The NFL Super Bowl Game

Saints v. Colts - Super Bowl XLIV will be won by Colts

2010-02-07T13:27:00.001-08:00

Super Bowl XLIV pitting the NFC Champion New Orleans Saints v. The AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts will be a game filled with passes and trick plays. It will be one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever. The Super Bow game features the NFL's 9th best offense (2nd in the NFL in passing for the season) in the Colts against the league's 25th-ranked Saints defense. That's the key matchup. Sports observers can write about imagined challenges between specific Colts receivers certain Saints defensive backs, but the reality is one-on-one pairings are rare because of the variety of coverages used; the Saints will try to keep everything in front of them with a zone coverage system and work to prevent the Colts from hitting the home run ball. But the Colts will mix short passes and runs; the Saints will move away from the zone, crowd the line-of-scrimage, and blitz. And that's where the Colts big play will come from, absent a blown coverage, which the Saints haven't done much this year. The Saints NFL number one-ranked offense will be a variety show featuring shifts, man-in-motion, and a lot of play action. Look for not just one, but two flea flickers; what will stop them is the Colts defensive speed (which was augmented by more blitzing in the postseason, making it better than its 18th-ranking during 2009). The Saints will call a number of "wheel route" passes trying to match the fleet Reggie Bush against the Colts' linebackers. But the Colts will blitz more often this game, and add to their already hard-charging pass-rush. That effort will be led by Dwight Freeney, who's played a week-long game of media possum, but is ready to turn his effort up to a super human level. The other difference will be on special teams. This is where the Saints have a slight speed edge and the Colts will have to play carefully to stop the long kick return. With all of this, the Colts offense will be too much for the Saints. The Colts win Super Bowl XLIV, 34 to 20. Colts v. Saints on SFGate.com | Colts v. Saints on Twitter | Colts v. Saints on NFL Business Blog

Super Bowl time: Warren Sapp arrested; hot high car spotted

2010-02-06T23:51:00.003-08:00

Miami, South Beach, Florida - Super Bowl time: Warren Sapp arrested; hot high car spotted (video above). It's Super Bowl time! This Super Bowl update is a mix of good and bad news. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders defensive star and NFL Network Analyst Warren Sapp was arrested after allegedly committing some form of domestic violence against his girl friend Saturday morning in Miami.

According to TMZ.com, Warren Sapp's explanation doesn't read any better than what his girlfriend told Miami Beach Police: According to the Miami Beach Police Department, Sapp is accused of attacking his girlfriend of two years at around 5:00 AM Saturday at the Shore Club Hotel. According to the arrest report, the alleged victim had "a swollen right knee and bruises on the back of her neck." She claims Sapp allowed her to sleep in his hotel room -- then came into the room early in the morning and pulled her out of bed. The alleged victim says they began arguing about guys she was hanging out with earlier Friday night. Sapp's girlfriend told cops that during the argument Sapp "grabbed her and began to choke her." He eventually threw her out of the room, she claims. When cops spoke to Sapp, he told them he had allowed the woman to stay in his room -- but later on decided he wanted her to leave because "he was expecting company." He told police he was trying to help her and she fell.
Sapp "..decided he wanted her to leave because "he was expecting company." is a doozy. This blogger's a big fan of Warren Sapp as an NFL Legend, an NFL Network Analyst, and a TV star (he's a spokesperson for National Rent-A-Car), but Sapp should realize he's got a higher profile now and should not even be in a situation like that, regardless of the truth. Moreover, Sapp must measure his words. What Sapp said, if its true, implies that he had another woman coming over and wanted to get rid of her. Geez. On a much happier note, the Super Bowl in Miami draws all kinds of interesting sights and sounds, including interesting cars, like the one in the video above. It's a converted Chevy Impala with oversized wheels and a whole new drive train and suspension system. It was cruising down Collins Avenue in South Beach at about 10 PM and stopped traffic on the opposite side of the street. The driver was by himself and enjoying the Mardi Gras-like street party. When asked who he was rooting for, Saints or Colts, he said "I'll go with Who-Dat". Stay tuned. And follow me on Twitter!

Super Bowl time: Warren Sapp arrested; hot high car spotted

2010-02-06T23:51:00.001-08:00

Colts 30 Jets 17: Colts AFC Champions, wait for Saints, Vikings

2010-01-24T15:51:00.001-08:00

Colts 30 Jets 17. The Indianapolis Colts (15-2) are AFC Champions, having beat the New York Jets and now wait for the winner of the Saints - Vikings game as their challengers in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami. The way the Colts earned their second trip to the Super Bowl in three years was with a strong defense to go with their quick-strike offense, as they marched back from 11 points down in the first half of the game. The Colts held the NY Jets , the NFL rushing leader, to an average of under three yards per carry. But it was a story of Quarterback Peyton Manning. After solving the riddle of the Jets overload blitz by using "three-and-one formations" and taking advantage of key Jets defensive losses, the Colts' Manning threw for 377 yards, and was 26 for 39 and three touchdowns for a passer rating of 123.55. The key was his rookie receivers: Pierre Garcon and Austin Colley. They combined for 274 yards receiving and two touchdowns. As successful as the Colts were, it didn't start out well. The NY Jets came out to a 17-6 lead with a mix of power running and play-action passing. Mark Sanchez didn't look like the rookie he was here at the 2009 NFL Draft: His success is a tribute not just to his New York Jets coaches, but to former-USC Coach Pete Carroll and his staff where Sanchez was signal-caller in college. Sanchez was well-prepared for the systems and speed of the NFL. Sanchez' advance to the AFC Championship game as a rookie will not be the rare happening it has been in the past. But that will come in the future. Today is the Colts day. More on how the Colts did it later.

Remembering Steve McNair: The 2000 Super Bowl v. The Rams

2009-07-07T05:11:00.001-07:00

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The passing via murder of former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair is really hard to take. It's hard because McNair was a major player in my first Super Bowl: Super Bowl 38 (or XXXVIII) in Atlanta to open the new century in 2000. I was their as a guest of the NFL as I was working to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland. (We eventually lost to Jacksonville for the right to host the 2005 Super Bowl.)

McNair's Titans weren't favored to win that game agains the "Greatest Show On Turf", the St. Louis Rams. The Rams were blowing-out and steam-rollering opponents that year and there was no indication that wasn't going to be the case in The Super Bowl.

But someone forgot to tell that to the Titans, led by a stalwart defense and Steve McNair. With the Alcorn State legends fancy footwork, laser passing, and quick decision-making, the Titans stayed within scoring distance of the Rams, then came to one (Titans WR) Kevin Dyson-almost-touchdown-pass of tying the game. After that who knows who would have won? (Come to think of it, what if Rams WR Issac Bruce had dropped that dramatic 73-yard touchdown catch and run? It would have been a new game with the Titans having the momentum.)

What I loved most about McNair was that he was such a leader, such a powerful presence, few reffered to him as a "black quarterback". No. McNair was just the quarterback of The Tennessee Titans, and an undispurted leader. When the Titans drafted Texas QB Vince Young, I thought it was excellent because then McNair would be his teacher, but then he was traded to Baltimore and with that a great pairing for the future came to an end.

Off the field, I assumed McNair was a quiet man who grew up in the South and did not want to make waves. He and former Green Bay Packers QB Brett Farve were the kind of friends who'd go hunting in what I once heard Farve call their three-piece suits: suspenders and overalls. In fact, I'm very surprised Farve hasn't issued a statement at this time, not even on his website.

McNair will be missed by everyone. A sad moment in time.

New TV Show by Zennie62's On BART and Oscar Grant

2009-05-04T05:20:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, May 2nd, my new television show starts. It's called "The Blog Report With Zennie62" and features the use of my video blogs in a weekly 30-minute format broadcast and co-produced by CoLoursTV in Denver. The start time is 3:30 PM Pacific Time, 6:30 PM Eastern Time and the show is replayed at 11:30 PM and 2:30 PM respecfully.

If you don't have a TV you can see the live stream at CoLoursTV.org. or Zennie62.com

The first show focused on selected events that occured after the shooting of Oscar Grant by BART Officer Johannes Mesherle on New Year's Day. It opens with my walk through a riot-ravaged downtown Oakland where I talked with many people about what happened, including a group of kids who were some of the rioters. Then we focus on the words of "DaveyD", America's foremost hiphop reporter and voice of the street, who shares his observations of how Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums handled the situation. And finally we hear from Dellums himself. This is not the last time I will visit this issue, but it's a good place to start the show.

The standard format is to present politics, news, sports, and tech in some combination for each show. Sometimes it's me talking about an issue; other times it's me talking to someone else, and with this show we will feature the work of other video-bloggers. It's a vloggers' playground.

