IRVING, Texas — “Super Bowl XLVIII: Postponed Due To Blizzard.”
It’s the doomsday scenario outlined by so many opponents of New York’s victorious open-air 2014 bid, and the NFL admitted yesterday that it is not entirely far-fetched.
Frank Supovitz, the league’s senior VP of events and lead coordinator of the Super Bowl each year, said the Big Game’s status with the federal government as a “Level 1 National Security Event” would greatly complicate matters if a blizzard hits on Super Bowl Sunday.
Supovitz said Level 1 status requires the league to surround the stadium with a wall-like “hard perimeter” of air-tight security no farther than 300 feet from the facility.
Should a blizzard strike just hours before the usual 6:20 p.m. kickoff, Supovitz said the heavy security would make it very difficult to bring in trucks and large snow-removal equipment at the last minute to New Meadowlands Stadium.
As a result, an unprecedented delay or postponement isn’t out of the question, Supovitz said.
“But it is our every intention to play that game on the day it is scheduled,” he said.
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The possibility of terrible February weather and frigid temperatures at an outdoor venue also could complicate the NFL’s efforts to land a prominent halftime musical guest in 2014.
A covered stage with heaters might have to be constructed to protect the performers, but Supovitz considered that a potential positive — adding to the unique nature of New York’s bid.
Supovitz said precautions were made to protect Prince from the rain during the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami. Prince shrugged them off, and his rain-soaked performance remains one of the most memorable in the game’s history.
“We’re confident we’ll be able to put on a great halftime in the Super Bowl,” Supovitz said.
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell‘s influential support for the 2014 New York bid is considered one of the main reasons the Giants and Jets were able to pull it out.
Creating an open-air Super Bowl in a cold-weather city is just one of many changes to longstanding league policies since Goodell took over for Paul Tagliabue.
“I feel very strongly that we cannot be complacent in what we do,” Goodell said. “We have to continue to find ways to grow the game, to reach new fans, to continue to provide quality. That’s what the NFL represents. Innovation is a big part of our initiative.”