1. The First Outdoor, Cold Weather SuperBowl - Will It Work?
For me, one of the most intriguing story lines of the 2013 NFL season isn't about players or teams but about venues. Superbowl 48 is scheduled to be played at Metlife Stadium in New York city on February 2nd, 2014. This will the first outdoor Superbowl to be played in a 'cold weather' state, as opposed to the traditional domes or warm weather locales. Want to know what the weather in New York was on February 2nd, 2013? A high of 29 degrees and a low of 19 degrees with scattered snow showers and a New York department of Sanitation issued 'snow alert' for 4pm- 1 hour or so before the game would be set to kick off. Now- don't get me wrong , I'm all about outdoor football, and football in the elements, but this isn't just a football game, the Superbowl is an event, 2 week media and fan frenzy that sees 1000s upon 1000s of fans and media types descend on the host city along with a fanfare of activities, press events, fan events and parties. Can you imagine what a severe snow storm or simply normal winter weather would do to those activities? Not only the logistics of winter travel, (though I'm sure NY would beef up their snow removal crews for the duration of the events), but the overall atmosphere would be severe dampened by crappy weather. NY can have upwards of 20 inches of snow in a single snow storm- can you imagine what that would to do travel in the area with all the increased traffic? And that's not even talking about the actual game or the game's usually extravagant half time show. Snow games can be fun, look at the 2001 playoff game between the Raiders and the Patriots, or the infamous Leon Lett game between the Dolphins and the Cowboys in 1993, but the weather can severely effect a game, as it did then, do you really want a Superbowl's outcome being determined by the weather? I get that teams should be able to play in the elements, but the last (and first) Superbowl that had adverse weather was the Colts defeating the Bears in Superbowl 41, and that game was a relative snoozer. Would you really want to see exciting pass happy offenses and superstars like Drew Brees, Aaron Rogers, Joe Flacco or Peyton Manning slog it out in the snow? Though Metlife still has an artificial playing surface, the tempo of the game would still be affected by snow and even freezing conditions. And what about the fans who have paid thousands of dollars to attend the game? Sure, being at the Superbowl is a once in a lifetime experience, but eventually the weather is going to get around freezing and no amount of hype or beer can stop you from eventually being cold and miserable, even more so if the pace of the game is also being dictated by the weather. Sure, Green Bay Packers fans have dealt with cold weather games every year, topless and painted, but don't forget many of the 'fans' that attend the Superbowl are corporate types and business types who are not as die hard or as drunk and insulated as 300lb Joe Cheesehead. If you are going to have a Superbowl in a cold weather state, at least have a retractable roof. I'm sure there are plenty of contingency plans in place, and New York is as equipped as any city to handle dire circumstances, but mother nature can be a bitch and always wins. But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is determined to have his legacy be driven by league growth and supposed player safety, and will be the commissioner that bought a Superbowl to an outdoor, cold weather venue, so while finally having a Superbowl is the US's largest market makes sense and is a gamble on mother nature cooperating, I foresee it being a public relations disaster that will put yet another blight on Goodell's reign as commissioner.