The show will have a deliberate vlogger feel. Videos that you see on my channels at YouTube, Blip.tv, and other places make up the show. There's no studio; the camcorder is the star instrument. That means we can go anywhere at anytime and quickly make a video. It also means I can share what's happening in the news on the blogsphere in video form and show it on "The Blog Report". A lot of ground we can cover considering I never dreamed of having my own television show, but this whole road I've taken has been totally unplanned by me.

"The Blog Report" all started last year when I met Art Thomas who's the Executive Vice President with CoLoursTV at a media walk-through for the Democratic National Convention in Denver. He lived in Oakland before moving to Denver and so we had a lot to talk about. I was looking for a sponsor for our show at the time, so I sent a proposal to Thomas. That exchange turned into an idea for placing our videos on CoLoursTV and that became the concept called "The Blog Report With Zennie62".

Our first concern was how to get the videos up on television without a loss of at least the quality that is seen on Blip.tv and Viddler, which have the sharpest video uploads (that written, I love YouTube and the quality's really improved over time such that it's competitive with the two, but YouTube's best system is the website design and its "viral" nature as well as The YouTube Partner program.) I think we solved that problem and I understand the TV version looks even better than what you're going to see here.

I look forward to your feedback and questions. We're seeking sponsors and there are some organizations we simply want to establish strategic partnerships with, so please contact me. The possibilities for this are many and should serve as an example for a possble future for newspapers as well.

If you're a video-blogger located anywhere in the World and have material that's not longer than 4 minutes tops, notify me via email at zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com and we'll go from there. I prefer the video is already uploaded on some site, Brightcove, Blip.tv, YouTube, etc, so I can see it.

I wish to thank Art Thomas, Damon Purdy, and Tracy Winchester of CoLours TV, as well as Steve and Bernard who made me look good in the promo. I also wish to thank Google / YouTube for their support and encouragement and specifically Chad, Emily, and Hunter. A big loud shot-out to the iReport team at CNN: Lila, Henry, Rachel, David, Nicole Saldi, and the rest. And thanks to the team at CNN Special Projects, Errol and Jessica, and to Roland Martin and his staff at CNN for discovering me. Finally, thanks to the San Francisco Chronicle for seeing the value in how I do what I'm doing and providing a platform. To the National Football League and Commissioner Roger Goodell, Greg Aiello, and Frank Supovitz ("Mr. Super Bowl") And of course, thanks to my Mom and my relatives in Chicago and Tennessee.

Terrell Owens Released (Cut) By The Dallas Cowboys Today

2009-03-05T12:42:00.001-08:00

After three years, 3857 yards and 38 touchdowns, the Dallas Cowboys released wide receiver Terrell Owens. Rhis was a mistake as Owens is an exceptionally talented athlete who has no off-field problems and years left in him.

Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23: Steelers Win Sixth Super Bowl Championship

2009-02-01T21:17:00.000-08:00

This ESPN summary says it all . It was the most exciting Super Bowl I've ever seen and it seems America agrees with me. Congratulations to the Champion Pittsburgh Steelers for winning their sixth Super Bowl ring.

And while the MVP went to Santonio Holmes, part of it should be share with Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arens, who created the plays that isolated Holmes and put him in position to make the plays he made. Here's ESPN's take:

TAMPA, Fla. -- Do you believe in miracles?

The longest play in Super Bowl history -- a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison -- was overshadowed by a breathtaking, helter-skelter second half of what may have been the most exciting Super Bowl ever.

Just when it looked like the Arizona Cardinals had authored the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history -- scoring 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter -- the Steelers answered with a monstrous, improbable drive. Ben Roethlisberger's 6-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds left gave Pittsburgh a soaring 27-23 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium.

When Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley knocked the ball loose from Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and Brett Keisel recovered with seven seconds left, it was over.

From end to end, this one was even better than last year's crazy Giants victory over the undefeated New England Patriots.

Keith Olbermann - "Politics... Polamalu?"

2009-02-01T13:35:00.001-08:00

YouTuber RoachRadio reports:

During Super Bowl XLIII coverage, Keith Olbermann plays dumb when asked by Dan Patrick if there's a "political parallel" in this year's Super Bowl: Arizona (Republican Presidential candidate John McCain's home state) versus the favored Pittsburgh (whom President Obama has chosen to win the Super Bowl).

"I don't know anything about that subject," said Olbermann.

To which Dan Patrick replied, "Somewhere, Bill O'Reilly is smiling."

NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL Super Bowl XLIII News Conference Tampa, Florida — January 30, 2009

2009-01-31T15:35:00.001-08:00

Commissioner Goodell -- Super Bowl XLIII News Conference - From NFLMedia.com

01/30/2009

NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL

Super Bowl XLIII News Conference

Tampa, Florida — January 30, 2009

Opening Statement:

”Good morning. Let’s get started, if people want to sit down. First, let me welcome all of you. We’re glad to have you here and we hope you’ve had a good week. It’s great to be here in Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII. As always, we’d like to thank our host. The city of Tampa, the St. Petersburg area and all of Florida have been great hosts for us. We thank them very much.

“I know you have a lot of questions, but let me first offer a quick perspective on our season. I think it’s been an incredibly exciting season for our fans. The one word I like to use is unpredictable. Each week, there’s another unpredictable event, and I think that is the hallmark of our season, and frankly, the hallmark of the NFL. But there are three ways I’d like to describe this season, thinking back about it, and it’s with three key words: hope, inspiration and teamwork, all of which are very important in football. Hope that your team always can succeed and overcome the obstacles. We saw that with Atlanta, Miami and Baltimore coming from a difficult season the year before and going into the playoffs with first-year coaches. Inspiration from the efforts by some of our great players each week and our coaches and the teams when they come together and inspire communities, and we see that very clearly. And of course teamwork, which is so critical for what we all need to achieve. It’s working together and coming together at exactly the right time. And that’s particularly evident with our two teams at the Super Bowl. My congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals for representing their conferences. To Dan Rooney; the Bidwill family, Mike and Nancy and Bill Bidwill, that are here. They have great organizations and they deserve to be here and I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting matchup. With that, let me open it freely to take questions. I think we’ll start with Mr. Goldberg, so you’re up Dave.”

We all are going through hard economic times, but there seems to be mixed signals coming from the NFL. For example, your TV ratings are up, but you’re laying off employees and teams are laying off employees. Going back to the other direction, you’re paying some coaches a lot of money – $20 million dollars in one case – to not coach for the next three years. Just how do you assess where the NFL is at this point economically, and what the future may hold?

“Well Dave, I’ve been very clear that we’re not immune to what’s going on out in the economy. There’s a tremendous amount of uncertainty; uncertainty clearly breeds fear. And I’ve said to you before, it’s in three buckets for us: First, what’s happening for our business partners? They’re all going through difficult times. Some have, obviously for us, significant financial commitments and they’re being stretched. We hear from them every day, and it’s important to us how we manage through that. Clearly our fans, which is the most important thing. For people who’ve lost their jobs, can they continue to afford to come to an NFL game, or to any other event? The good news for us is that we have a tremendous product. People want to continue to be associated with that. People want to continue to be involved with the game and get emotionally involved with the game, and I think that’s to the benefit of the NFL. There’s a healthy quality to times like this. I also believe, very firmly, that in a time like this, the NFL can become an extremely invaluable escape for people. This Sunday will be a great example of it. As you see, we have a lot of issues in our country and around the globe, and we have to be able to deal with those aggressively. I think for a few hours Sunday, hopefully we’ll all be able to come together and enjoy a great football game and come together as Americans around a great event.”

When the celebration is over on Monday, what are some of the specific things that the NFL will do to address the impact of the economy?

“We’re not part of the economic crisis in the sense that we have any specific steps that we can take for the broader economy. As it relates to the NFL, we have announced, very aggressively, that we are going to look at all of our season ticket prices. Each team is doing that evaluation. I believe about three quarters of the league will hold their ticket prices flat. They’re going to have to work harder and be more creative and offer extended terms in some cases to our fans to allow them to try to get through this difficult cycle. We’ll continue to work with our business partners, who are facing challenges on their level, to figure out what we can do to help them during this time. Unfortunately also, we’re doing our own cuts at the league level. You’re seeing it across the league. Many of our clubs are having the difficult process of letting go employees. We’re doing that at the league level, and it’s incredibly difficult to do. But it is a difficult period of time. There is uncertainty out there, and we have to cut our costs so that we can continue to keep this business a successful business and grow this business at some point.”

How does the NFL determine that a shared stadium project in Northern California is the best option for those franchises, and if so, how would the league assist the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders in the construction of this badly needed facility?

