Motor City area's sex industry revs up to score off the field

WINDSOR, Ontario — Ah, the Super Bowl. Nothing else brings together so many big, sweaty men working hard in pursuit of a single goal.

Of course, we're talking about the hunt for sex, not the battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

And what better place to find sex this week than Detroit? Well, not just Detroit. The Motor City's sex appeal, after all, is on the level of Spokane's. But five minutes across the lovely Detroit River lies lovely Windsor, Ontario, and the women who dance nude at Cheetah's, one of a handful of strip clubs in the border city.

The readerboard outside Cheetah's on Tuesday promoted the club's big event for Sunday, being hosted by Miss Hustler, as in the magazine. "XXX Super Bowl Party. No Wide Receivers. Only Tight Ends. Cool Prizes."

The Super Bowl, no matter the city, is billed as professional sport's greatest contest. But year after year, it also attracts those looking for more than just football.

In addition to the Windsor strip clubs, several erotically charged private Super Bowl parties feature big-name celebrity guest lists. Adult-film studio Vivid and porn star Jenna Jameson host a party Friday night. Playboy, Penthouse and Maxim magazines host competing parties the night after.

Sex at the Super Bowl is big business, especially at Cheetah's, which will feature 60 nude dancers on two floors throughout the weekend, including a bunch who have come to Windsor to get in on a piece of the profits.

"You've got to follow the pocketbooks," said Anik, a dancer from Montreal, who asked that only her first name be used. Anik said she travels across North America to events that attract her kind of customer. "Any major sporting event is going to attract a lot of men. The Super Bowl definitely beats the Stanley Cup, that's for sure."

Renaldo Agostino, marketing manager for Cheetah's and three other Windsor strip clubs, said some dancers will walk out of the club Friday and Saturday nights with a couple thousand dollars, if not more.

"Sin City" boom

Everyone from legal assistants to nursing students has been calling him nonstop for the past week or so, hoping to get a dancing gig at one of his clubs, Agostino said. They've also sent him videotapes, e-mail messages and faxes. Some say they only dance one time a year — at the Super Bowl.

Everyone seems to be piling on for a piece of the action. ESPN Radio is broadcasting its programming live this afternoon from Cheetah's.

Windsor, a city of about 200,000 people, also offers female escorts who are licensed by the government and are required to pay taxes on their income. While sex-for-hire is illegal in Windsor, escorts make dates with clients — often to meet them in their hotel rooms — and whatever happens behind closed doors is private. Technically, the escorts are paid for their time.

"I've been getting a lot of inquiries in the last couple weeks ... " one Windsor escort said. "I'm going to be pretty busy. I expect to be working around the clock."

The escort asked that her trade name not be used out of fear of inciting Windsor's mayor. Mayor Eddie Francis is none too pleased about Windsor being referred to as "Sin City" in media reports about what fans can do across the border while at the Super Bowl.

Love is in the air

In Detroit, the sexy Super Bowl bashes start in earnest Friday night. The Vivid and Jenna Jameson party, at a Detroit nightclub, will feature a lingerie fashion show and appearances by the stars of the adult-entertainment industry, according to a news release.

Playboy, which has hosted a Super Bowl party for seven years, is throwing this year's event inside an airport hangar, hence an aviation theme with playmates outfitted as "Jet Bunnies." The guest list includes Cal Ripken Jr., Chad Michael Murray, David Spade, Jim Belushi and Kanye West. About 1,800 people are expected.

Hef, though, is sitting this one out in Los Angeles.

Super Bowl fans not bold enough to go to strip clubs or hire an escort, or not exclusive enough to earn invitations to one of the private parties can always resort to the old-fashioned casual hookup, although the staggering ratio of men to women at the Super Bowl makes the odds much better for females.

And there are enough former and current athletes, sports-media celebrities and hunky movie stars milling about Detroit this week to make for several interesting stories.

Like this one, observed earlier in the week:

Three attractive young women walk into a hotel lounge. Of all the tables and seats available, they pick three against the bar, alongside the only person in the place wearing a Super Bowl ring.

If they know who he is, they certainly are being coy about it. Too coy, it seems, for the former NFL running back, whose quiet conversation with his male drinking buddy evolves into a loud discussion about his playing days, leaving no doubt who he is.

Friendly conversation begins between the former player and the young ladies.

Like this week's saying goes: What happens at the Super Bowl, stays at the Super Bowl.

Stuart Eskenazi: 206-464-2293 or seskenazi@seattletimes.com