Why New York Super Bowl is bad idea
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Why New York Super Bowl is bad idea
Paul Domowitch, Daily News NFL Columnist
So, the NFL is going to play the 2014 Super Bowl in the Giants and Jets’ new $1.6 billion palace in the Meadowlands. Maybe it’ll snow, maybe it’ll sleet, maybe the wind-chill factor will dip into the single digits. Or maybe it’ll be sunny and unseasonably warm.
Regardless, I disagree with the decision to play the game in an open-air stadium in a cold-weather city.
I’m not a weather wimp. I’ve got nothing against playing football in crummy conditions. Some of the best games I’ve ever covered, some of the best games ever played have been played in frigid temperatures or snow or both.
Before the league came up with the whole Super Bowl idea, the league championship game was regularly played in freezers like Cleveland or Chicago or New York or Detroit or Philadelphia or Baltimore.
It was played in those cities because the NFL title game wasn’t played at a neutral site back then like it’s been for the last 44 years. The team with best record got the homefield advantage, just like it does now in every playoff game but the Super Bowl.
But there’s not supposed to be a homefield advantage in the Super Bowl.
When you’re playing the Super Bowl in open-air stadiums in warm or moderate-weather climates like Tampa or Miami or San Diego or Los Angeles, or in cities with domed stadiums or retractable roofs like Phoenix or New Orleans or Indianapolis or Dallas, the chances of the elements providing an advantage to one team or the other are minimal.
But when you play the Super Bowl in a place like North Jersey in early February, well, all bets are off. Anybody who’s been up to the Meadowlands for a game in December or January has seen how the wind can affect the ability to throw the football.
If the Super Bowl wasn’t a neutral-site game, hey, I wouldn’t care where they were playing it. The conditions are part of the whole homefield advantage thing. But if a great passing team makes it to the 2014 Super Bowl and has to go up against a great running team, and the temperature slips into the teens and the wind is gusting at 30 miles an hour, the whole netural-site thing goes out the window.
That’s my objection to playing the Super Bowl in the Meadowlands in 2014.
I hate NY and the league gives it the draft and now makes an excuse to give it a Super Bowl. Why not call it the NYFL?— SuperJ- I think it comes down to money more than anything else, no matter where it is played. The NFL knows that if it is in a warm weathered location they will make plenty of coin from all the people traveling and staying for a mini-vacation and the same can be said for it in New York. The revenue will always come before the quality of the game. By the way, in theory, wouldn't a team that plays in a dome/astroturf have a slight advantage over a team that plays on grass if the game is in a dome? I do know the Pats beat the Rams, but the theory should hold as much as Domo's.— jimmydugan
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- Phooey, weather has always been part of football - if Green Bay goes to Maimi, to play San Deigo, who do you think has the advantage then ? Or how about Indy going to Arizona ? It's not the teams go the whole year without dealing with weather - it's a big part of the game..... sometimes— mrdip
- domo hit it on the head. the super bowl is supposed to be where the two best teams square off on an even playing field. The meadowlands are dreadful in February... Anyways who cares, the Iggs won't be there...— sore richard
- Points are being missed again. The fact that the NFL has designated the Super Bowl as a nuetral site game, means you can't play it in an open air stadium in the middle of the winter. A couple of seasons ago when it rained in Miami during the Colts Bears Super Bowl made for an unexciting game, (and the team better equipped for bad weather still LOST) so imagine what snow will do to the quality of the league's showcase game.— The Time Is Now
- The people inconvenienced the most are the non-football fans. The stadium will still be full, both teams will have to deal with the weather that day and should be used to playing in the cold and the fans at home won't care as long as the game is competitive. Maybe one day the game will be in Philly.— Phillies2008WSChamps
- It'll be in Jersey. Does that make it better?— IMPAQ
- I don't agree that these warm weather, indoor, fast-track super bowls are "neutral". Teams that play in Green Bay, Chicago, NE, etc., are often run oriented and built slightly (or significantly) different than teams like the Ram "Greatest Show on Turf" because of where they play. They've always been at a real (though often slight) disadvantage during these supposedly "neutral" super bowl games.— chrisWC
- Al Gore says February will average 70 degrees in Northern Jersey by 2014.
- ... but the Meadowlands will be under water. Oh well.