“The point that you point out is that this facility is badly needed in the bay area. We have asked both teams to evaluate the possibility of a shared stadium. We can’t come to a conclusion right now if that’s the best solution. And in these times, when it’s more challenging to get these stadiums built, we have to be more creative. It’s been successfully done in New York with the Jets and the Giants, and we think it’s something that at least can be explored and evaluated by the two teams and by both communities. If it ends up being the best solution, then I think that’s a great thing.”

When the NFL goes outside U.S. borders, usually the response has been overwhelming. The Bills and the Dolphins played a game in a 54,000-seat stadium where there were visibly empty seats in December. Can we get your reaction to that, and can I get your working relationship between the NFL and the CFL?

“Let me start with your second question about the CFL. We’ve had a great relationship with the CFL. We’ve had long negotiations with them, and they determined – in their perception – that they did not need an alliance or any type of formal arrangements. We will continue to look into the best interests of football. We would love to see our CFL partners be successful, and we’ll continue to communicate with them. I just reached out to the CFL commissioner this week. Your second question: the two games up at Toronto this year were tremendously successful for us. We said that the objective was to regionalize the Buffalo Bills, and it achieved those objectives. We were able to increase our season ticket sales in the Toronto area significantly - over 40 percent. And I think from that standpoint, we achieved what our initial goal was. The other issue is that it’s a building process. When we first got in, we wanted to make sure it was a good experience for the two teams, that they were successful and that they could do it without any negative competitive consequences, and we achieved that objective. I met with the people that are promoting the game, Rogers Communications, along with the Bills this week, and I’m very confident that next year’s game is going to be bigger and better. I think we’ll evaluate every aspect of the game, including pricing, and I think they’ll do a terrific job and it’ll be a great game.”

The year 2016 will be the 50^th anniversary of the Super Bowl and also the 70^th anniversary of the first integrated major professional sports team, the Los Angeles Rams. How seriously will the league consider returning to Los Angeles for the 2016 game and would it be nostalgia enough, or would it have to be tied in to a team returning to Los Angeles? Also, if the decision could be made before the 2014 or 2015 games are awarded?

“Let me start with your initial point, which is 2016 being the 50^th anniversary of the Super Bowl and being that LA was the site of our first game. We think that is a very attractive opportunity. It’s something we want to evaluate. We’ve heard from some of the people in Los Angeles that this would be a great way to celebrate our 50^th anniversary and we will do that; we will evaluate that. It is something that we will probably do sometime over the course of this next year. Whether the timing is before the next awarded Super Bowl, I wouldn’t commit to that at this point. But it is significant in that we would like to celebrate our 50^th anniversary. The 70^th celebration is also important to us and I think it would be a unique opportunity for the fans in Los Angeles.”

What is the latest with the negotiations to bring back a regular season game to Mexico City and maybe even be a Monday Night game?

“Specifically, we would love to be back in

Mexico

. As you know, it was the first city outside of the United States, in Mexico City, to host a regular season game and it was a great, successful one. We would love to be back there. It won’t happen this year, but we are in negotiations with our partners down in

Mexico

. I am confident that we will get there for the 2010 year.”

The union released an economic study this week that concluded essentially that the clubs remained financially healthy and profitable and contending that the players, therefore, should not have to take less in terms of revenues in this next labor negotiation. You have some owners that feel otherwise. How difficult and contentious do you feel this negotiation will be, and are you wary at this point that you’re looking at the labor peace you’ve had for so long could be interrupted in 2011?

“Let me start with your first point. I haven’t had the chance to review the report in great detail. But, I’ve seen some of the broader summaries of the report and let me just say there is a lot of fiction in that. That report is not accurate. We are very clear and we understand our system, we understand the numbers. The ownership has spent a tremendous amount of time evaluating the current collective bargaining agreement. They came to the conclusion that it was better to terminate that agreement and go into a negotiation where we could work to try to come up with something that would work for all clubs and our players rather than continue on with that system. The economics were difficult prior to the economy turning south on us. What’s happened now with the economy turning difficult for all of us, I think that it just accentuated the negatives in that collective bargaining agreement. I think the owners feel that it’s critically important for the future of the game, for the future of the business, that they re-evaluate this. It is being done all across the country in every industry. We’re evaluating our product. Labor unions and management have to work together to address this. In many cases, labor unions have voluntarily come in saying, ‘We’d like to avoid layoffs. We’d like to give concessions because we understand the circumstances.’ I am optimistic that we’re going to be able to sit down with the union and reach an agreement that will continue labor peace and allow the players to continue to flourish, but most importantly, allow the owners to continue to invest in the game.”

I have two questions. One, taking the Thanksgiving game away from the Lions is an issue every year. Will that become an actual league issue? Two, five Lions games were blacked out this year with a bad economy, a bad team with an unfilled stadium. Will you revisit the blackout rule concerning the economy in certain situations?

“Let me address the second part of your question first, which is we will not. The blackout policy is a long-standing policy in the NFL. It’s served us well. It’s served the public well. I do not anticipate any changes for the blackout policy. With respect to the Thanksgiving Day game, as you know, I attended that game a little bit over a year ago. I understand it’s a great tradition in Detroit and in Dallas. It’s something that our owners have raised from time to time. It will not change for this season. As to whether the ownership feels the same, we will discuss it as we get later into the year. We certainly will raise it.”

There are plenty of questions from the floor this morning about global expansion regarding our friends in Toronto and Mexico City as well. Your London project is continuing with the game between New England and Tampa Bay. 70,000 tickets sold out in a matter of minutes this week so it appears to be successful and ongoing. I spoke to one of the senior executives from your office yesterday who actually said he spoke to you about the possibility of a London franchise and you said, ‘Hopefully within 10 years.’ What are your thoughts on a London franchise in the NFL?

“Give me his name. We are so thrilled with the reception that we’ve got from our fans in the

. Each year, the excitement, the passion has grown. We saw that this year when we went back with the Saints and the Chargers. The event was bigger and better, and I think that they have demonstrated that they are tremendous football fans and that we’re continuing to grow the game over there. As you pointed out, earlier this week, the tickets went on sale in a difficult economy and were sold in a record time. With that passion, if it continues, maybe someday they will have an NFL franchise, but I’ve never put a time frame on it. Let me know his name, or hers.”

If the NFL is suffering through financial difficulties, why won’t you open up your books and prove it to them?

“It’s very simple; the union has very in-depth knowledge about our economics. They know all of our revenue down to a penny and they share in all of that. It’s part of our system. They also know our largest costs are player costs. What’s happened, very clearly here is the system has changed and our environment has changed. We’re now investing in stadiums. We’re operating stadiums. Those are significant costs and significant risks to our ownership and that’s a risk that’s borne by the ownership alone. So, the model has shifted over the years and we have to address that and we will do that directly at the collective bargaining table.”

Is the league concerned that the lease is up on the Vikings stadium and will force the team to relocate, and would Los Angeles be an option for the Vikings?

“I know that Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf want to continue to have the Vikings in Minnesota and a new stadium and I share that. They have worked very hard to be able to get to that point. They have understood the priorities of the community. They have stood by and allowed the baseball stadium and the Gophers stadium to move forward because they recognize those priorities and there are all these priorities in the community. I think we have to continue to work with the governor and the leadership in that community to understand those priorities and figure out how we get a new stadium built. That is necessary for the Vikings and we all want the Vikings to be there in the long term successfully. They need a new stadium. That’s clear. I think it’s recognized by all parties and we need to get down to the difficult business to figure out how to do it.”

Dallas experienced an ice storm this week and the Super Bowl is coming to North Texas in a couple of years, do you have any concerns?

“I did notice that. I don’t think so. I heard the next day that it was sunny and beautiful, too. We understood that risk when we awarded the game to Dallas and we’re all excited about being there. It’s a great community. It’s going to be a terrific stadium. I can’t wait to see it this season, but I think it’s going to be a great event for us.”

Football should not be decided by a coin flip in sudden death and I think there should be a rule change just like the college game and as other sports have. Will this be explored, and your thoughts on if Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson should be in the Hall of Fame?

“Well he’s sitting right over here, and I bet there are a lot of people in this room who agree with you. He’s a great man and has contributed an awful lot. With this being the 50^th anniversary of the AFL, we all know the tremendous things that he’s contributed to the game, so I appreciate you saying that. And your first point, let me address overtime for you. I think every year we look back at our overtime rules. I would disagree very strongly with your point that the game is determined by a coin flip. The point of the game is to win it in regulation. There is a great coach over here, Tony Dungy, who said something to me earlier this year and I think it’s important -- that once that coin is flipped and you’ve determined who gets the ball, you still have to get into scoring position. So, this game is about teamwork. It’s about offense, defense and special teams. You have to earn your way to get that opportunity and if you do, you win the game. So, there is a lot of debate about all overtime rules, including the college overtime rules. We’ll look at that. We’ll look at every alternative and we’ll try to come up with something that we think makes sense. We think the rule we have is a terrific rule and it’s served us well.

