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totally agree with the bolded. never thought i'd see a local super bowl, especially after the giants and jets decided to forego a retractable roof on their new stadium. it just seemed like the league was more concerned with catering to the wealthy casual fans/non-fans/celebrities/"beautiful people" who go to the super bowl for the entertainment experience and the "cool" factor rather than the hardcore fan who's all about the game (such as us).
football is meant to be played in the elements, so it's nice to see the league finally award a super bowl to a cold weather, open-air site, even if it's a one-year exception. some of the most famous nfl championship games have been played outdoors in freezing/inclement weather, including several in the nyc area - e.g. the 1934 nfl championship game at the polo grounds ("the sneakers game"); the 1956 nfl championship game at yankee stadium ("sneakers game II"); the 1958 nfl championship game at yankee stadium ("the greatest game ever played"). or how about the 1986 nfc championship game between the giants and redskins at giants stadium, in which the winds were literally swirling debris (and the redskins) all over the place? or the previous week, when the giants stomped on the 49ers, 49-3, in absolutely frigid conditions at the meadowlands? those are two of my fondest memories as a giants fan, and i have to say that the inclement conditions combined with the magnitude of the games added to the experience.
getting back to your post, i really hope your first sentence turns out to be correct, because it would be great for the region if this scenario pans out as you've described. not to go too far off-topic, but i wonder if this news will help jumpstart investment in the long-stalled xanadu project and other meadowlands-area developments.
the more i think about it, the more i feel that it was a mistake not to reroute rt. 120 to the east of the izod center to create one large continuous, uninterrupted space around the stadium and arena that could be developed into a mini sports/entertainment/dining/nightlife/hotel district. that would've been a perfect spot to host some of the super bowl week festivities and in general keep some of the fan/tourist dollars in the garden state. north jersey does have a lot of these things, of course, but the problem is that many of the attractions are not concentrated in a single compact, walkable district close to the stadium the way they are in other core business/entertainment districts in other parts of the country.
instead we have...xanadu (assuming if it's ever completed). and a highway bisecting the sports complex that some fans inexplicably try to cross to get back to their cars.
i don't want to get too negative, though, since i feel this is great news overall. let's hope the local and state leaders can encourage development around the stadium that will help the sports complex maximize its potential and become a special destination rather than merely a sports venue.
Great post, but I can't rep you for it (yet). The part about the re-routing 120 east of Izod was something I wasn't previously aware of.
I remember both of those games in 1986 like they were yesterday, especially the play in the 49ers game when Jim Burt laid out Joe Montana and LT intercepted the pass for a TD. What a lot of people have forgotten about that game was on the second play of the game, Jerry Rice caught a slant pass over the middle and was pretty much gone for a TD, but as he was striding for the goal line, his knee went so high it hit the ball out of his hands, and the Giants recovered the fumble.
NFL football is my really big passion in life, and this announcement made my day, if not my month! I am hopeful in 4 years I can come back to the NJ area for the week, get tickets, and spend the week with family and friends, leading up to the game.
There were plenty of stadiums built in the last decade in "cold weather cities"
And once again, Super Bowl is an event, not a game. The NFL makes more from the TV ads and the events surrounding the game. The area surrounding the stadium has nothing to offer those coming in for the game. You think fans coming in from the coast will want to see Willowbrook Mall? they are going into NYC. Teams will be staying far from the site. Local hotels will get increased business for a few days. Media will fill hotels for a few days before.
But then figure in the requirements for security. Every area agency will be forced to put on more people for the increased presence and increased level of incidents. Other emergency services will be forced to do the same. So money will be made and money will be spent.
I would be awesome if either Giants or Jets made to Super Bowl XIVIII !!
An all NY super bowl will be high on my list, behind the Steelers making it. My dream would be the Steelers beating the Jets in the AFC championship, then taking out the Giants in the Super Bowl then I could rub it in all my neighbors faces. If they did make it there would be black and gold all over NJ and NY, nobody travels like Steeler fans. But the Jets/Giants Super Bowl would be CRAZY. What other city can say they had both teams in the super bowl, nobody. It would be even bigger than when the Mets and Yankees played in the World Series.
so if they didn't build a new stadium the superbowl would still be hosted there?
Highly doubtful. The old stadium was lacking alot of the amenities that the NFL and the teams now consider to be standards, and there were complaints about the sightlines compared to some of the newer stadiums (the new bowl design has a totally different sightline layout). I was involved in cost studies as far back as 2003 to see what it would cost to renovate the existing stadium to correct some ADA issues, add more suites and club seats, add bathrooms and upgrade the ones that were there, and upgrade the concession offerings. At the time, the cost to do that work was over $400 million, and the stadium still wasn't going to be anywhere close to what they have now.
Around that time was when the Jets started looking at building a new stadium in NYC, and luckily the NJSEA was eventually able to convince them to stay and build a new stadium in conjunction with the Giants (having the NJSEA buy the land for the Jets' new training facility in Florham Park didn't hurt, either....).
All that said, perhaps they would have held a Superbowl in NYC if the proposed upgrades had been made, but it's doubtful they would have had one in the stadium as it was. Of course, now that they have a new stadium, no one will ever really know for sure, will they????
Some photos of the old Giants Stadium mailed to me from my BIL (works with an engineering company associated with the design of the new stadium)
I posted a link on Tuesday to a page on WCBS's website where they're taking aerial shots every few days, and took a video of the skybox coming down. It's a page or two back in the NJ forum.
The part about the re-routing 120 east of Izod was something I wasn't previously aware of.
yeah, it has been discussed off and on over the years, with fairly serious talk about it when the xanadu proposal was first being floated. recently i heard mentioned again in conjunction with the potential takeover of xanadu by stephen ross of the related companies. not holding my breath, though.
Quote:
I remember both of those games in 1986 like they were yesterday, especially the play in the 49ers game when Jim Burt laid out Joe Montana and LT intercepted the pass for a TD. What a lot of people have forgotten about that game was on the second play of the game, Jerry Rice caught a slant pass over the middle and was pretty much gone for a TD, but as he was striding for the goal line, his knee went so high it hit the ball out of his hands, and the Giants recovered the fumble.
yes, great memories.
i think burt's knockdown of montana and the subsequent INT for a TD by LT was the signature play of the game. it was right before halftime, extended the giants' lead to 28-3, and basically iced the game for the giants while completely demoralizing the niners and eliminating any thoughts they had about making a comeback.
as is the case with montana getting blown up by leonard marshall in the 1990 nfc championship game, i can never watch too much footage of montana getting clobbered.
i also fondly recall jerry rice's inexplicable fumble on that pass from montana. that was one of the most bizarre things i've ever seen in a playoff game, and totally sapped any momentum the niners were trying to build. who knows how they would've played the rest of the game if rice had scored there. i don't think they would've won either way, but maybe they would've at least been competitive instead of getting blown out.
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My dream would be the Steelers beating the Jets in the AFC championship, then taking out the Giants in the Super Bowl then I could rub it in all my neighbors faces. If they did make it there would be black and gold all over NJ and NY, nobody travels like Steeler fans. But the Jets/Giants Super Bowl would be CRAZY. What other city can say they had both teams in the super bowl, nobody. It would be even bigger than when the Mets and Yankees played in the World Series.
