Yo, let’s be clear about one thing. The Super Bowl is in New Jersey.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made that point in a tongue-and-cheek manner Monday at an appearance at the Boys & Girls Club in Newark as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell looked over his shoulder with a smile.
“We’re all looking forward to finally getting there and getting the game going,’’ Christie told the audience. “It was good to sit at home [Sunday] and watch the two teams arrive. Now, for all my friends in New York, I want to remind you they did not land at LaGuardia Airport. God knows, they did not land at JFK. They landed at Newark Liberty International Airport because as I’ve been saying from the beginning … I’m more than happy. I’m meeting with Mayor [Bill] de Blasio [Monday night]. We’ll have fun together. I love Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo. We’re good friends. But the Super Bowl is in New Jersey.’’
The audience laughed and cheered.
Christie was on a roll and Jets owner Woody Johnson, Giants co-owner Jonathan Tisch and Goodell were all smiles, mainly because they were in Newark to celebrate the renovations made to the Boys & Girls Club. The NFL Foundation provided a $1 million grant to the Snowflake Youth Foundation to fund charitable projects. The grant was matched by the NY/NJ Super Bowl host committee for a total of $2 million.
For those looking for Super Bowl XLVIII omens for the game at MetLife Stadium between the Broncos and Seahawks, the beautiful new gym was covered with a padded orange wall.
Christie went on to note, all in a fun fashion, “People can go to New York and have some fun. We’re fine with that. They have a few good restaurants over there. They have some theater, some other stuff to do. But in the end, this is about the game. It’s not about all the other stuff. It’s about the game. And when the game starts at 6:30 (on Sunday night) and the announcers come on, they’re not going to say, ‘Live from New York City’ because that would be a lie. Then they show that skyline that you can see from where the game is actually being played, which is in our state, in the state of New Jersey. We’re proud to be the host of the game. We’re proud to share some of the other festivities with our neighbors on the wrong side of the Hudson River, and we’ll continue to partner with them all through the week to make sure that everybody who comes through the region has a really great experience so that we can have this game back here again sometime.’’
Christie then asked the audience: “What’s Goodell’s reaction over my shoulder?’’
The commissioner was smiling. Goodell made a few comments as well, and turned to Christie and said, “It’s great to be in New Jersey for the Super Bowl.’’ He soon went on a tour of the building and, through a spokesperson, opted not to answer any questions from the media.