In the meeting, Mr. (Richard) Berthelsen talked about — in the extended CBA from a couple years ago — there was a mechanism in there that adjusted to revenues going up or down, that if in our economy … revenues were down, then the players would get an adjusted amount. But because the owners opted out, that got thrown out and that doesn’t apply. Is that fiction or non-fiction? If it’s non-fiction, was that a mistake opting out in retrospect because of what’s happened?

“I’m glad you asked the question because it is fiction. There is a rule in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that says the cap can’t go down. It’s a long-standing rule since we started this new collective bargaining system back in the early nineties. The cap continues to increase. It will be up to $123 million per club this year. The players do a great job, and deserve to be paid fairly. In 2008 and 2009, they will be seeing an increase of $500 million, just in those two years. That averages about $250,000 per player over those two years, so those are pretty significant increases. But I would tell you that the cap can’t go down is the long-standing rule.”

The league hasn’t taken any action on the Plaxico Burress situation and we were told from your office you’re going to let the legal situation play out first. I’m curious (as to) why, because players have been suspended in the past when charges were filed. Chris Henry is certainly one. Reportedly, the suspension could’ve been lifted if he was acquitted of charges. Is the difference here that it was in season with Burress, number one? And number two, if you do take action, you do suspend him, will you count the Giants’ four-game suspension as – for lack of a better term – time already served?

“Let me start with your first question. It is not because it was in season. Our rules and our policy are quite clear from when we revised our personal conduct policy that we’re looking to deal with repeat offenders. We may not wait for the legal process to conclude when we have repeat offenders. You can have a false accusation once, maybe twice. When you start getting into multiple accusations, you are putting yourself in the wrong position. You are making the wrong decision. You are in the wrong places. At that point in time, you are reflecting poorly on the NFL, yourself, your teammates. That does damage for all of us. I’m very firm on the fact that everyone deserves the opportunity to be defended, everyone has the opportunity, if they make a mistake, to deal with that, and deal with it within the legal process. We understand that many times, our players are targets, and we can’t rush to judgment. But again, multiple offenses over a period of time, you are putting yourself in the wrong position. And it reflects poorly. We have three great players sitting right over here, nominated for Man of the Year. All terrific young men – Brenda, excuse me, because Kurt’s not here right now – Kurt Warner, Brian (Dawkins), Matt (Birk), they’re all great people, and they represent this league extremely well. I think it’s unfortunate when people get a stereotype of an NFL player. I think these men do great things on and off the field, and their families do also.”

A somewhat related question: there’s no doubt that the security of your players off the field has become an issue over the last couple of years … But because of their status in the community and because they’re so easily recognizable, there are a few of your players that feel they may be targets in the community. Is this something that the league feels it needs to address?

“I think we have. One of the things that we try to talk to our players every year about is you have to be aware of your surroundings. If you’re going to go certain places and you feel unsafe, you probably shouldn’t be in that surrounding. But yes, we recognize that there are people out there that make our players targets. We make sure that we provide all the services we can from a security standpoint to advise players on how to make yourself safer, and put yourself in a position where you can make good decisions, and in a position where you can’t be accused of something falsely, or put you or your family at risk.”

All this talk of labor rancor and strife, one of the many cooperative ventures that you have with the union is the “88 Plan.” You and some others have occasionally mentioned that in your efforts to help former players with dementia, it can be hard to find those who need the help. Can you explain why that is and where the challenges are?

“It’s very simple if you know NFL players: they’ve got a lot of pride. When they have a lot of pride, they don’t always want to come forward with their needs. I don’t think it’s as big an issue as it relates to medical issues, but it happens from time to time. The good news is, we have a number of programs that reach out to our players. We’re communicating more with our retired players; we’re recognizing that we have to do more in this area with greater programs that are responsive. The “88 Plan” is a very good example: we have 99 players and their caretakers that are taking advantage of that, and it’s been a tremendous program. We have a joint replacement program. Again, a number of players and their families are taking advantage of that to get the best possible medical care. I think that’s been very responsive to their needs. So all of us need to do a better job of communicating the facts, making sure we identify people who are in need, making sure that we can help their caretakers, and do a better job of helping the people who helped build this game.”

The mayor of the city of Chicago has raised the possibility of having two teams in the city – two NFL teams. I just wanted to get your reaction to that.

“I’ve heard his comments. He’s made those comments for several years. I respect the passion he has for football and for his community. The Bears are a great team in that community. We are engaged in efforts to try to make sure all our teams are successful in their current markets, and I hope we’re going to be successful in doing that.”

This has to do with excessive celebration which the league has always taken a proactive role to try and stop; you’ve got the 15-yard penalty on kickoff. It seems, without knowing statistics though, that there are some players who could care less about that and are seemingly repeat offenders. Any thought of taking it a stop further, even radically taking away the play and penalizing 15 yards and taking away a touchdown? Don’t you think that would stop it in its tracks?

“Right now, we deal with it the way we deal with most issues and violations of policies which are: there’s a penalty on the field and if necessary, we will fine for that. I don’t sense that that we need to do an awful lot more on that. We’ve been aggressive in enforcing our policies, and we think we’ve found a balance with respect to the excessive celebration. When it becomes excessive, it’s unsportsmanlike and it becomes taunting, and it usually gets a response from the opposing team, which is usually not good. We think it is important as far as sportsmanship that when you achieve something great on the field, be professional. Deal with it. You are going to go make another play. I think our policy serves us well, and I think the way we enforce it serves us well. We do a good job with it.”

I am curious what you think of the current negotiations that are going on with the Saints lease, and how optimistic are you that a deal can be put in place in the next couple of months? If there is a deal in place in time for the bid for a Super Bowl, how important is it that the Super Bowl comes back to New Orleans?

“Let's take your questions one at a time. Clearly a long-term arrangement between the Saints and the state of Louisiana is something that we would like to see occur. The Saints have been terrific for the community, and I think the community has been great to the Saints. It's a partnership that works very well. We hope that those negotiations will be successful and we’ll do that as quickly as possible, but we understand the priorities that are going on. Beyond that, it's been a great Super Bowl city. If the stadium can be put into a first-class condition that we believe would make a great host stadium, along with a great city, when they go up against the competition, it will serve them quite well.”

A couple of things, can you comment on the impact of Wayne Huizenga’s 15-year run of ownership, and secondly, what are the primary challenges generally faced by a new ownership group?

“Wayne has been a terrific owner for the NFL, the Miami Dolphins and that community, not only in football but in multiple sports. I think he's had a huge impact in the Miami area. He’s had a great impact on me personally as well. He's one of those smart guys who knows how to get to the bottom of a problem pretty quick. He’s not afraid to give you his opinion, and he's done that from time to time with me. I think that’s helpful. I think the ownership will miss him at that level. On the other hand, in typical fashion, he's left the franchise in good hands. Steve Ross is a terrific man. He’s a very successful businessman and he’s spent the last year or so learning the business from Wayne. He has good people who he has surrounded himself with and I think that’s the key to everything – surround yourself with good people and put them in a position where they can make the decisions and ultimately, you’ll have a successful franchise.”

In the past I’ve talked about the development of programs for players off the field. You’ve talked about your concern for that. You hear about the few players who do get in some problems and that you’ve helped, but as you said the majority of players we’ve found are guys who do it right in the community and are mentors and make a difference in young peoples’ lives. Could you elaborate on some of the other programs since last year that you are working on in this area? With these three behind me (finalists for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award) who are deserving of this award, what will you be doing in the future in terms of mentoring and using these examples for young players coming into the league?

“You’ve touched on a lot of issues here, but as it relates to programs, services and resources that we can provide our players, we evaluate that constantly. What is it that we can do to provide these players coming into our league, or the veterans, what services (can we provide) to help them make better decisions? It covers everything from training to special programs that they believe are high priorities. We spend a lot of time talking to our Player Advisory Council, and I speak individually with players to ask what are the priorities? What are things that can be most helpful to players as they continue their career, and move onto another career? The one thing every player shares in common is that you will be a retired player someday, and you need to make that transition and you need to start thinking about that almost from the time you enter the league, and hopefully before you enter the league as you go through your college years and get your education. I think we've been really successful in these, but you can always improve them and that’s the focus for us.”

The NFL, its teams and players have an excellent program to welcome home the troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. I’d like to know what made you most proud that the NFL or teams did this year for the veterans, and also, what do you think needs to be done to bring spirit, support, honor and teamwork to those men and women who return from Iraq and Afghanistan?

