The Steelers on Wednesday "filed a formal application seeking to bring Super Bowl LVII" to Heinz Field in '23, according to Mark Belko of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. The application is the "first step toward securing approval from the league to submit a formal bid to host the big game, one that would put the city in the international spotlight and could bring over 100,000 visitors." News of the application "surfaced Wednesday" when Steelers President Art Rooney II met with Mayor Bill Peduto, Allegheny County Exec Rich Fitzgerald and other community leaders to "provide an update." Rooney said, “It’s worth throwing our hat in the ring and exploring it. We have not determined that we will actually make a bid.” Belko notes the fact that Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium "went off without incident may have opened the door for other cold-weather cities like Pittsburgh to host the game." The NFL "won’t decide" until '18 which teams "will have the right to bid" for the '23 game. Rooney said while Pittsburgh meets the league’s minimum requirement for hotels to host the event, “We probably would benefit from some additional full-service hotels.” He added that Heinz Field would "probably have to add 2,500 to 5,000 temporary seats to accommodate the game" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 7/2). Fitzgerald said that the city's chances of landing the game "are excellent." NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy added that the Rooney family's "stature in the NFL -- and the Steelers' status as a flagship franchise -- 'would be a factor' in the owners' decision." Fitzgerald: "Obviously, the Rooneys' reputation within the NFL will carry a lot of weight" (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 7/2).
STEEL RESERVE: In Pittsburgh, Rob Rossi writes the city "is a Steelers town," and that was "proven again Wednesday." The Penguins made their "most significant trade in seven years," acquiring Maple Leafs RW Phil Kessel, who could be their "best long-term winger since Jaromir Jagr." But the Penguins had "no sooner won Day 1 of the new NHL season when the Steelers stole the show" by trying to bring the Super Bowl there. The Steelers are "often taken for granted as a brand," but on days like Wednesday, their "reach resonates." All the "big stories couldn't topple the Steelers' applying to bid for a far-off Super Bowl" (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 7/2).
