Time for a cold-weather Super Bowl

By Steven Lienert

It’s February. It’s football.

So why is the Super Bowl always played in the most pristine conditions?

I realize that the Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event on Earth, costing nearly $379 million. I realize lots of companies pay big-time bucks to have their commercials aired during the big game.

But, c’mon. It’s still football.

My proposal? Once every four years, the Super Bowl is played outdoors, in a city north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Now, not every city can host the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati, despite having new stadiums, are too small. Same with Green Bay and Oakland. And Jacksonville shouldn’t have hosted one for the same reason.

Buffalo’s stadium is too old and outdated. New York can’t/won’t host one until the Jets get their new digs.

Chicago, Denver and Kansas City are too frigid, although the Chiefs should get to host one in their new stadium.

Other than that, it should be rotated around like (enter your Paris Hilton jokes here) baseball’s all-star game.

Detroit, Atlanta, New Orleans and Minnesota have domes, so they’re already on the list. But why haven’t Indianapolis and St. Louis been considered? Too far north?

Arizona, Miami, Houston, Tampa Bay, San Diego are regulars on the Super Bowl tour. And it’s getting boring.

So why not Carolina, Baltimore, Tennessee or even Philadelphia? It would be cold, but not deathly cold, there’d be at least a chance of snow and, once every four years, football fans can bundle up to watch their squads play for the Vince Lombardi trophy.

Besides, all those corporate people will be nice and cozy in their luxury box suites, so what would they care?

Washington D.C. would be a great venue for a Super Bowl, as would Dallas, especially after the Cowboys open their new stadium in two years. I even think having a Super Bowl in Seattle’s Qwest Field, which is perhaps the best venue in the NFL, would be a site to see.

I even wouldn’t mind having New England host one every 20 years, just for laughs. Imagine Peyton Manning having to face the Bears’ defense at Foxboro tomorrow? The line wouldn’t be seven, that’s for sure.

Mix it up. Let these guys play in some real conditions. And let modern fans enjoy at least one cold-weather Super Bowl.

It's not like I'm asking to move the Pro Bowl out of Hawaii.

Steve Lienert has a new email address! Call him crazy at slienert@phanaticmag.com


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