“There are a number of things. First off, I think the thing that made me proudest was the personal opportunity I had to go with Drew Brees and Osi Umenyiora to Iraq and

Afghanistan

last summer. To see our troops and what they go through on a daily basis was extraordinary – the sacrifices they make, the commitment they make. It’s just something that would make you all very proud. I know I can say on behalf of Drew and Osi, it was an honor to be over there. As it relates to different programs, in fact, we were over there as part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral [Mike] Mullen’s entourage and we spent an awful lot of time talking about that because they face similar issues. As one example, an issue that we share is concussions. Those issues are impacting veterans. We have been working with the Defense Department to share our knowledge of what is happening and make sure that they can treat concussions in a conservative fashion, and they can do for our veterans the things that we are doing for our players. I think there are a lot of things that we can do that will be beneficial and we’ll continue that dialogue.”

With the gradual increase of Australian punters coming over here, is there a way the league can parlay that into promoting the game in Australia, even if it’s impractical for the game?

“We had a game over there, a preseason game and it was successful. And I think we’ll continue with our television policies over there. I think they continue to expand interest in the game. I do think the more that players come over from Australia and play American football, as we call it, I think that that will lead to greater and greater interest, and I encourage that.”

Can you say what your impetus was to shift the Pro Bowl from Honolulu to Miami? Was it a farewell gift to Wayne (Huizenga), and is it just an experimental basis?

“Well if it was a farewell gift, he left. No, the entire premise of shifting the Pro Bowl was to make our event bigger and better than it is right now. We’ve had a great experience in Hawaii. We expect to continue to be in Hawaii. We expect it will be in the rotation. What we thought, though, would be a very interesting alternative would be to play the game as part of the lead up to the Super Bowl. So we’ll be playing it on Sunday night in Miami in advance of the Super Bowl. That will bring more interest, clearly. It will bring more exposure for our great players, and we think be a positive. In addition, we think that while we’ll miss the Super Bowl guys, it really puts an emphasis on team accomplishment. Make it to the Super Bowl: that’s the crowning achievement. But if you get the opportunity to play in the Pro Bowl, it’s a great opportunity and it’s something that you deserve as an individual player, those accolades, and we’d like to put you on the biggest stage, and we believe the biggest stage is prior to the Super Bowl. But we do continue and hope to be in Hawaii.”

You said that there was a lot of fiction in the NFLPA’s report. In another answer, you said that they know your finances down to the penny, because they’re a partner with it. Considering those two statements, where’s the fiction if they know your finances so well? Second question is, what are your concerns with their election of a new leader coming up in March?

“You’re going to have to address a lot of the first part of your question to the union. I said they know our revenue to the penny. Our finances, they know the cost side, the most significant of all our costs are the players. About $4.5 billion goes to our players. They know all of that. The also know a great deal about the costs that are associated with building stadiums. As I said, I haven’t studied their report yesterday. It was not done by them. It was done by somebody independently, and I don’t know how much knowledge they have of the NFL. But I do know our finances, and our ownership knows our finances. And I think our players know enough to know that adjustments need to be made so that we can continue to grow this great game. Second part of your question was union leadership, I believe? Well, you know, eventually whoever is selected as the head of the NFLPA is an important decision for us. We will obviously work closely with that individual. We’ll rely on that individual to set their priorities and make sure that they’re giving us feedback. Their leadership will be critical in making sure we continue to grow this great game, and we do what’s right for our players as well as the game, as well as for the ownership.”

Would you and the Competition Committee ever consider simply removing a field goal as an option on the first drive only of overtime, and if not, why not?

“It’s been considered before, and I’m sure it will be considered among the alternatives. There are other ways of addressing the field goal on the first drive, and I think it is something the Competition Committee needs to consider because what we’ve seen in our statistics is that historically about 30 percent of the games in overtime are decided with a team who wins the coin flip scoring on the first possession. That number has risen to about 47 percent, and I think that’s significant, and I think it’s something our committee needs to look at. When you couple that with the fact that our field goal kickers are much more accurate than they have been in the past, that is a danger. We have talked about different concepts, and the committee will discuss this. And I’ve had some discussions with some of the committee members individually. Should we move the kickoff so that the ball, theoretically at least, would be, the drive would start further back? If they drive down and they kick a long field goal, they deserve to win. So, that suggestion that you’re making has been discussed. We’ll discuss it among the other alternatives, and I’m sure they’ll come up with a recommendation by the end of March.”

Super Bowl XLIII marks the end of John Madden’s 30^th season as a broadcaster from the booth. Can you speak about his impact from a league-wide perspective?

“John Madden has contributed on so many different levels. I think that makes him very special. First he was a great coach. Then he went on and had a great broadcasting career. And of course his name is associated with the most popular game of all time in the electronic game world. That, and I think he’s had a huge influence over millions of people, both young and old, who watch our game, play our Electronic Arts game, and I think that’s something that he’s uniquely qualified to do because he has such a tremendous role. He has such a great way of communicating the game of football, the importance of football, and he’s so passionate about the game. At his core, he just loves the game of football, and that’s one of the reasons I love John Madden.”

You said that all the owners have made their finances available, and that the players are very aware of all of that.

“I didn’t say that, by the way, but go ahead.”

What did you say?

“I will repeat it for the third time. What I said was that the players know our revenues down to the penny. They also are well aware of the fact that we have $4.5 billion in our player costs. They are well aware of that, and because of the stadium involvement, they have a very good understanding of the cost of building our stadiums. So, they have a very good understanding of our economics, and they understand the risks associated with running a football team. It has heightened in this kind of environment with this economy.

Since it’s a point of contention with them, in good faith on your part, would you compel the owners to open their books to the players to make it a more open and honest negotiation as you go forward?

“I am confident it is going to be an open and honest negotiation. As I said, we don’t have to open the books for everyone to evaluate that. The people at the table, the players and the owners, will understand the economics in the NFL. I think that will be done and will lead to a constructive dialogue, and hopefully a very positive agreement for both parties.”

I know you haven’t seen details of the economic report by the union, but off the cuff could you comment on their finding that the average team is making $24.7 million in profits a year?

“The best way to answer that is it’s completely inaccurate.”

The solution they seem to come up with in the CBA is you better share revenue among yourselves rather than cut into their pie?

“Let me address that because I think it is a very important issue. The National Football League shares more revenue amongst their teams than any other league by far. It has been the foundation of the success of the NFL and they do it in a way that I think has created a tremendous product. It has made it a tremendous gain. It goes back to my original point. It’s about hope. It’s what allows teams to compete against one another. We have a great game and a large part is due to those types of policies. Our ownership continues to evaluate how to share revenue. We have done it more and more over the last several years, including when we realigned, including when we extended the last agreement. More money went into revenue sharing. I think we exceed any expectation about revenue sharing. That is not the issue. The issue is the collective bargaining agreement and what the economics are to our ownership and our players.”

“I will take one more question, but before I do I would like to more formally thank everybody here in Tampa for their hospitality – most particularly the Glazer family, our hosts as the Buccaneers. They have done a marvelous job. Clearly, we would not be here without their leadership and we thank them for everything they’ve done. Of course, the governor and the mayor who I’ve seen frequently this week, they’ve done a terrific job. We are so grateful for all of their hospitality. The Tampa Bay host committee – again a terrific job – terrific leadership. We are thrilled to be here and thank them for their hospitality.”

This is a health question. We lost Tom Brady early in the season and there have been some tremendous hits. We all know it’s a dangerous game. Are you worried about losing the stars of the game in that way? And are you worried about the studies on head injuries that seem to be coming in, that players – maybe not immediately – but within 10, 20 or 30 years will have onset Alzheimer’s and the other problems that they may not be aware of?

“Well, you are drawing connections there that I wouldn’t necessarily agree with. Let me start with the safety of the game because I think that is a high priority for all of us, and it’s not just about the stars of the game. It’s about every player that puts on a helmet and wears a uniform in the NFL. We have to do whatever we can to remove any of the techniques and any of the tactics that can unnecessarily risk injury to those players. We have very aggressively done that. We have worked with the committee in the offseason. We made changes this season and aggressively penalized and fined, and we had an impact. The second half of the season, we saw a dramatically different game. I watched the tapes myself. We saw techniques that were being used in the first half of the season that were completely removed. It made the game safer for our players, and I think we’ll continue to evaluate that. I spoke to the committee about low hits to quarterbacks. We are still looking at defenseless receivers. Should we eliminate the launch entirely? Should we be careful of any hits to the head, including shoulder hits? Should there be rules against that? These take a lot of study to consider and they take a lot of time and energy. For the Competition Committee, the number-one priority for them will be player safety, but for all players.”

“I thank you all very much. Thank you for being here and enjoy the week.”

