Can you imagine a Super Bowl in New Jersey at the new soon-to-be completed football stadium at the Meadowlands?
We can’t either.
But you never know. The NFL yesterday gave preliminary approval to the Giants and Jets to bid for the 2014 Super Bowl, which will be Super Bowl XLVIII. The NFL owners’ Super Bowl Advisory Committee gave the go-ahead and the Meadowlands Stadium Company is planning a “full-scale campaign” to capture the hosting rights.
The application was approved despite the stipulation that the Super Bowl host region have a minimum temperature of 50 degrees or a climate-controlled indoor stadium. The approval came with the understanding that the bid would be a unique, once-only circumstance “based on the opportunity to celebrate the new stadium and the great heritage and history of the NFL in the New York region.”
This is not the first time the New York/New Jersey area has dabbled with a Super Bowl. When the Jets plan for their own stadium on the West Side of Manhattan still was alive the NFL promised the Jets the 2010 Super Bowl.
The new as-of-yet unnamed Giants-Jets stadium will open for the 2010 season. A preliminary Super Bowl proposal to the NFL is due on April 1, and the winning bid will be announced at the end of May. Three other venues — including Tampa and Miami — have expressed their intention to compete for the hosting rights.
“It’s time for the biggest game in football to be played on the biggest stage in the world,” said Woody Johnson and Jonathan Tisch, Bid Committee Chairmen. “We are confident that the appeal and prestige of the New York City metropolitan region, coupled with the innovative capabilities of our brand-new state-of-the-art facility, can provide a unique and exciting experience for the teams and fans, as well as the entire league and the sport of football.
“And, of course, we would love to bring the Super Bowl — and its significant economic benefits — to New York and northern New Jersey.”