We are just days away from the Super Bowl in the Big Easy. While Chiefs fans stay at home once again this year, many dream of the day Kansas City will compete for another NFL Championship.
But what if someday, the Chiefs could play in the Super Bowl in Kansas City?
Why not?
Back in 2006 we had our best chance to host a Super Bowl. Then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said if the Chiefs could put a (portable) roof over Arrowhead, we could host the Super Bowl in 2015. The roof would ensure the game would not be played in snowy, icy conditions, which is what we usually have in early February. But the voters didn’t want to spend the money so it was never built, and the Super Bowl dreamers saw their hopes squashed.
Now there’s new hope.
The NFL is sending next year’s Super Bowl to New York. Last I checked, New York is farther north than Kansas City and has just as much potential to get snow and ice as we do. If next year’s Super Bowl in New York ends up being a success, then NFL owners in the North will have a logical argument to bringing the Super Bowl to their towns, including Kansas City.
The NFL’s philosophy on Super Bowl sites is to keep the game it in a southern state, where it is warm in the winter, or else make sure the host city has a domed stadium. Minneapolis, Detroit and Indianapolis have all hosted Super Bowls within the confines of heated dome stadiums, so New York will be the first northern state to play the game in an outdoor stadium.
Quick quiz – Which cities have hosted the most Super Bowls?
Miami and New Orleans with ten each. It doesn’t seem fair that places like Kansas City are not allowed to host the big game. We meet the NFL’s criteria.
A stadium that seats at least 70,000?
Check. Arrowhead holds 79,000+
At least 30,000 hotel rooms in the metro?
Check, kind of. According to visitkc.com, we have 26,396 hotel rooms in the metro. If you add hotel rooms in Lawrence and St. Joseph, we would reach the 30,000 threshold. Plus there are plans to build a Hyatt on the Country Club Plaza, and Mayor Sly James wants to build a hotel in the Power and Light District.
Practice facilities for the teams?
Check. The Chiefs have their indoor facility at the stadium and they have the indoor facility at Missouri Western, where the Chiefs hold training camp. Or they could use Sporting Park, if Sporting KC owners would agree to it.
Would Kansas City be good a host?
Check. Just look at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game to see how we treat our guests. MLB officials constantly praised the enthusiasm and cooperation from the Royals and the city. They told me when they have it in LA or NY, it’s just another event in a massive city full of events. But in Kansas City, it becomes THE event, THE place to be, THE marquis attraction, and they loved us for it. The NFL would feel the same way – if they ever give us the chance.
Will we ever get a chance?
With New York hosting one, it now opens the door for Clark Hunt and the Kansas City Sports Commission to step forward and pester the NFL incessantly until they give us a chance to prove them wrong. Now that the fans have “Saved the Chiefs”, it’s time for them to band together and demand Kansas City be in discussions to host a future Super Bowl.
You can reach Matt Stewart at matt.stewart@wdaftv4.com