Super Bowl Party: Playboy Party At American Airlines Arena

2009-01-30T12:26:00.001-08:00

I'm not in Tampa, but the 2010 Super Bowl is in -- drumroll -- Miami! That's what I'm looking forward to.

And besides, there's no Playboy Super Bowl Party this year. RATS! The reasons they give are well...

""While we are huge fans of Super Bowl weekend and are participating in the DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl event, we will not be hosting a separate party in Tampa,"

But I'll bet they'll be back in Miami and Zennie62 will be there!

Local Tampa Business Can Buy Super Bowl Banners

2008-11-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

According to the Tampa Super Bowl Host Committee , local businesses can purchase Super Bowl Banners now. Here's what the Host Committee reports:

Today the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee introduced the “Presence Program,” a limited-time-only sale of official Super Bowl XLIII banners for area businesses, hotels and restaurants.

“With Super Bowl XLIII just around the corner, many business owners are looking for a way to attract traffic from the 100,000 visitors expected to visit the region at the end of January,” said Host Committee Chairman R.A. “Dick” Beard III. “The Presence Program is a unique opportunity for local businesses to be a part of the Super Bowl décor program and show their team spirit for Tampa Bay.”

The Presence Program includes banners of various sizes all featuring the dynamic Super Bowl XLIII logo and colors. Complete details are available by clicking on “Host Shop” on the left side of the screen. Interested businesses should download the official order form for sizes and pricing. The deadline to order banners is December 12.

“Each year the NFL partners with the local host community to develop and implement a regional decorations program,” said Reid Sigmon, executive director of the Host Committee. “This is the first phase of a coordinated campaign to create a spectacular visual impact during game week.”

Mr Double Stuff The Real Oreo Cookie At Super Bowl XLII

2008-04-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

http://nflbiz.blogspot.com - As I was walking to the NFL HQ in Phoenix on the Friday before the game, I ran into this giant Oreo cookie next to a car, so I took out my camera and the result is this video. Well, it turned out to be the Double Stuff Racing League, or DSRL.com. Another marketing format to sell Oreo cookies, but this one includes a website DSRL.com, which is still active and features the Manning brothers.

You can join the DSRL and play the game there.

Oakland To Phoenix Flight Southwest Airlines - Super Bowl XLII

2008-04-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

This is a video of the flight that I took from Oakland to Phoenix to attend Super Bowl XLII and the events before the game. It was a Southwest Airlines flight that left at 1:30 that day and got in at about almost 5 PM.

Super Bowl XLII, NY Giants, Eli Manning Pass To Burress

2008-02-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

This video is of the NY Giants final drive and Giants QB Eli Manning's TD pass to Plaxico Burress. You can hear Patriots fans taunting Manning yelling "Eli!". The drive led to the Giants win, 17 to 14 and ended the New England Patriots dream of a perfect season.

It's live from my trip to Super Bowl XLII (my sixth Super Bowl game) in Phoenix, AZ, Feb 3, 2008.

Super Bowl Party Marketing | How To Market A Super Bowl Party

2007-12-27T15:28:00.000-08:00

If you're planning a Super Bowl event in Arizona, let SBS-ON market the party online for you. See more about us at e-how or at http://www.sbson.com

Phoenix Super Bowl Party Marketing Online - SBS-ON Online Marketing

2007-11-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

Phoenix Super Bowl Party Marketing Online - SBS-ON Online Marketing

SBS-ON Online Marketing.

SBS-ON makes websites, blogs, video-blogs, improves existing websites to rank higher in online searches using Google and Yahoo and uses the 42-blog network and 30 video channels of sports business simulations to get articles and information out and online about what you're doing.

So if you're concerned that there's not enough positive information about your events and host committee online, we can change that in less than a month's time. Sometimes less than a week. We can overwhelm any negative information with positive fresh news.

We can also boost the visibility of all Super Bowl-related events before the two-week Super Bowl period starts.

If you want more articles about your host committee's work in the community, we can use our blogs to write about it, and then make sure it's seen by fans and viewers online and in newspapers.

We can make viral videos about your client for view on YouTube, Blip.tv, and any of eight video distribution systems online.

And we can do this for a price that's far less than you'd think, but the mashup video would be free of charge and for you to use on your site. We will place it on YouTube, Blip.tv, and other online video systems.

We've worked to promote the Bauer's Pure Rush Super Bowl Party, as well as online marketing for real estate developers, and political candidates.

I've included a PowerPoint presentation on SBS-ON. Please look at it, and visit our site. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have at the number below.

Thanks,

--
Zennie Abraham, Jr.
Chairman and CEO
http://www.sbs-world.com
Sports Business Simulations
510-387-9809

Phoenix Super Bowl XLII - $100,000 Condo For Rent - Housing Search Starts

2007-11-12T12:02:00.000-08:00

I saw this while searching on Technorati

Check out this Super Bowl XLII week SUPER rental! A brand new MILLION-DOLLAR PHOENIX PENTHOUSE! Rental package for the week includes limo and maid service, as well as SUNS v. SPURS & FBR Open tickets!!

Sports lover’s dream!
Fully furnished, 2-bed/3-bath/den, penthouse!
Almost 2,500-square-feet w/terrace!
Pets o.k.!
Maid service (bonded & insured) ever day!
Located in the newly constructed Summit @ Copper Square high-rise in downtown Phoenix.
Price: $100k/week (price also includes one-year lease!!!).

Super discount if reserved by November 15th.
*Finished December 8th

A Look At The Dallas Cowboys Stadium - Host Of Super Bowl XLV - Video

2007-05-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is a video preview of what will be the new home of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and the home of Super Bowl XLV in 2011. Dallas and North Texas was just awarded the 2011 game today at the NFL Owners meeting in Nashville. The stadium is slated to hold 100,000 people and have 300 luxury suites, the most for any Super Bowl game.

According to the NFL Network, it took four votes to come to the winner.

Dallas Awarded 2011 Super Bowl - ESPN and NFL Network

2007-05-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

I just heard on ESPN that the NFL Owners voted to award the 2011 Super Bowl to Dallas. Congratulations to Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, Roger Staubach, and the North Texas Super Bowl Commission.

You can see a video of the NFL press conference announcing the decision with a click here: NFL Super Bowl 2011 Press Conference Video

Note: Make sure you have a Real Player Player installed. To get one, click here: Real Player

Super Bowl XLV Host To Be Decided Today - AGENDA FOR 2007 NFL SPRING MEETING - Nashville - NFLMedia.com

2007-05-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, this is the most exciting compeitition for the Super Bowl I've ever seen. I can't say I have a favorite in this race. However, I must admit from a technical standpoint that the D-FW Metroplex has more top quality hotels than in Indianapolis, but these competitions always come down to the most popular owner.

May 17, 2007

MEDIA ADVISORY:

AGENDA FOR NFL SPRING MEETING

The annual NFL Spring Meeting will be held at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville,
Tennessee on Tuesday, May 22.

The agenda for the one-day business meeting includes a vote on the awarding of Super Bowl
XLV in 2011. The finalists are Arizona, Indianapolis and North Texas. Super Bowls are
awarded by a vote of the ownership. A decision and announcement on the 2011 Super Bowl
is expected at the end of the morning session on Tuesday (approximately 1:00 PM Nashville
time).

There will be a series of committee meetings on Monday afternoon before the league
meeting begins at 8:30 AM on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s agenda will include a wide range of league matters.

The meeting is expected to conclude by 5:00 PM on Tuesday. NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell will hold a news conference following the conclusion of the meeting.

To register for media credentials to cover the meeting, go to the NFL Event Credentialing
section of NFLmedia.com.

