Could A Super Bowl Ever Be Held Outside Of America?
Feb 11, 2022, 11:39 AM
Denzel Mims #11 of the New York Jets and Zach Wilson #2 of the New York Jets during the NFL London 2021 match between New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 10, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Super Bowl is a uniquely American event, and while it is gaining popularity overseas with the international series of games it would be unfathomable to see the NFL’s biggest event being played outside of the United States.
The NFL has had international games since 2007, all in London, and lately a few in Mexico. As of this past week, there will be four regular-season games in Germany. It is a well-known goal of the NFL that they want to become a global league.
Da kommt Großes auf dich zu. #NFL pic.twitter.com/FJtx13VKjI
— NFL Deutschland (@NFLDeutschland) February 8, 2022
The NFL has moved toward rewarding franchises when they get a new stadium to then host a Super Bowl. The last time a non-NFL stadium hosted the Super Bowl was in 1993 when the game was played at the Rose Bowl.
English Premier League Club, Tottenham Hotspur is considering a bid to host a future Super Bowl, according to the Daily Mail. The club is already part of the NFL’s international series and is set to host a pair of games over the next 10 years in a contract that is worth an estimated £40 million.
Currently, one of the rules in place to host a Super Bowl is to have a stadium that is in a market that hosts an NFL team. Technically, Tottenham’s stadium could fit into that rule by hosting two regular-season games over a decades time, but that is not a permanent home and would ruffle some feathers of teams in the U.S. that have a franchise.
Then there is the time difference which is key for advertisers and the American audience. The time difference from London to the East Coast is five hours. This year’s Super Bowl starts at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET and that would equate to an 11:30 p.m. local kickoff. The start time would need to be adjusted by a few hours to make it work but that would take the game out of the coveted primetime slot.
For A Fan Does It Matter Where The Game Is?
The Super Bowl itself has long priced out the average fan with the current average ticket price going for a record high and nearing five figures for a ticket.
Unrivaled’s Scott Mitchell makes the point of the Super Bowl as a big-time TV event rather than in-person event, similar to the Olympics.
“It is a televised event, you watch the Super Bowl on television is what makes it great,” Mitchell said. “Where it is doesn’t matter. If you are covering the Super Bowl that is the challenge and would be cost-prohibitive.”
As for the players themselves, the time difference may present some challenges on their bodies. Nobody likes jet lag.
It would be interesting to see a Super Bowl in an unfamiliar location to NFL fans. The odds of this happening seem slim, but it’s fun to consider.
Now, if the NFL were to expand to add a European division with a collective of teams then that could be a way for an international city to host the Super Bowl.
