The first 47 editions of the Super Bowl were either played in a warm weather climate or held in the confines of a domed stadium. The cities of New Orleans and Miami have been the most popular destinations to host the Super Bowl as they have combined to host the big game 20 times. The National Football League decided to do something different this season when it was determined that MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey would be the host venue for Super Bowl 48. MetLife Stadium is the regular home of the New York Giants and the New York Jets, but the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos will invade their territory this Sunday to decide this season’s NFL Champion. MetLife Stadium opened in 2010 and it has only played host to one playoff game as the Giants defeated the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 in January 2012 in the NFC Wild Card Game. The crowd that day was dominated by Giant fans, but it will be a little bit different this Sunday night when the NFL’s most important game of the season will be decided there with rowdy Seahawk fans from the Pacific Northwest and energetic Bronco fans from the Rocky Mountains.
For years the NFL has been against the notion of having the Super Bowl played in an open-air stadium in a cold weather city. There have only been a few times where the elements played a factor in the Super Bowl. Super Bowl 9 which was played at Tulane Stadium was originally scheduled to be played at the Louisiana Superdome, but construction for the facility had not been completed. The game time temperature that afternoon was 46 degrees with heavy winds as the Pittsburgh Steelers would go on to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 16-6. Super Bowl 19 was held at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. The game time temperature was 53 degrees with fog as the San Francisco 49ers would defeat the Miami Dolphins 38-16. At Super Bowl 41 it rained for the entire game in Miami as the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17. The wind of New Orleans, fog of Northern California, and warm rain of Miami will be nothing compared to what the Seahawks and Broncos can expect this Sunday evening when they take the field in New Jersey. The forecast for Sunday in East Rutherford is calling for a high temperature during the day of 43 degrees with it potentially dropping to 21 that evening with a 30 percent chance of snow.
The Super Bowl was originally created in the 1960’s in order to determine an undisputed champion as the NFL and American Football League feuded for supremacy. Both leagues merged in 1970, but what started off as the annual NFL-AFL Championship has risen to new heights in popularity.
The Super Bowl has been typically played in warm weather cities as a reward for the players while also taking the factor of elements out of the game. But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell decided that it was time for the game to get back to its roots as once upon a time we always saw the NFL Champion crowned on a cold, muddy field.
What made MetLife Stadium so attractive to hosting the Super Bowl for the NFL is that it is only 8 miles away from New York City which is the unofficial media capitol of the world. To some folks Broadway has been classified as “The World’s Biggest Stage” and that will once again be the case this week with the Super Bowl Boulevard in New York City as the NFL along with the New York/New Jersey Super Bowl committee are trying to give fans the ultimate football experience. Historic venues in New York City such as Times Square will be decked out for festivities this week as well. Other big-market, cold weather cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago will have a keen eye to see how everything is going down this week as they are also looking to host a future Super Bowl. But Goodell has claimed that this will be a one shot deal for a cold weather Super Bowl due to the fact that the game is behind held in the New York area.
In spite of the cold temperatures that are currently hitting the New York area the atmosphere has still been electric. Tourists will always flock to New York City for Christmas and Thanksgiving while they brave the elements and they are doing the same for the Super Bowl which has become an unofficial holiday in America. What also helps New York’s case is that many residents in the area come from other parts of the country and they are fans of teams that play in other cities. In cities such as Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago the fans there primarily root for their local teams.
The NFL and Goodell can claim that this is a one-time thing, but once the reports come back and if it shows that Super Bowl 48 was a financial hit for the New York/New Jersey area along with the NFL you could see another Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium regardless of the weather. New York/New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committee Co-Chairman Johnathan Tisch has already gone on record and begun to lobby for another Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium.
The one deciding factor could be if the elements become a deciding factor in the game. The New Jersey Meadowlands have been infamous with swirling winds that can disrupt passes and kicks. The Broncos love to pass the ball and we’ll have to wait and see how much they will alter their game plan.
People may not like it, but if the finances are right a cold weather Super Bowl is here to stay.
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