As snow falls in March, the idea of playing outside seems crazy. In just over 10 months, the biggest football game of the year will be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey at MetLife Stadium. If there is snow in March, there will most likely be snow in February. Much discussion has been made about the idea of playing the Super Bowl outside. Will it detract fans from buying tickets? What if it rains, or worse, snows? With New York already committed to having the first northern outdoor Super Bowl in 47 years, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is beginning a push to get the next outdoor game in Philly.
Football has always played outdoors, but never has the Super Bowl been played in an area outside where there could potentially be freezing temperatures. The coldest is has ever been at kickoff for the Super Bowl was 39 degrees, 43 years ago in New Orleans. The Northeast is not exactly known for its warm temperatures in February, but that is not stopping owners from saying their city could host an outdoor game just like MetLife Stadium.
At the NFL owners meeting taking place this week in Arizona, Lurie tossed Philadelphia into the ring of possible locations. He believes that if the New York Super Bowl goes well without too many problems, it will help other cities with outdoor stadiums get a chance to host the Super Bowl as well.
"Growing up in Boston, I went to more great games in snow conditions. Some of the most memorable games I've ever been to were very difficult and wonderful conditions. I would have no fear of it snowing-as long as there's no public safety issue that day, I think it would be great if it's snowing a bit," Lurie said.
Inclement weather is something that has appeared in post season games before, but never in the Super Bowl. New England, Pittsburgh and New York have all hosted post season games where it has either been snowing or raining.
However, the Super Bowl is a worldwide event. It involves an entire week of events that draw thousands of spectators. There are a lot of moving parts that go into putting the entire thing together and tough weather conditions could force some things to not happen. The NFL worries that snow would derail a fan's experience of the whole thing. Everything will depend on how New York handles the upcoming Super Bowl. If things go well, Philly can count themselves in to get the next game.
