It was no secret that Miami wouldn’t get another Super Bowl without significant renovations to the football stadium in which the Dolphins play. However, the renovations hardly guaranteed a return of the NFL’s title game to South Florida.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Dolphins nearly failed to secure the right to host any of the three Super Bowls awarded by NFL owners on Tuesday.
The Super Bowl LIII vote included Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Tampa. After the first ballot, all four cities remained viable. After the second ballot, Tampa exited. Next, Miami was out -- leaving Atlanta and New Orleans as the two finalists.
New Orleans nearly pulled it out, according to the source, thanks to a much more impressive than expected presentation from Gayle Benson, the wife of Saints owner Tom Benson. And if New Orleans had secured the rights to Super Bowl LIII, it’s believed Atlanta would have easily beaten Miami for Super Bowl LIV. (New Orleans did not bid on Super Bowls LIV or LV.)
Even without New Orleans or Atlanta to contend with, Miami nearly lost the Super Bowl LIV competition with Tampa. As the source said, it should have been an easy win for Miami, but it wasn’t.
While the ultimate selection of Atlanta, Miami, and L.A. surprised few, the point is that it wasn’t the slam dunk that many had envisioned. Which likely doesn’t provide much consolation for Tampa and New Orleans.
Still, the close-but-no-cigar outcome should give both cities hope for landing a Super Bowl the next time Super Bowls are awarded. Which is good for the NFL, since it could keep Tampa and New Orleans from saying, “Screw it” and opting out of the Super Bowl bidding process.
It ultimately could be bad for Miami when it comes to securing what would be the city’s 12th Super Bowl. Chances are that New Orleans will match Miami with 11 Super Bowls before Miami gets its next one after Super Bowl LIV.
