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Which City Will Host The Super Bowl in 2019? The Cold-Weather Contenders
Despite the Denver Broncos getting completely routed by the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII, the first cold-weather Super Bowl went rather smoothly for New Jersey and New York. Fans in the open-air MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., enjoyed rather balmy temperatures in the low 50s during the afternoon — a stark contrast to today's snowy weather, which has caused hundreds of flight cancellations and stranded some fans at New York metro airports. The biggest problems of the night seemed to stem from New Jersey Transit trains — or rather, the lack thereof (as usual) — as people streaming into and out of the stadium waited for hours to board mass transit.
Now, other "cold" cities are clamoring for a piece of the Super Bowl. Arizona, California, and Houston are all lined up to host the next few games, and in 2018, either finalists Indianapolis, New Orleans, or Minneapolis will be hosting. If Minneapolis loses, the next chance for a cold-weather Super Bowl is in 2019. But can cities like Philadelphia, Denver, or Chicago handle a Super Bowl? We take a look at the pros and cons.
Philadelphia
Pros: Philadelphia already teems with Revolutionary War-era history, so why not add a Super Bowl to the list? The City of Brotherly Love is also the home of cheesesteaks and the famous Philadelphia Museum of Art — two things every football fan loves.
”Philly would be a great place to host it. It has everything,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie says. “All the infrastructure, fourth-largest city in the country, state-of-the-art stadium and great fan base.”
Cons: Have you ever met a Philly fan who isn’t completely obnoxious?
Washington, D.C.
Pros: Fans wouldn’t have to worry about security, what with the hubs of the CIA and FBI in the area. There’s also lots of famous national sites to visit, like the White House and Lincoln Memorial. And hopefully the Washington Monument repairs will be done by 2019.
“We want a Super Bowl here, we deserve a Super Bowl here,” Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said last fall. ”It’s the nation’s capital, it makes all the sense in the world.”
Cons: Ever been in one of D.C.’s famous traffic jams? The city is ranked as the worst for traffic congestion.
Chicago
Pros: Football fans in the Windy City would definitely enjoy some delicious deep-dish pizza, taking Instagrams at the Willis Tower’s glass ledge, and strolling in Millennium Park. Plus, it’d be fun to imitate Chris Farley in SNL (“daaaa Bears”) nonstop.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is already pushing the NFL to consider Chicago as a prime Super Bowl host city, citing its ability to handle NATO’s 2012 summit.
Cons: Have you forgotten about the polar vortex already? Fans might not show up if it hits -11 degrees again.
Foxborough, Mass.
Pros: I dunno, there’s ample space for parking? I’m grasping at straws here. Patriots owner Robert Kraft thinks otherwise, of course:
“I’m a great supporter of playing this game in all elements. I think the most memorable games we’ve played up in Foxboro somehow have had either cold weather or snow associated with them,” he says.
Cons: No matter who the Super Bowl teams are, New England fans will be sure to brag about how their players are so much better than yours. God help us all if the Patriots play the Super Bowl, because Gillette Stadium might implode upon its own ego.
Even some residents think it’s a bad idea: “Where are they going to stay? What are they going to do, sleep on the floor?” said Matthew Fearnley of Wal-pole, Mass. “There’s no hotel rooms. There’s not enough restaurants, transportation, security. I mean if you want deer, there’s plenty of deer.”
Denver
Pros: There would be no shortage of Miller and Coors beers at the game — or anywhere in the city. Officials of the Mile High City really want to host a Super Bowl, saying that temperatures are seven degrees warmer than New York on average in February. After the way the Broncos performed yesterday, maybe the NFL will feel bad enough to just give them the bid.
Cons: Denver Airport is in the middle of nowhere, anticipating a city expansion that never materialized. Also, conspiracy theorists think it sits atop a hidden city. Creepy.
