The “ultimate reality show” isn’t willing to repeatedly tempt fate.
Three years ago, the NFL rolled the dice on a open-air, cold-weather Super Bowl, playing the game in New Jersey and narrowly avoiding a game-day winter storm. Plenty of other eastern cities aspiring to do the same, but Commissioner Roger Goodell seems skeptical about another championship game in a place where ice and/or snow could be a factor for the fans who plunk down thousands for the right to freeze their fannies off.
“We want the game to be played in perfect conditions,” Goodell said at a recent fan forum in Baltimore, via the Baltimore Sun. “Do you want the elements to impact it? I personally love football in the elements. I think that’s what makes it so special. So I love that part of it, but I also understand the issue of wanting to put on an event where we probably have 150 to 200,000 people. It’s really tough to do, and it put a lot of stress on smaller communities. If you guys want to make a bid, I’m sure the ownership is going to take a good, hard look at it.”
There’s a balance the league is hoping to strike. On one hand, the NFL wants those who attend the Super Bowl to have a great experience. On the other hand, the NFL wants as many cities as possible to believe they have a realistic shot to host the game.
The more bids the league receives, the more pressure gets placed on the cities that actually are within the range of those that have a snowball’s chance in a cold-weather city with a domed stadium. The more money the NFL makes.