- Who wants to go to the Meadowlands in February? What a dump of an area. If the Super Bowl is going to be in New York, why not just give every city a turn? However, once the game starts, it doesn't matter what stadium it is at......unless the field is frozen.— hawk18
- So NFC/AFC Championship games can be played in horrible weather but not the Super Bowl? Southern/Western/Domed cities get all the super bowls and not Philly or Boston or NYC? Pretty stupid. I'd think Mr. Domowitch and his years of experience would understand this.— philliestew
- All I am saying is this years bid was opened only to NY as a cold weather area. Hmmm. Do you think they will consider any other cold weather outdoor stadium in the future except NY. I dont think so. I am all for playing outdoors. But to give NY such an advantage in voting is a disgrace. E-A-G-L-E-S!!!!!!!!!!!!— byoak
- All I am saying is this years bid was opened only to NY as a cold weather area. Hmmm. Do you think they will consider any other cold weather outdoor stadium in the future except NY. I dont think so. I am all for playing outdoors. But to give NY such an advantage in voting is a disgrace. E-A-G-L-E-S!!!!!!!!!!!!— byoak
- Just rotate through every single one of the teams' stadiums, and quit whining about money or weather. Start with the teams who have been in the NFL longest without hosting a Super Bowl, and follow that order through the years until you get to teams who've not yet hosted a SB. Once at that point, distribute by longest time since hosting a Super Bowl. Yes, that means a decade of cold weather Super Bowls to start, so what? Maybe it'd keep ticket prices down to a level where more people could afford to go. Philly would host a Super Bowl in February 2016 if this was started this year.— spd017
- If Fast Eddie Rendell and the Dumbocrats in Philthadelphia were savvy enough to put a roof on that horrible football stadium, Philly would have Final Fours and Super Bowls every 4th year given its location from NY & AC. I'm sure the NCAA really likes heading to San Antonio and Indianapolis for its showcase as does the NFL going to Detroit in February.— 5280philly
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- It only takes one moron to point out that championship games or regular season games are played outside in cold weather ... really??? wow?? I am sure no one knew that before you geniuses pointed it out. Any honest fan would tell you that they would prefer to watch a game at 60 degrees and not 6 ... unless they thought that was their teams best chance to win. This isn't about fair, it is about money pure and simple, just the NFL and all professional sports. The only things that bother me about this non shocking decision , are that a few years back when Philadelphia considered this they were scoffed at by the league, and also why in the name of Vince Lombardi, are the teams allowed to be called New York, when they play in NJ ? I sincerely one of those educated fans who enlightened us on the fact that most games are played outside, can tell me why and how much is this going to lower my taxes? Or is the cost of security going to actually cost residents more ?— AsValidAsYours
- a possible home game for ELI Manning vs Peyton Manning would be off the charts for the NFL and sponsors..BIRDS-SB 2012..FLYERS-SC 2010..wolf.— wolf 4
- I don't think this has anything to do with the quality of the playing field. But what about the blizzards that paralyzed the region this winter? Imagine if they happened on Super Bowl Sunday.— tomm1030
- Ever been to NYC in February. Cold, windy and miserable.— PhilliesFlyersEagles
Who cares. Some players can't play well in domes or on fake turf.— Richard Saunders- hahaha bold prediction with the Flyers there lonewolf!!! My prediction? Tomorrow will be Thursday May 27th..— EaglesBleedMoney
- STOP CRYIN AND PLAY FOOTBALL. THE SPORT IS SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYED OUTDOORS IN THE ELEMENTS.. THE ONLY PEOPLE CRYING ABOUT ARE THE ONES THAT GET TICKETS TO THE BIG GAME YEAR AFTER YEAR. I WANNA SEE MORE SUPERBOWLS BEING PLAYED OUT DOORS IN COLD WEATHER CITIES. IM FROM PHILLY AND GET GETS PRETTY COLD AROUND HERE IN THE WINTER THATS PART OF THE GAME PEOPLE" WEATHER" I JUST HOPE IT'S NOT THE GIANTS PLAYING IN THE GAME, OR THE COWGIRLS, OR THE DEADSKINS. PLAY FOOTBALL AND STOP CRYING.— BIRDSFAN4LIFE16
- 2014... The Year the NY giants take on the NY Jets in the Super Bowl. Mark my words... Eagles still Rule the roost even with Korn on the Kolb...— Reizorc
- Since wind can be a factor in any outdoor game regardless of temperature then the argument falls apart unless you are saying that every Super Bowl should be played in a dome.
I live in central Jersey and the Saturday before this past Super Bowl I had to shovel 30+ inches of snow, and the plows didn't clear the roads until Monday. Bad idea.— tornadoh- Those people who are saying that weather has always been a part of football are correct, but still missing the main point. This is not about giving ALL cold weather teams a chance to host the game- only America's Armpit - New York/North Jersey! Anyone recall after Katrina when the Saints/Giants came was moved not to another stadium near the Superdome where the affected fans might have a chance to root for their Saints, but rather the Meadowlands? Oh, and I have a relative who was at the Detroit Dome Superbowl game and said it was the worst experience possible in terms of dealing with all the pregame activities because of the weather. This has the potential to be an Epic Fail!— NYC sucks
