Is Minneapolis More Like Indianapolis, Dallas, or New Orleans for Super Bowl Attendance?
Here is an interesting nugget from Advertising Age regarding the popularity of Indianapolis as a Super Bowl destination for companies that have the potential to throw around some serious coin:
“It’s been hit-and-miss, and for the Super Bowl it’s never really like that,” said Fred Rodgers, VP-corporate division at Premiere Global Sports, a New York-based agency that helps companies arrange junkets to and parties at sports and entertainment events. “A lot of our companies had a great time at the Super Bowl in Dallas last year, and next year the game is back in New Orleans. So they’ve taken a look at Indy and said, “We’re taking a pass this year.’”
That makes me thing: Should our political leaders be fiscally irresponsible enough to build Zygi World, would the NFL reward Minnesota with a Super Bowl? My guess is yes. One and done. Just like the Metrodome.
Should the economic impact on cities like Dallas or New Orleans be used as comparables? Not entirely.
Also, one thing that seems to be overlooked when discussing the economic impact of a Super Bowl is the substitution effect caused by the event pushing out other events. For example, check out the Indiana Convention Center’s upcoming events:
There is a Super Bowl Sunday sized hole in that schedule. Hosting 550 cheerleading teams (Jamfest) the same week as the Super Bowl wouldn’t work.
So, when people talk about spending the public’s money to build a Super Bowl worthy NFL stadium, be sure to consider what the upside may be for a place like Minnesota, while also accounting for the true net-gain in economic impact due to losing other events.
January 10th, 2012 at 9:41 pm
The Super Bowl has been, and still is, used as a tool to coax municipalities into spending taxpayer dollars on stadiums. Detroit and Indianapolis are the only other northern cities to host the Super Bowl, and it looks like the NFL doesn’t have much interest in revisiting these cities. I’d agree – it’s a “one and done’ situation. One week of substantial outside cash infusion certainly isn’t worth this $650 subsidy.
January 15th, 2012 at 10:24 pm
We wouldn’t get a Superbowl unless the stadium is covered.
January 15th, 2012 at 10:37 pm
@mnreader, why would we want to host another Super Bowl? And, what’s it worth in terms of net gains to a local county (say, Ramsey) or the state of MN?