Not that this was any epic mystery, but there was some reported last-minute concerns raised that the New York/New Jersey area would get the Super Bowl due to various reasons, including league tradition of southern/western sites and the weather factor.
Fuggedaboutit. The league announced today that the Big Apple would be the host of the big game in 2014 over Tampa and Miami. Miami was the first site eliminated and New York prevailed over Tampa on the fourth ballot.
Even though there was a league restriction on sites with an average temperature below 50 degrees in February, it's no suprise that the league waived the restriction and New York landed the game. We're talking about the placing the country's largest sporting event in the nation's largest market in a new, state-of-the-art facility. It's also furhter incentive for teams to bite the bullet and build new facilities, as both Dallas and New York will be hosting the Super Bowl in the next four years for the first time each.
I did hear a good counterargument against New York today by Jim Rome. Romey, who proclaimed his support for the New York Super Bowl, did offer the perspective that the Super Bowl is more a spectacle or event than an actual game.....and in a way he is right. Celebrities and corporate clients revel in the parties and outdoor activities. The game is typically a higher-scoring, entertaining game for the casual sports fan. There's next to zero chance that there's going to be a blizzard, blackout, or other adverse result of adverse weather. It's almost an award for the players themselves to hit up a temperate destination site for the most important game of their careers.
For the record, I am against hosting the Super Bowl outside of the traditional site rotation. However, despite the indisputable tradition of warm-weather Super Bowls and the appeal of said sites, this change was inevitable and makes sense on several levels, the largest of which being that football is a tough, physical sport that requires mind-boggling physical toughness and mental fortitude. It stands to reason that the sport's biggest game will challenge the best teams from each conference not just against each other in a battle of wits, but rather will challenge each team to be tougher, both physically and mentally, than their opponent to prevail.
What do you think of a Super Bowl in cold weather?
As always, H/T to RJBlitz for the dropping the news.