecere, founder and president of the nonprofit American Eagle Foundation, who is also a handler.