The chairman of the South Florida 2014 Super Bowl host committee is not pleased that his group’s bid lost to New York. And he’s suggesting that it wasn’t even a fair competition.
“The fix was in for New York,” South Florida host committee chairman Rodney Barreto told the Miami Herald. “We threw $1 million extra on the table last night for game-day expenses. We could have put $10 million and it wouldn’t have made a difference. We put an incredible presentation that clearly was head-and-shoulders above everyone.’'
There might be some truth to what Barreto says: There has been a widespread belief for months that the New York bid was going to win, and the two Florida bids were largely treated as afterthoughts.
On the other hand, Barreto’s comments come across like sour grapes. And the fact that somewhere between nine and 15 owners wanted the 2014 Super Bowl to be played in Florida indicates that the two Florida bids were given consideration. Just not consideration from a majority of the owners.