Fresh off hosting Super Bowl LI and the '16 Final Four, Houston will "continue to pursue the nation's largest sporting events," including the '21 CFP Championship game and "another Final Four and Super Bowl," according to John McClain of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. But Houston Super Bowl Host Committee Chair Ric Campo believes "improvements will have to be made at NRG Stadium," as the venue needs a "face-lift." Campo: "I don't have a lot of details about what needs to be done with the stadium, but I do know this: In any business, in any city, if we don't continue to invest in our infrastructure, if we don't continue to improve our community, we start falling behind. It's not just the stadium, it's NRG Park. The county has more events than the Texans and rodeo by multiple times. The county has to make sure NRG Park is competitive with other venues so they can keep their cash-flow stream going up." Campo said reps from both the college championship group and the NCAA were at the Super Bowl last week and "loved what they saw." McClain notes the next available Super Bowl and Final Four is in '22, but Houston "wouldn't be able to host them in the same year." Campo said estimates are that "about 225,000 people came to Houston for the Super Bowl (150,000) and Final Four (75,000)." Campo said that Houston-area residents "benefit from events like the Super Bowl because the city and county made a lot of improvements" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/9).
