USA Today Sports
The city of Chicago hasn’t had much luck in landing big-time sporting events as of late. The Windy City was shot down as a possible host city for the 2016 Olympics, which left many fans deflated. But now it appears there’s new hope for the city to host a major event. Mayor Rahm Emanuel‘s spokesperson recently released a statement confirming that the city is indeed still talking to Roger Goodell about hosting a future Super Bowl.
“The mayor and Roger Goodell spoke last week on a number of matters. They speak or see one another on occasion. The mayor spoke with the commissioner about several things that would allow Chicago and the NFL to expand their already wonderful relationship. Chicago is a great sports town and a great football town, and the mayor wants to build on these strengths.”
Chicago makes a lot of sense as a host city for the SB on a lot of levels. It’s one of the country’s largest cities, there’s tons of things for traveling fans to do, and it’s just a great sports town. But, there are also several reasons why the city wouldn’t make a good fit for the biggest game of the year.
The first and most obvious reason is the cold weather. Chicago isn’t exactly a travel destination in early February, and a game at Solider Field could be brutal for all the players and fans.The other concern is the capacity of the stadium. Soldier Field only holds 61,500 fans, and we all know that the NFL would love to cram a few more butts into seats than that.
Right now, a Super Bowl in Chicago seems like a long-shot, but that could change after Super Bowl XLVIII. This season will mark the first time a cold weather outdoor stadium has hosted the annual game. If things go smoothly at Metlife Stadium, it could bode well for Chicago in the future.
