A couple of years ago, conflicting information emerged regarding whether Seattle would be launching a bid to host the Super Bowl. It hasn’t happened yet, but it still could.
"[W]e are trying to position ourselves so we can put it in when the time is right,” Seattle Sports Commission executive director Ralph Mortion said Friday, via the Tacoma News Tribune.
Morton has no prediction as to when the time will be right.
“Everything needs to align just right,” Morton said. “It’s going to come down to the Seahawks and [owner] Paul Allen [wanting to place a bid]. And the community will need to step up in a major way. . . . It will be a significant effort, not something to be taken lightly.”
Seattle previously tried to host the game in the Kingdome, but Seattle gave up after five failed bids in 12 years.
If next Sunday’s Super Bowl goes off without a hitch -- or a blizzard -- other cold-weather climates with open-air stadiums could be inclined to give it a whirl. Which would be good news for the NFL, since more suitors means more bids means better bids means more money for the owners.
“Hotels, destinations, character, food, salmon, crab, microbrews, wine, walkability downtown and light rail that’s expanding so we could have events at the University of Washington and Seattle Center,” Morton said of a potential Seattle Super Bowl. “Seventy percent of the seats [at CenturyLink Field] are covered, and it’s a great football experience. . . . I’m biased, but I think we’d knock it out of the park.”
The only question is when and if they want to swing the bat.