The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched annual events in the United States. The game usually reaches more than 100 million viewers worldwide. This level of popularity is what makes the Super Bowl one of the most valuable sports properties in the world. In order to host a Super Bowl, cities must meet certain requirements set by the NFL. The league’s “bid process” ensures that every potential host city has all of the necessary infrastructures in place to host a Super Bowl successfully. Without meeting these standards, a city cannot host a Super Bowl. If you want to know more about how Super Bowl locations are determined, keep reading!
How Is Super Bowl Location Determined?
1. The NFL Scouting Process
The NFL Scouting process begins with a thorough inspection of each city’s infrastructure, a way to ensure that the city has the facilities and transport links required to host such a large event. This includes stadiums, hotels, and restaurants and is followed by a detailed study of the city itself so that the NFL can decide if it will be a culturally and economically appropriate location. This process also includes a look at the surrounding area so that the NFL can decide if there will be enough space for fans to camp out and if there are any potential issues, such as the weather, that could cause problems during the event.
2. Geographical Limitations
There are a number of geographical limitations that the NFL must consider when choosing where the Super Bowl will be held. First is the climate, as the Super Bowl is usually played in February or early March, although it has been held as late as early April once. This essentially means that the game can only be played in certain parts of the country, including southern California, Texas, Florida, and Arizona. Cities in the rest of the country cannot host due to the cold temperatures. Another major consideration is the distance between teams. The Super Bowl is traditionally played between the champions of the AFC and NFC, and the game is hosted by a team from the AFC. This means the NFC representative must travel anywhere between 1,600 and 2,200 miles to get to the game, so that team must have easy access to the city where the game will be played.
3. Ratings and Research Data
As well as looking at the logistics of where the Super Bowl can be played, the NFL must also consider the ratings and research data of each city. This essentially means that the NFL weighs up how many viewers the Super Bowl will get in each city and what the potential economic benefits of hosting the event will be. Over the years, the ratings for the Super Bowl have been very high, with the event receiving over 100 million viewers and the average rating for the last five Super Bowls being 111.9 million. This puts the Super Bowl as the most-watched one-day sporting event in the world. The economic benefits of hosting the Super Bowl are also very high, with the average economic impact being $950 million, so the NFL has to consider if a city can support this.
4. Previous Super Bowl Hosting Experiences
Another factor the NFL has to consider when choosing where the Super Bowl will be held in previous Super Bowl hosting experiences. This means that if a city has hosted the Super Bowl before, it will be put at the top of the list when deciding where to host the event again, as the city has already proved that it is capable of hosting the game. There are a couple of cities that have been chosen to host the Super Bowl multiple times, including New Orleans, which has hosted the Super Bowl 10 times, and Miami, which has hosted the Super Bowl 8 times. Other cities have hosted the Super Bowl once before, such as Houston, which has the second largest stadium in the country and therefore is an ideal choice for further Super Bowl hosting, and Minneapolis, which has a brand new stadium that could be used for hosting the Super Bowl.
5. Sponsorship and Advertising Deals
Another key consideration of the NFL while deciding the Super Bowl location is sponsorship and advertising deals. This means the NFL will consider which companies are based in each city and if they are likely to purchase advertising during the Super Bowl. As a result, the NFL will be likely to choose a city that has companies that are likely to spend a lot of money on advertising during the Super Bowl, as this will bring in more revenue. Based on this, the NFL will look for a city that has a lot of large companies, particularly in the financial sector, so that these companies will be willing to spend a lot of money on advertising during the Super Bowl.
Who Can Host A Super Bowl?
- The Super Bowl is one of the most popular annual sporting events in the United States. It features the top 32 teams from the NFL playing for the league title. Because of its high level of fame, the Super Bowl can only be played in certain cities.
- These cities have been determined to have the infrastructure to host such a large sporting event. If a city wants to host the Super Bowl, it must submit a bid to the NFL.
- The city must show that it has the necessary hotels, airports, and stadiums to host the game. The NFL then reviews the city’s bid and decides if it will host the Super Bowl.
Why Is Location Important?
- You may wonder why location is so important for the Super Bowl. Well, the NFL hosts the Super Bowl in a different city each year. This means that teams must travel to a new location each year. Teams are used to playing in their home stadium.
- The travel aspect of the Super Bowl is new to teams. It is important that teams travel to a location where they will have a suitable experience. The importance of location is twofold. First, the location of the Super Bowl can affect ticket sales.
- The league wants to host the Super Bowl in a city where tickets are in high demand. The league does not want the game to be played in a city where ticket sales are poor. Poor ticket sales can lead to the game being played in front of a half-empty stadium.
- The location of the Super Bowl can affect team travel. Teams are accustomed to traveling to their home stadium. During the regular season, the team travels together by plane. During the playoffs, they travel by bus.
- A Super Bowl team must travel to a new city each year. The league must select a city that is convenient to travel to. Otherwise, teams can find themselves in long layovers or missing connecting flights.
Which Cities Can Host A Super Bowl?
- Every two years, the NFL puts out a call for bids from interested cities. Cities that wish to host a Super Bowl submit proposals to the NFL. The NFL reviews each bid and determines which cities can host Super Bowls. Before you think to yourself, “this seems like a cut-and-dried process,” don’t be so sure. Before a city can host a Super Bowl, it must meet several requirements. It must have a stadium that is large enough to host the game.
- The stadium must also have a retractable roof. The stadium must have locker rooms, medical facilities, and other amenities. The city must have ample hotel rooms to house the Super Bowl visitors. It must also have a nearby airport that can accommodate large planes. The city’s transportation system must be able to handle the influx of Super Bowl travelers.
- The city must have the ability to host a large sporting event. It must have the right hotels and restaurants nearby the stadium. The city must also be able to handle cold weather. Super Bowls are traditionally played in February.
Final Words
The Super Bowl is a cultural phenomenon that rivals even the Olympics and the Grammys in terms of popularity. The Super Bowl has been played in a different city every year for the last 25 years — except in Minnesota, that is. After digging its way out from under a snowstorm earlier this month, Minneapolis will finally be home to another Super Bowl in February 2021. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events of the year, with over 170 million viewers expected to watch this year’s game.The Super Bowl location was decided long before the teams found out who they would be playing.
