Goodell: Pittsburgh Super Bowl possible
Washington County resident and NFL referee Gene Steratore, left, listens to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell give the keynote address Tuesday afternoon during the Tri-County Patriots for Independent Living Capitol Campaign Kickoff luncheon held at the Southpointe Hilton Garden Inn.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during the Tri-County Patriots for Independent Living Capitol Campaign Kickoff luncheon held at the Southpointe Hilton Garden Inn Tuesday afternoon.
NFL referee Gene Steratore, a Washington County resident, speaks Tuesday during the Tri-County Patriots for Independent Living Capitol Campaign Kickoff luncheon.
CANONSBURG – NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday if Pittsburgh wants to host a Super Bowl, a number of hurdles have to be cleared.
Goodell, a graduate of Washington & Jefferson College, made the remarks as guest speaker at the Y Capital Campaign Kickoff Luncheon for the Tri-County Patriots for Independent Living at the Hilton Garden Inn in Southpointe.
“There has been some discussion,” said Goodell. “We had our first cold weather outdoor Super Bowl site in New York a couple years ago. I think it was very successful. We missed the snow by about three hours. I woke up the next morning and saw six inches of snow. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
At the NFL owners meetings in May, the Steelers filed a formal application to have Super Bowl LVII in Pittsburgh in eight years. Steelers president Art Rooney II met with Pittsburgh officials and community leaders to discuss the idea. The last outdoor Super Bowl in a cold weather city was in February of 2014, when Seattle defeated Denver 43-8.
“We think football was meant to be played in the elements,” said Goodell. “The challenge for hosting a Super Bowl is the incredible amount of infrastructure needed.”
Goodell estimated that 30,000 hotel rooms are needed – Pittsburgh has approximately 24,000 – and that 150,000 fans would be drawn to the city for the game even though Heinz Field holds 65,500 with plans to add about 3,000 more seats. For Super Bowl Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, Jacksonville docked several luxury cruise liners to use for hotel space.
“Only about 75,000 (of the 150,000) go to the game because they can’t get access to tickets,” Goodell said. “But they want to be part of the celebration. Parties, events, transportation to and from events. All these things put a tremendous burden on a smaller market. I think those are the challenges for cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland.”
The Steelers played Seattle in Super Bowl XL in Detroit in 2006. But Ford Field is a domed stadium and Detroit had more area for such things as the 35,000 free parking spaces, and 1 million square feet of space for the league’s Gameday Experience, a pregame entertainment area, and NFL Experience, an interactive football theme park.
“The weather issue is ultimately the decision of the 32 teams,” Goodell said. “They vote on it. Some people like playing in the elements; some think it should be played under perfect conditions for a Super Bowl. I’ve always thought football in the elements is a great part of the game. I’ve always loved that.”
Generally, the NFL prefers stadiums with more capacity. If a Super Bowl game is played in Pittsburgh, Gene Steratore would love to be part of the officiating crew. Steratore, who served as master of ceremonies at the TRIPIL luncheon, has been an NFL official for 14 years and is a business owner in Washington.
“It would be wonderful,” said Steratore. “To be this close. The challenges are what the commissioner referred to: the logistics of bringing that many people into the area. I don’t know how many hotels we have in the Pittsburgh area or how you would feel about bringing a Super Bowl to this city. You can understand the magnitude of the amount of infrastructure you need in place. I think that’s the challenge.”
Steratore said he was unsure what his status would be if the Steelers were in a Super Bowl held in Pittsburgh.
“I don’t think the demographics of a game would take me out,” he said. “If the Steelers played in that Super Bowl, that’s a good question.”
In other developments, Goodell said he:
• did not know when a decision on LeVeon Bell’s appeal would be announced. Bell, the starting running back for the Steelers, was suspended for the first three games of the season after a traffic stop in August produced marijuana and a DUI citation.
• expects the Buffalo Bills to remain in Western New York and a new stadium will be built through a public-private consortium. The Bills were purchased for $1.4 billion by Terry Pegula, who made his fortune in the natural gas industry. Pegula also owns the Buffalo Sabres.
• attends at least one game a season as a fan to get a better understanding what fans experience on game day.
• doesn’t mind fans coming to the game after a “few beers” as long as they don’t ruin the experience for someone else. Goodell also said a newly installed texting program can bring security to an area within minutes. Stadiums are being equipped with cameras to pinpoint troublemakers.