Goodell Discusses South Florida's Future As Super Bowl Host

Goodell Says Sun Life Stadium In The Mix For Super Bowl XLVIII, But Needs Improvements

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL "would love to continue to return" to Sun Life Stadium for future Super Bowls, and the venue is "in the mix" to host Super Bowl XLVIII in '14, according to Sarah Talalay of the South Florida SUN-SENTINEL. But when asked if Sun Life Stadium, which on Sunday is hosting its fifth Super Bowl since opening in '87, will ever host another championship game without renovations, Goodell said, "I don't know the answer to that question." Goodell: "Miami and South Florida are great communities for the Super Bowl, and we would love to continue to be back there, but we also have some other great communities that would love to host Super Bowls, and some of them have made some significant improvements to their facilities, which is important for us." Goodell said of renovations for Sun Life Stadium, "There are things that need to be improved there. As we've mentioned, the lighting is one example. We have to supplement the lighting for any prime-time game, much less the Super Bowl. There are things that can be improved in the facility that I think are probably necessary." Goodell added weather also is a "concern" with the stadium, though he noted "one of the alternative cities" for Super Bowl XLVIII is the new Giants/Jets Meadowlands stadium, which also is open air. When asked to defend his comments about the stadium needing improvements to remain in the Super Bowl rotation, Goodell said, "The people have asked me what is necessary to try to continue to have Super Bowls in South Florida and what's going on with the dynamics of awarding Super Bowls. ... I think we've managed a process here that has identified what are the key features to creating a great Super Bowl experience and how we can make these terrific for the communities" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 1/31).

SAFE & SOUND: In Ft. Lauderdale, Juan Ortega reports U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano yesterday got a tour of Sun Life Stadium, and she said officials are "well prepared for the game." NFL VP/Security Milt Ahlerich said that it "likely was the first time a Homeland Security secretary toured a Super Bowl stadium before the big game." Meanwhile, Miami-Dade County Police Department Dir James Loftus estimated that the department's "personnel costs for securing the Super Bowl and the events leading up to it would reach" $2M (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 2/2).

BOWL BY THE BAY? In Oakland, Monte Poole noted Northern California has not hosted a Super Bowl since the '85 game was played in Stanford Stadium even though the Bay Area "meets or exceeds the league's basic requirements for a host region." Goodell said, "The Bay Area certainly would be a very attractive place to host future Super Bowls, eventually in San Francisco and Oakland. But I do think it is contingent upon state-of-the-art stadiums, new stadiums." Poole wrote there is "zero chance of the Bay Area getting two facilities in the foreseeable future," and the "slim chance of getting one requires mutual cooperation between the Raiders and the 49ers" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 2/1).