Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Detailed view of a game program and officially licensed products for sale prior to Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens against the San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL has announced that San Francisco will host Super Bowl L. This is considered to be an even more important Super Bowl than the others because it is the 50th Super Bowl.
The San Francisco/Bay Area bid for the Super Bowl and were considered the early favorites. They’re getting a new facility in Santa Clara, Levi Stadium, and leaving Candlestick Park.
It’ll be a very technologically advanced stadium, including Wi-Fi for everyone in attendance. The stadium is very green, solar panels will produce all the electricity needed for the stadium, they use recycled water for irrigation and the technology will include ticketless access and you won’t even need cash to buy concessions. They’re also donating 25% of the revenue to the area, mainly children in need.
They also have a great and catchy tag line is: “the Golden Super Bowl, in the Golden State, by the Golden State Bridge.”
South Florida, mainly Miami, also bid for the Super Bowl. South Florida has hosted 10 Super Bowls and is definitely steeped in Super Bowl history. New Orleans has also hosted 10. Knocks against South Florida’s bid are numerous though: lack of luxury suites, a 27 year old facility that provides no coverage to fans. Remember rainy Super Bowl XLI? They like to host Super Bowls in fair weather cities, or domes, where game play and more importantly prestigious fans aren’t disturbed.
Houston bid for the Super Bowl as well. Houston has experienced a great rebirth of sorts as the cultural centers grow. Forbes named it the coolest city in America. The Houston bid stressed their ‘southern hospitality.’ Reliant Stadium hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII and they’ve upgraded their video display and it will be bigger than Dallas’s.
The Super Bowl, and the decision to let a city host one has always been a special process. Cities that want to host a city put together bids and presentations in hopes they will be granted the big game. The Super Bowl brings an economic boost to the area that hosts it. With the Super Bowl comes thousands of fans and media from all over the world, there are week long festivities. And the money that funnels in mainly through restaurants and hotels is desirable for any city.