Managers of two indoor NFL stadiums in the Midwest that have experience producing big events see tremendous revenue potential from staging a Big Ten Conference football championship game.
Now that the Big Ten has officially added Nebraska as its 12th member starting with the 2011 season, conference officials can set their sights on producing the league’s first football title game.
Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin and now Nebraska all have fans that travel well, said Bill Lester, executive director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission in Minneapolis, the group that runs the Metrodome.
“It’s going to be like a mini-Super Bowl. You’re guaranteed a very high-profile event,” Lester said. “Fans earn their money outside the state and spend it in your market, the purest form of economic impact.”
There presumably will be a bid process to secure the event, similar to what other conferences do for their football title games. Big Ten Conference Commissioner Jim Delany was out of the office last week and unavailable to confirm the league’s plans.
In Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium director Mike Fox is already doing his homework to prepare a bid, speaking to stadium officials elsewhere who have held conference championships in football to find out what to expect when the Big Ten issues its proposal.
“We have no idea what the bid specs are, but obviously a December event of this magnitude coming to Indianapolis would be a great boost to the local economy,” Fox said.
Lucas Oil Stadium is the site of the 2012 Super Bowl, which means if the facility landed the Big Ten championship game, it would take place about two months before the NFL championship.
The Metrodome will “definitely bid” for the event, Lester said, keeping in mind that state politicians have not approved public money for a proposed $791 million reconstruction of the 28-year-old facility. Legislators expect to readdress the issue in January.
“To be a real contender, the facility has to be renovated,” Lester said.
The Chicago Park District, owner of Soldier Field, an outdoor stadium, is also interested in attracting the Big Ten championship, said Chief Operating Officer Mike Kelly. Detroit Lions officials declined comment on the prospect of having the game at Ford Field, another indoor stadium.
