One topic that Mike Florio left out of his exhaustive recounting of Roger Goodell’s state of the league press conference on Friday was the commissioner’s discussion of the 2014 Super Bowl.
The league broke precedent by allowing the Meadowlands Stadium Company to make a bid to host the game at the new home of the Giants and Jets, a fairly good sign that they were into the idea of playing the game in a cold weather venue. They are competing against Miami, Glendale, Arizona and either Houston or Tampa for the right to host the game.
Goodell doesn’t have a vote and said he’s going to remain neutral, or at least as neutral as possible in light of these comments about the bid.
“I think there are real benefits to the league considering this as an option,” Goodell said. “I think the idea of playing in the elements is central to the way the game of football is played. I think being able to do that and celebrate the game of football in the No. 1 market could have tremendous benefits to the league going forward. I think you will see that - I think our two co-chairmen are here, Woody Johnson and Jon Tisch - they will put together a very aggressive bid, one that will demonstrate the value of playing in New York and they will be competing against some great cities also. It will be an interesting vote, but I will stand on the sidelines and watch.”
It’s 26 degrees, gray and windy in New York City as I type this on Saturday afternoon with intermittent snow flurries. The big snowstorm that has buried most of the Mid-Atlantic has missed the area, by and large, but we’re no stranger to big February snowstorms. That’s not a vote against the idea as it would be a nice change of pace, but not everyone shares my views on the matter.
That kind of weather concerns Steelers owner and U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney, for one. Rooney wondered if the new stadium would have a roof and offered these thoughts when he was told that it would be an open-air venue.
“Then they are going to have some trouble,” he said. “There are a lot of people who think we should be in a warm climate all the time. The weather would be something you would have to consider.”
Not all owners share his concerns. Patriots owner Robert Kraft is an enthusiastic supporter of the idea, perhaps because it would grease the wheels toward a game at his own stadium, and there are surely others who aren’t put off by the chance to add to the league’s rich history of meaningful games played in inclement weather.
The Meadowlands bid would need 75 percent of the 32 votes to win the rights to the 2014 game. The vote will be held during the league meetings in Dallas in late May.
