Watkins: Will Dallas/Fort Worth get another Super Bowl?

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Will Dallas/Fort Worth get another Super Bowl?
February, 3, 2014

By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com

New York Giants co-owner, John Mara said Sunday he would like the New York/New Jersey region to host another Super Bowl.

Outside of overcrowded lines at a New Jersey subway station where several fans collapsed due to the crowded conditions, concerns leading up to the game about the weather, Seattle's blowout victory against Denver and pretty much everything else, it went well.

The next available year for a city to host the big game is 2019.

But should the Dallas/Fort Worth area try to get in the mix again? The NFL decides which cities can bid for Super Bowls and the Dallas/Fort Worth area hasn't been given indications it should.

Glendale, Ariz., will host the Super Bowl next year with Santa Clara, Calif., and Houston getting the games after that. As far as 2018, New Orleans, Indianapolis and Minnesota are bidding for that year.

AT&T Stadium, then called Cowboys Stadium, hosted Super Bowl XLV between Pittsburgh and Green Bay. The Dallas/Fort Worth area was hit by a historic ice storm as Super Bowl week started and a snow blizzard two days before the game.

On game day it was sunny skies, but there was a seating problem in which more than 1,000 temporary seats weren't completed on time for the game. Several fans were forced to watch the game from standing room only areas or were seated elsewhere.

The Super Bowl in the Dallas/Fort Worth area was considered a financial success. According to the Dallas Morning News, spending from the Super Bowl reached between $200 and $250 million according to estimates by Planalytics, a business weather intelligence firm in Pennsylvania.

Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers also noted direct spending could push it to $200 million.

Knowing the financial success it generated and how Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has a close relationship with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, it might be time for Dallas/Fort Worth to get in the mix again.

What hurt Dallas/Fort Worth were the weather problems and how poorly the state officials handled the icy roads. The stadium seating, which led to a lawsuit, didn't make the league or the Cowboys look good regardless of who made mistakes surrounding it.

The apparent success of Sunday's game in an outside stadium on the East Coast will prompt other NFL owners to lobby for their cities, such as Philadelphia and maybe Landover, Md., to host the game.

AT&T Stadium is one of the best venues in the league if not all of sports in North America and it should be given another chance.

When is the big question.
 
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