FUTURE SUPER BOWLS

SUPER BOWL LOCATION DATE

XLII February 3, 2008 Arizona
XLIII February 1, 2009 Tampa
XLIV February 7, 2010 South Florida
XLV February 6, 2011 TBD

SUPER BOWL SITES 1967-2010
GAME YEAR SITE STADIUM WINNER LOSER SCORE DATE
XLIV 2010 South Florida Dolphin Stadium 2/7/2010
XLIII 2009 Tampa Raymond James 2/1/2009
XLII 2008 Arizona University of Phoenix Stadium 2/3/2008
XLI 2007 South Florida Dolphin Stadium Indianapolis Chicago 29-17
XL 2006 Detroit Ford Field Pittsburgh Seattle 21-10
XXXIX 2005 Jacksonville ALLTEL New England Philadelphia 24-21
XXXVIII 2004 Houston Reliant New England Carolina 32-29
XXXVII 2003 San Diego Qualcomm Tampa Bay Oakland 48-21
XXXVI 2002 New Orleans Superdome New England St. Louis 20-17
XXXV 2001 Tampa Raymond James Baltimore Ravens NY Giants 34-7
XXXIV 2000 Atlanta Georgia Dome St. Louis Tennessee 23-16
XXXIII 1999 South Florida Pro Player Denver Atlanta 34-19
XXXII 1998 San Diego Qualcomm Denver Green Bay 31-24
XXXI 1997 New Orleans Superdome Green Bay New England 35-21
XXX 1996 Tempe Sun Devil Stadium Dallas Pittsburgh 27-17
XXIX 1995 South Florida Joe Robbie San Francisco San Diego 49-26
XXVIII 1994 Atlanta Georgia Dome Dallas Buffalo 30-13
XXVII 1993 Pasadena Rose Bowl Dallas Buffalo 52-17
XXVI 1992 Minneapolis Metrodome Washington Buffalo 37-24
XXV 1991 Tampa Tampa Stadium NY Giants Buffalo 20-19
XXIV 1990 New Orleans Superdome San Francisco Denver 55-10
XXIII 1989 South Florida Joe Robbie San Francisco Cincinnati 20-16
XXII 1988 San Diego Jack Murphy Washington Denver 42-10
XXI 1987 Pasadena Rose Bowl NY Giants Denver 39-20
XX 1986 New Orleans Superdome Chicago New England 46-10
XIX 1985 Stanford Stanford Stadium San Francisco Miami 38-16
XVIII 1984 Tampa Tampa Stadium LA Raiders Washington 38-9
XVII 1983 Pasadena Rose Bowl Washington Miami 27-17
XVI 1982 Pontiac Pontiac Silverdome San Francisco Cincinnati 26-21
XV 1981 New Orleans Superdome Oakland Philadelphia 27-10
XIV 1980 Pasadena Rose Bowl Pittsburgh LA 31-19
XIII 1979 Miami Orange Bowl Pittsburgh Dallas 35-31
XII 1978 New Orleans Superdome Dallas Denver 27-10
XI 1977 Pasadena Rose Bowl Oakland Minnesota 32-14
X 1976 Miami Orange Bowl Pittsburgh Dallas 21-17
IX 1975 New Orleans Tulane Stadium Pittsburgh Minnesota 16-6
VIII 1974 Houston Rice Stadium Miami Minnesota 24-7
VII 1973 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Miami Washington 14-7
VI 1972 New Orleans Tulane Stadium Dallas Miami 24-3
V 1971 Miami Orange Bowl Baltimore Colts Dallas 16-13
IV 1970 New Orleans Tulane Stadium KC Minnesota 23-7
III 1969 Miami Orange Bowl NY Jets Baltimore Colts 16-7
II 1968 Miami Orange Bowl Green Bay KC 33-14
I 1967 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Green Bay KC 35-10

# # #

Reid Sigmon New Executive Director Of Tampa's Super Bowl XXXV Task Force

2007-03-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

Super Bowl host committee chooses leader
Tampa Bay Business Journal - 8:48 AM EDT Friday, March 30, 2007

A Charleston, S.C., native with experience in Tampa Bay has been named the executive director of the 2009 Super Bowl.

Reid Sigmon, who served as assistant director of the Tampa Bay Final Four Organizing Committee in 1998 and as director of operations for Tampa's Super Bowl XXXV Task Force, will assume his new duties on April 30.

His responsibilities will include ensuring proper infrastructure is in place to produce this high-level event, coordinate hotels, transportation and security detail, organize numerous Super Bowl Host Committee special events, generate sufficient sponsorships, meet fundraising goals and ensure the community is prepared for the NFL to host Super Bowl XLIII.

"Reid Sigmon is an experienced pro that knows his way around a Super Bowl," said Frank Supovitz, senior vice president of special events for the National Football League, in a release.

For Super Bowl XXXIX, Sigmon served as vice president of operations for the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee where he focused on integrated aspects of transportation, parking and visitor movement, including ground, marine and air transport. Sigmon worked closely with the NFL to prepare Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and the surrounding areas to host Super Bowl XXXIX and ancillary activities. In addition, he worked closely with special events, business management and lodging accommodations.

Sigmon most recently was the director of stadium development and event operations for the Cleveland Browns.

Dallas City Council OK's North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bidding Committee's Plan

2007-03-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

Dallas council OKs backing of Super Bowl bid
11:06 AM CDT on Wednesday, March 28, 2007
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News

The Dallas City Council on Wednesday morning unanimously approved two resolutions backing the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bidding Committee's efforts to score football’s grandest game despite several weeks of council members peppering the committee with various demands and threats.

Council members spent just four minutes offering conciliatory messages about the region’s bid before voting. The bid aims to attract the 2011 Super Bowl to the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium under construction in nearby Arlington.

Many council members had previously argued that because Dallas would front about four-fifths of local resources for a Super Bowl, Dallas should receive guarantees of receiving the choicest ancillary benefits - pre-game parties, festivals, headquarter hotels and the like. But the language contained in the council’s resolutions is decidedly supportive, with few demands on the bid committee, which must present its proposal to the NFL by April 2.

“The due diligence we did was good. We were looking out for the taxpayers’ money,” council member Ron Natinsky said.

“We don’t need to nitpick this to death. The PR is unbelievable in what it would produce for the region,” council member Mitchell Rasansky said.

Mayor Laura Miller concurred.

“We’re all very excited to help you bring the Super Bowl to this region,” she said.

Dallas City Council To Vote On North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bidding Committee's Plan March 27th

2007-03-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

Dallas City Council wants city stressed in Super Bowl bid
Members want NFL to pick city facilities for nongame events

06:46 AM CDT on Thursday, March 22, 2007

By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News

It's all but certain the Dallas City Council will vote next week to support – financially and otherwise – the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bidding Committee's effort to bring football's grandest game to Arlington in 2011.

Council members on Wednesday nonetheless pressured bid committee members to ask the NFL to funnel the cream of its ancillary benefits inside Dallas' city limits, be they headquarters hotels, promotional events or massive pregame parties.

"It'd be helpful if you could please us and please the effort at the same time. Make it clear that we want the events here," Dallas Mayor Laura Miller told bid committee members. "We'd like the main events in Dallas because we are the lead city. We don't want to jeopardize [the bid], but we want to make a point."

Said council member Steve Salazar: "We're the 800-pound gorilla. Without us, there is no bid."

Phillip Jones, president and chief executive officer of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, who is working closely with the bid committee, said he understands council members' concerns and remains confident that the group will support the efforts of the bid committee, led by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach.

The bid committee must submit its proposal to the NFL by April 2. NFL owners are scheduled to award Super Bowl XLV to one bidder – Indianapolis and Arizona are also competing for the game – at their spring meeting May 23 in Nashville, Tenn.

Council member Maxine Thornton-Reese also asked for guarantees that the NFL, in hiring local contractors, would abide by the city's guidelines for women and minority business participation. Officials assured her that would be so.

And several council members expressed concerns that the bid committee preliminarily listed Grapevine's Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center along with three Dallas hotels the committee would recommend to the NFL for its Super Bowl headquarters.

Council member Ron Natinsky in particular suggested Dallas might withhold funding support for the Super Bowl effort – the city has tentatively promised about four-fifths of the financial support for the event – if the NFL scheduled major events outside Dallas' city limits.

"The question is: If the NFL picks the Gaylord or decides to put up a big tent and not use our convention center, what do we do as the city of Dallas with our 70, 80 percent participation?"

Mr. Jones noted that four area hotels fit NFL criteria for its four major operational bases, which include the Super Bowl headquarters, commissioner's headquarters, media facilities and team facilities.

"We need the Gaylord property to make the bid successful," Mr. Jones said, adding that the bid committee would craft language in its proposal to the NFL that reflected Dallas' desire to host most major events and Super Bowl facilities.

The game would be played in Arlington's $1 billion retractable-roof stadium, which is slated to become the Cowboys' home in 2009.

Although financial details aren't complete, bid committee representatives said, a leading funding model involves Dallas funneling incremental sales tax revenue – funds generated above and beyond sales tax estimates without the Super Bowl in town – to a trust fund managed by the state comptroller's office.

The trust fund, in turn, would distribute money to a Super Bowl host committee charged with coordinating the event. The state would account for 80 percent of the trust fund's funding, bid committee officials said. Dallas would be expected to provide 16 percent to 18 percent of the trust fund's balance, with other area municipalities contributing the rest, City Manager Mary Suhm said. Officials did not immediately quote an estimate of how much the trust fund would be worth.

Asked by council member Gary Griffith whether the event puts taxpayer interests at risk, Convention and Event Services Department Director Frank Poe replied the city's "costs would be covered."

NFL Super Bowl Policy Committee Does Not Meet In Arizona

2007-03-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

Bid for 2011 Super Bowl put on NFL's back burner
Scott Wong
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 28, 2007 12:00 AM

Two months from now, NFL team owners will decide whether Dallas, Indianapolis or Arizona makes the better host for the 2011 Super Bowl.

