Yesterday’s league championship games decided that the Steelers and the Seahawks will tangle in Super Bowl XL, but it remains decidedly unclear whether this year’s big game in Detroit will be the hot ticket of Super Bowls past.
As noted in previous posts here and here, last year’s Super Bowl host city Jacksonville was ill-equipped to handle the logistical demands of handling the Super Bowl. Now, as Phil Miller notes in this post, Detroit is getting even a worse reaction from from prospective Super Bowl attendees than Jacksonville:
With the NFL’s first cold-weather Super Bowl in 14 years, and only the third one in the event’s 40-year run, just three weeks away, many of the firms that arrange Super Bowl hospitality trips report that clients are not as eager to go this year.
The tepid response is largely due to the expected cold weather, with the average high termperature in February in Detroit at 36 degrees. That combined with the city’s lackluster reputation, have led some clients to depart for other locales such as Vegas and the Caribbean for viewing parties, or simply taking a pass and booking early for the 2007 game in south Florida.Well, so much for building a stadium to get a Super Bowl to promote the city!
That’s from the latest issue of the Sports Business Journal. The article starts out by mentioning that Dan Marino and John Elway will be raising money for their charities during Super Bowl week – in Las Vegas. Ouch!
Speaking of football, here is a nice story about a couple of football fans who have a special interest in the upcoming Super Bowl.
There will be plenty of people at Super Bowl XL. Detroit is only 5 hours from Pittsburgh.
While Steeler fans will certainly follow their team to Detroit in droves, that’s not the type of attendee that the NFL normally attempts to attract to the Super Bowl. Usually, the NFL seeks a much more corporate and sponser-type crowd. It doesn’t look like Detroit is going to attract much of that type of crowd this year.
Detroit just completed the North American International Auto Show, which had an attendace of about 82000 per day for two weeks. It should have no problem handling the Super Bowl crowds.
Thank you, Detroit! We love you!
Super Bowl XL – not such a hot ticket. With the NFL’s first cold-weather Super Bowl in 14 years, and…
I was born and raised in Detroit. It is a disgusting city. The Democrats have virtually destroyed everything. Crime is a major concern along with the political correctness. There is little reason to visit.
What a silly, narrow-minded speculative article. Detroit’s not trying to pretend it doesn’t have problems, but it’s selling what makes it unique and it’s packed with people – celebrities, corporate fat cats, devout fans. I’m not there, but from what I’ve heard the parties are filled, it’s doing a great job hosting the event, and is getting great feedback.