NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell kicked off his press conference in New York City on Friday by poking fun at the intense focus on the weather for Super Bowl XLVIII.
Fake snow dropped from above Goodell’s head, which drew laughs now that it looks like this might not even wind up being the coldest Super Bowl ever played. It didn’t end the talk about what putting the Super Bowl in New Jersey and New York means for the future of the title game, though. Goodell fielded multiple questions about where the game could go in the future and whether it would be played in “cold weather” cities in the future.
“We know there’s interest in other communities hosting the Super Bowl. I think the ownership will sit back and review that when we’re done, but we have a very aggressive process in how we select cities. The ability to host the Super Bowl is more and more complicated, more and more complex because of the size and number of events. The infrastructure is very improtant. There are over 30,000 hotel rooms needed even to host the Super Bowl so there are some communities that may not be able to do it from an infrastructure standpoint, but we know the passion’s there.”
That hedge aside, Goodell seemed to signal that such games are on the table. He referred to Super Bowl XLVIII as a turning point in the league’s history and later said that he didn’t forsee many host cities getting multiple bids in the near future.
“I believe we need to get to as many communities as possible and give them the opportunity to share in not only the emotional benefits but also the economic benefits. It helps the NFL, it helps our fans and it helps grow our game.”
Glendale, Arizona will host the Super Bowl next year with Santa Clara and Houston on deck for 2016 and 2017. New Orleans, Indianapolis and Minnesota are bidding on the 2018 game with Goodell’s comments on Friday suggesting that some new blood will be in the mix when it comes time to talk about the 2019 game.