Robert Kraft, City of Boston Should Make a Serious Play to Host Super Bowl

by

Feb 9, 2012

Robert Kraft, City of Boston Should Make a Serious Play to Host Super BowlNew England could be a terrific host for a future Super Bowl, and there are plenty of reasons why it could work.

First, Patriots owner Robert Kraft has publicly stated he wants it to happen, and his counterparts around the league have been indebted to him since he took a significant role toward ending the lockout. Kraft also took a leading role to help bring Super Bowl XLVIII to New York, so he should have the backing of the northeast owners to bring the event to New England.

Recently, the NFL has opened its doors to Super Bowls in non-traditional cities (outside the rotation of Miami, New Orleans and Southern California), evidenced by the bold move to give it to New York in 2014. But the league also sent the Super Bowl to Dallas in 2011 and Indianapolis in 2012.

It's not a coincidence that two of the NFL's most powerful owners — Jerry Jones in Dallas and Jim Irsay in Indy — hosted the Super Bowl for the first time in those markets, which gives credence to the thought that Kraft could get one in New England.

And check out the current pattern of host cities. From 2010-15, respectively, the Super Bowl landed in Miami, Dallas, Indianapolis, New Orleans, New York and Arizona. Over that six-year stretch, the NFL has mixed in three first-time cities with three of the more traditional markets.

If that leads to a new market for Super Bowl L in 2016, expect Kraft to make every power play imaginable to bring the 50th Super Bowl to his backyard.

This area has a lot going for it, too. The one snag is the weather, and the NFL might want to hold off to see how New York City responds to Super Bowl week before awarding any future Super Bowls to northeast cities. Basically, if there's a blizzard during the week, will the local market and the NFL be equipped to handle the event? That might be the ultimate test before handing out a Super Bowl to a place like New England.

But let's say Kraft can win a bid to host a Super Bowl. Before anything, the NFL would know Foxboro is hardly the ideal town to host such a magnanimous event, so the league would have to conduct the brunt of its activities in Boston.

Is that ideal? Of course not. But things have been every bit as spread out during past Super Bowls in Miami. Naturally, the NFL can flaunt that South Florida weather to soothe the pain of the extra-long drives between team hotels, media headquarters and the stadium.

But it would be perfectly reasonable to conduct each major event in Boston aside from Tuesday's Media Day and the actual game, which of course, would be held at Gillette Stadium. And in the event of inclement weather, Media Day could be pushed inside the Dana-Farber Field House.

Aside from that, the team hotels and media headquarters could be located in a fairly centralized location in Boston, and the NFL Fan Experience would fit perfectly inside the Hynes Convention Center, which would draw more traffic to the Back Bay. The NFL could dress up that area, as well as the Boston Common and the Fenway and Garden areas. And with all of that, there are plenty of areas to party, as this city has been well-versed in that department for centuries.

Naturally, let's not forget the teams, which would have their options in Boston. One team could conduct its practices at Boston College, while the other could house up at Harvard. If the teams preferred more seclusion, there are more than enough facilities outside the city.

Lastly, since the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium should celebrate its actual host facility, Kraft shouldn't have any trouble putting together a string of events at Patriot Place for the Foxboro-centric crowd that doesn't want to head north to Boston each day or night. It would create a money grab for two sections of the state, which should make it a worthy investment.

The city of Boston has already been on board with a number of these events during the last decade, and it's shown an ability to handle it well with detailed planning from law enforcement and enthusiastic support from local businesses. Since Kraft has so much backing in the NFL, he might just be able to make it work, maybe even in time for the historic Super Bowl L.

Have a question for Jeff Howe? Send it to him via Twitter at @jeffphowe or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Previous Article

Big House Is Perfect Setting for Winter Classic, But Casting of Red Wings, Maple Leafs Lacks Some Entertainment Value

Next Article

Red Sox’ 2012 Spring Training Broadcast Schedule Includes Games on NESN, ESPN, WEEI and WRKO

Picked For You