Two of NFL’s oldest teams building new $8.8bn stadiums hit with ‘nightmare’ Super Bowl hosting blow

Contesting and winning a Super Bowl is the ultimate goal for any NFL franchise, but hosting the big game is also seen as a massive honor.

Multiple teams are hoping to bring the circus to town one day, and the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders all have plans to relocate to domed stadiums to boost their chances.

Manica

The Tennessee Titans, meanwhile, have just been awarded Super Bowl LXIV, which will be played at the new Nissan Stadium in 2030.

Never before has Nashville hosted the big game, but thanks to what will be a state-of-the-art enclosed building — and decades of cultural growth for a city that has become one of America’s top tourist destinations — the NFL is now ready to commit.

The infrastructure will soon be in place, but as 2030 approaches, organizers will likely be watching closely for something out of their control — the weather.

Super Bowls awarded on more than stadium merit

According to the Sports Business Journal, Nashville will be the Super Bowl host most likely to get extreme cold, snow or ice since Minneapolis in 2018.

While that game was played safely indoors, those in attendance battled frigid temperatures en-route to US Bank Stadium, for what was described at the time as the coldest Super Bowl on record ‘by far.’

Weather in Nashville can be notoriously unpredictable, with snow falling on the date of the game in 2021 and 2025.

There could also be a threat of severe weather, and February is the fourth-most active month for tornadoes in Tennessee.

Peter O’Reilly, the NFL EVP who oversees the Super Bowl, told the Sports Business Journal that the league was OK with the climate data, but acknowledged it was a ‘factor.’

“There’s a lot more that goes into hosting the Super Bowl than a stadium,” he told the outlet.

“We do our research and look at what February looks like there.

Getty

Getty

“I think the average temperatures, which are a high of like 55F, is right in the range of what we’re comfortable with.”

Adverse weather could be blow to Super Bowl-hopeful teams

While Nashville has passed the weather test, two potential future Super Bowl hosts might not.

The Bears, founded in 1920, and Commanders, founded in 1932, making them two of the NFL’s oldest teams, both have plans for new stadiums, but February weather in Chicago and Washington D.C. is more volatile than in Tennessee.

In his piece for the Sports Business Journal, Ben Fischer noted that a ‘major snow or ice event a few days before the game’ could be the ‘real nightmare scenario’ for the NFL.

He speculated that awarding Nashville a Super Bowl could be an ‘exception’ to the NFL’s preference of a warmer weather climate, like Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, or SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

When new stadiums are built for the Bears and Commanders, and a reported cost of $5bn and $3.8bn each, hosting the big game is not a given.

HKS

“Winter weather would not be an outlier event in Chicago or Washington, but the point isn’t to rule cities in or out based on a single factor,” Fischer wrote.

“The value of a Super Bowl within a few miles of every foreign embassy, the White House and Capitol Hill is self-evident, even if it could get cold.

“The point is that Super Bowl hosting is much, much more competitive than it used to be with Allegiant and SoFi stadiums in the mix, and as the event grows, the league sees fewer reasons to tolerate risk.

“Nashville’s quick construction-to-Super Bowl path will likely prove to be the exception, not the rule, in this modern building boom.”

NFL Stadium Status

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Chicago Bears – NFL’s second-oldest team admits defeat as $5bn relocation from 102-year-old stadium confirmed in statement

Kansas City Chiefs – Chiefs owner issues response as Kansas City’s $4bn cross-state relocation plan hits roadblock

Jacksonville Jaguars – $5.6bn NFL team’s 150-mile relocation triggers unique rule exemption amid CBA conflict

Cleveland Browns – $2.6bn NFL stadium fraught with drama finally makes breakthrough as Super Bowl dream teased

Tennessee Titans – Super Bowl 2030 host is unopened $2.2bn ‘cookie-cutter’ stadium that will be NFL’s smallest

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