NRG Stadium during Super Bowl LI "appeared brilliant and high-tech from afar," but the facility is "showing its age on the inside," according to Brian Smith of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Asked if NRG needs upgrades and if so, who will pay for them, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, "I'm going to leave that decision up to the county, to the Texans, the [Houston Livestock Show and] Rodeo, Houston Sports Authority -- all of them are direct stakeholders in NRG Stadium." Smith noted no one has "publicly issued a specific list of necessary upgrades for the stadium and surrounding NRG Park," but two recent issues "highlight the stadium's wear." During Texans-Raiders on Jan. 7, a seating section in the 100 level "could have collapsed, requiring about 60 fans to be relocated and a tunnel to be closed." During the Super Bowl, elevators were "problematic pregame and reportedly left" Falcons coaches "stuck at the top press-box level" after the game. Texans President Jamey Rootes said, "Best-in-class facilities are an essential component of a bid for the Super Bowl or any other high-profile sporting event. These are ultra-competitive processes, and it is critical that NRG Stadium remains state of the art if we want to be considered a viable candidate for these major sporting events." Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. Exec Dir Kevin Hoffman said, "If we were so outdated and so behind, we would have never been awarded a Super Bowl and a Final Four." He added that the Falcons' elevator issues "weren't a facility problem but were a result of 'operations on the way they were trying to get out of the building.'" Smith noted the venue "needs attention and dedication," but not a "drastic overhaul" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/12).
