To be named the host of a future Super Bowl a city has to give one heck of a presentation, but the hard part has to be satisfying the Super Bowl wish list.
@andrearene/Twitter
Calling it a wish list is not entirely accurate. It’s more of a list of demands; concessions that the NFL wants from perspective cities in order for them to be awarded the right to host a Super Bowl.
Concessions are something to be expected when it comes to hosting something like the Super Bowl. Not only is it one of the most watched programs on television every year, but the number of people that it brings to a community for a couple weeks is insane especially when you consider the amount of money they are going to spend.
So some should be expectedâ€"but the number that the NFL requires from cities is absolutely insane. Recently the Minneapolis Host Committee decided to share the 153 pages of demands with the world (via the Star Tribune). The following are just a few of the ones they’ll have to deal with for Super Bowl LII:
- Free police escorts for team owners
- 35,000 free parking spaces
- Presidential suites at no cost in high-end hotels
- Free billboards across the Twin Cities
- Guarantees to receive all revenue from ticket sales
Sound a little crazy? It gets better:
- host city to pay for travel/expenses for possible “familiarization trip†for 180 people to come in advance of the Super Bowl
- host city will be responsible [for erecting] a sufficient number of portable cellular towers if the signal is not strong enough near team hotels
- hotels that do not have the NFL Network will have to carry it for a year prior to the Super Bowl
The list is extremely long (it is 153 pages after all and can be found here) and incredibly detailed. Without studying the entire document in depth it appears that what the NFL wants is the right to do anything and everything they want while living it up in the best way possible for free.
And the league takes all the revenue at the gateâ€"but the city will make money off the visitors.
[Star Tribune]
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