Sam Farmer of the LOS ANGELES TIMES reports today that Indy Colts Owner Jim Irsay is making a push to have the Super Bowl in 2016 held in Los Angeles. That year is no coincidence, as it’s 50th anniversary of the first Super Bowl, staged in Los Angeles at the Coliseum.
(If Packers make Super Bowl 50, I certainly don’t forsee need for holdup)
No way in hell, right? Well Irsay is somewhat influential in the league when it comes to the big game, as he serves on the NFL’s Super Bowl committee. And you would think it might make sense as there could already be 1-2 NFL franchises planted in SoCal by the time 2016 rolls around. (Stop rolling your eyes.)
Irsay though sees it as the other way around.
“If a Super Bowl comes, you’re hoping that it leads to a bigger day,” he told the LAT. “The synergy of the thing hopefully leads to another franchise. It’s a realistic possibility.”
When contacted, officials at both the Rose Bowl and Coliseum, which have staged the game in the past, said they were interested (as if they wouldn’t be?).
One small detail though: Just to be consider for the game will mean the city will have to raise tens of millions for a proposal.
The Super Bowl bids are expensive. In Indianapolis, Irsay spearheaded an effort that raised more than $25 million of private money to pay for the proposal. He said someone in L.A. would have to make a similar effort, and stressed that the Super Bowl wouldn’t simply be handed to the city.
Your next four sites for The Bowl are already in the books: Tampa, Miami, Dallas and Indianapolis. The 2013 game probably will be awarded this spring.
This story feels a lot like a plant by Irsay to drum up interest from private investors for a Super Bowl proposal. Surely there will be no public money going to such an endeavor.
The good news is Irsay seems genuinely interested in the prospect of Super Bowl 50 in Los Angeles. The bad news is that he must not have much confidence in the immediate chance of the city landing an NFL franchise, as he said he thought the 2016 game would create momentum to launch a new team in The Basin.
If it’s been that long, do you really think people will bother? I know I wouldn’t care.
8:06 pm on November 5th, 2008
The NFL needs LA, but LA doesn't need the NFL.
8:21 pm on November 5th, 2008
Was that cheese bra made from that woman's milk?
8:22 pm on November 5th, 2008
Ah, the wonderful cheese bra. It was only the next logical step from the cheesehead.
8:23 pm on November 5th, 2008
It does kind of suck that LA doesn't have an NFL team to call its own. Watching the games is nothing like being there in person.
8:27 pm on November 5th, 2008
To get the Super Bowl to LA, it's going to cost much more than the $25 million proposal. For starters, there's the millions that will be needed to renovate the Coliseum or the Rose Bowl. Now way people spending $500-$1,000 on tickets are going to tolerate sitting on bleachers.
8:28 pm on November 5th, 2008
Logically, the next step in cheese wear should be the cheese panties.
8:30 pm on November 5th, 2008
Did someone say cheese bras?
http://sportsbybrooks.com/lambeau-bikini-girls-maxim-mag-sends-out-apb-15542
8:32 pm on November 5th, 2008
Having the Super Bowl in Los Angeles would be great. Just think of the celebrity turnout.
8:33 pm on November 5th, 2008
If they're going to hold the Super Bowl in a cold weather place like Indianapolis, why not bring it back somewhere warm?
8:35 pm on November 5th, 2008
I was going to make a comment about cheese panties and the smell, but I thought better of it.
8:36 pm on November 5th, 2008
Hosting the game in Los Angeles could do a lot to bring a team back to the city. It is weird that the 2nd largest TV market in the country doesn't have an NFL franchise.
8:38 pm on November 5th, 2008
L.A. has gone over a decade without an NFL team, and it seems to be doing OK.
8:39 pm on November 5th, 2008
The less L.A. teams there are, the better.
8:41 pm on November 5th, 2008
I'm sure a Super Bowl in Indianapolis will do just as well as the Super Bowls held in Minnesota and Detroit.
Meaning - not very well.
8:45 pm on November 5th, 2008
What a lot of people don't realize is that half of the people living in Los Angeles are transplants. They grew up somewhere else and established their loyalty to their own hometown teams. And when they come out here, they already have their teams to root for.
And with games being shown in sports bars & homes having the NFL's Sunday Ticket, it's not as if any of these transplanted fans will have any problems watching their favorite teams.
8:46 pm on November 5th, 2008
LA does need an NFL team. It would be sad to see my kids grown up without a football franchise to call their you.
8:47 pm on November 5th, 2008
I'm drawing the line at cheese jockstraps.
8:49 pm on November 5th, 2008
Hey Cheese Bra Lady,
I got something for you to suck right here. OH!
(Dice Clay would be proud of me.)
8:50 pm on November 5th, 2008
Someone please explain to me - why is Indianapolis hosting a Super Bowl?
8:53 pm on November 5th, 2008
Won't Super Bowl 50 be Super Bowl L? That's kind of lame.
8:56 pm on November 5th, 2008
It doesn't matter where the Super Bowl is held. It's not like real fans can afford to go or get access to any tickets anyway.
9:01 pm on November 5th, 2008
Dirty:
Two words - Dennis Hopper.
http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/dennis-hopper-helps-indianapolis-get-2012-super-bowl-17822
9:02 pm on November 5th, 2008
And Super Bowl 100 will be Super Bowl C. Even more lame.
9:03 pm on November 5th, 2008
Wherever it's held, just make sure Pacman Jones stays clear.
9:06 pm on November 5th, 2008
Hey! The Super Bowl in Minneapolis was fun. Sure I couldn't go, but it was neat irregardless. Plus at the time, it seemed the only chance Minnesota would ever be connected to the Super Bowl ever again.
9:07 pm on November 5th, 2008
I've been to the Coliseum and the Rose Bowl. Not exactly Grade A pro-level NFL-worthy stadiums.
9:09 pm on November 5th, 2008
And Super Bowl 1000 will be Super Bowl M. Sponsored by James Bond, maybe?
9:12 pm on November 5th, 2008
I wouldn't worry about not having a NFL team, L.A. In the next 8 years, a couple more franchises will start complaining that their stadiums are obsolete and will threaten to move to California unless a new taxpayer-funded stadium is built.
9:14 pm on November 5th, 2008
Why does Irsay still care about LA? He already got the Colts their new Lucas Oil Stadium.
9:16 pm on November 5th, 2008
And Super Bowl 1,100 will be Super Bowl MC. They could hold a halftime tribute to the works & life of MC Hammer.
9:19 pm on November 5th, 2008
If it’s been that long, do you really think people will bother? I know I wouldn’t care.
If the NFL makes a big enough deal about it, with big enough advertising, people will care.