But at the annual owners meeting at the Arizona Biltmore resort this week, any talk of the distant championship game took a back seat to discussions about harsher penalties for player misconduct, the adoption of a new revenue-sharing plan and other more pressing league issues.

Making his way into a spacious ballroom on Monday, Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, who sits on the league's Super Bowl Advisory Committee, said he hadn't even thought about the 2011 bidding process yet.

And Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, a Home Depot co-founder, appeared skeptical when told that Arizona had thrown its hat in the ring for 2011.

Mary Owen, Wilson's niece and the Bills' vice president of strategic planning, said at this moment it was too early to look past next year's Super Bowl XLII at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

"We're looking forward to the Super Bowl being here. It's a good-weather city," said Owen, who will be representing her uncle on the Super Bowl committee. Regarding the 2011 bid, she added: "It's more of wait and see."

The team putting together the Arizona 2011 bid said last week it had no plans to lobby owners during their meeting, which wraps up today.

But Arizona Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill, who was on hand Monday, said sometime in the near future he intended to speak with his counterparts throughout the league about Arizona's second Super Bowl bid in four years.

"I'm not planning on it immediately, but I'll be talking to some of them," Bidwill said.

The Arizona Super Bowl committee must submit its bid by next Monday. Owners will hear presentations in Nashville, Tenn. during their spring meeting, set for May 22 and 23 and could vote then to award the game.

Indianapolis Super Bowl 2011 Bid - Plan Sent To NFL Costs $25 Million

2007-03-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

By Michael Marot
ASSOCIATED PRESS
3:45 p.m. March 30, 2007
INDIANAPOLIS – Super Bowl committee officials are putting the finishing touches on the biggest sweepstakes in Indianapolis history.

The hard part is making sure they hold the winning ticket.

Bid committee spokesman Bob Schultz said Friday the group will spend this weekend finalizing details and ensuring that NFL requirements are met when the three-binder proposal is delivered to the league office.

“It will be hand-delivered Monday,” Schultz said.

Details of the proposal for the 2011 game were being kept quiet to prevent other cities from getting a competitive advantage, Deputy Mayor Steve Campbell said.

Getting the Super Bowl would add to Indianapolis' growing sports legacy. Included among recent championship events Indy has hosted are the men's and women's college basketball Final Fours, the NBA Finals and an AFC Championship game. It's also the only city in the world that hosts car races for the Indy Racing League, NASCAR and Formula One.

The city will rely on its attractive logistics to win over NFL owners. Bid officials say they have 7,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the stadium, even in inclement weather, thanks to the maze of skywalks in the downtown area. And Campbell hopes easy access for fans will help the city earn its biggest prize.

“The thing I got from Miami was that our blueprint became bigger because it took us an hour and a half to get anywhere from where we stayed in Fort Lauderdale,” Campbell said.

It appeared the biggest obstacle was financing.

The city estimated it will cost $25 million to host the NFL's biggest event and doesn't want taxpayers footing the bill since they're already financing Lucas Oil Stadium, the retractable roof field that will become the Colts' new home in 2008. They're trying to raise the money privately.

While Campbell would not say how much money has been raised, Colts owner Jim Irsay offered a $1 million pledge when the city kicked off the project Jan. 30. Ed Sagebiel, a spokesman for Eli Lilly & Co., confirmed the drug maker has agreed to contribute $2.5 million. That's the largest single contribution so far, Campbell said.

The owners meet to award the game in May.

“We're hopeful we'll have the money in hand by that date, not just pledged,” Schultz said.

The city might face bigger obstacles than financing. First, Indianapolis must make a strong enough pitch to bring the game to a cold-weather city.

Traditionally, the game has been played in warm-weather cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego and New Orleans, although both Detroit and Minneapolis have hosted the game.

The strongest competition is expected to come from Dallas, which is scheduled to open a new stadium in 2009 that has a capacity to seat up to 100,000 fans. Phoenix, next year's Super Bowl host, also may enter the fray.

The league's requirements create other concerns.

The host city must have 20,000 to 22,000 hotel rooms within 60 minutes of the stadium, two nearby indoor practice facilities – one for each team – and venues that can host a variety of off-field activities including the traditional Super Bowl parties.

For assistance, Indianapolis officials have turned to their suburban neighbors, including residents who are paying regional taxes to help fund the Colts' new stadium. Among the areas being asked to contribute are Carmel, Noblesville, Columbus, Bloomington and Johnson County.

“The regional tax is really unique and this bid is really the first manifestation of bringing that regional effort to the city,” Schultz said.

Finding practice fields is another matter.

Although the Colts' complex could be used by one team, finding a second suitable site may prove more problematic.

A solution would be to use the indoor practice fields at Indiana University in Bloomington or at Purdue in West Lafayette, both about an hour's drive from Indianapolis.

The backup plan could be refurbishing an existing structure or building a new practice facility, something Campbell said city officials have considered.

“Building something new is an option, but clearly we'd prefer to use something that exists now and converting it,” Campbell said.

Super Bowl 2011 - Indianapolis City-County Council Bans Super Bowl Ticket Scalping

2007-03-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

Indy Bans Super Bowl Ticket Scalping - Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — The City-County Council has voted to make it illegal to scalp tickets to the Super Bowl, part of an effort by the city to bring the game to the city in 2011.

Council members also voted Monday to provide security and other services for the game at no charge to the NFL. The city provides similar services for free at other sporting events, such as the Indianapolis 500.

The anti-scalping proposal, which passed 24-3, would add the NFL championship to a special law that bans scalping at the NCAA Final Four.

Indianapolis will learn in May if it will get the 2011 Super Bowl at the new Lucas Oil Stadium, now under construction.

City of Dallas’ Regional Super Bowl Bid Participation - Dallas City Council Briefing

2007-03-05T10:32:00.000-08:00

This is the text of the February 7th, 2007 presentation to the Dallas City Council. I found it online as a PDF file. You can access it with a click here.

2/2/2007 1
City of Dallas’ Regional Super Bowl Bid Participation
Dallas City Council Briefing
February 7, 2007
2/2/2007 2
Purpose
To provide information on a regional bid for Super Bowl XLV.
2/2/2007 3
Goal
• City of Dallas’ support for the Super Bowl XLV regional bid effort.
• Full recovery of the City of Dallas incremental expenses in support of Super
Bowl regional bid.
2/2/2007 4
Background
The North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bidding Committee, Inc., is a Texas non-profit corporation with the following
initial directors:
Mike Baggett –Winstead, Sechrest & MinickDenis Braham –Winstead, Sechrest & Minick
George Bayoud –President of Bayoud & Company
The corporation will seek to persuade the NFL to choose the new Dallas Cowboy stadium in Arlington and the
North Texas region as the site for the 2011 Super Bowl.
2/2/2007 5
Background (cont)
The Corporation is aided by various individuals, as members, to help in its efforts. These members have no voting or other legal or equitable rights in thecorporation, and include:
Rodger Staubach - Chairman Chairman and CEO of the Staubach Company
Dan Petty –Secretary and Treasurer President and CEO of the North Texas Commission
Charlotte Anderson –Executive Vice-President of the Dallas Cowboy Football ClubRobert Cluck –Mayor of Arlington
Michael Eastland –Executive Director of the North Texas Council of GovernmentsBob Estrada –Chairman of Estrada Hinojosa
Dan Farell –Chairman of the North Texas CommissionRon Kirk –Partner, Vinson Elkins
Wendy Lopez –CEO Lopez Garcia GroupRosie Moncrief –Civic Leader
Norma Roby –Co-Founder of Texas Star Quality Foods
Upon award of Super Bowl XLV to the region, a Host Committee will be established in February 2009.
2/2/2007 6
Background (cont)
• The Bidding Committee submission date to the NFL is April 2, 2007.
• The NFL Team Owners will award Super Bowl XLV on May 23, 2007.
2/2/2007 7
Background (cont)
The Bidding Committee has solicited six cities to participate in the regional effort:
Dallas Arlington Ft. WorthIrving Grapevine Grand Prairie
Four counties are also being solicited to participate:
Dallas DentonCollin Tarrant
2/2/2007 8
The First Ask
The Bidding Committee is seeking from the City of Dallas:
• Its participation, as an endorsing municipality, to initiate the
establishment by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts of an
Other Events Trust Fund, pursuant to State law.
2/2/2007 9
Signature Events
As an endorsing municipality, the City of Dallas is eligible for several key events:
– NFL Headquarters Hotel which requires a 900 room block in a single hotel
– NFL Experience with an estimated attendance of 200,000 will require an estimated 850,000 square feet of exhibit space
– Friday night Commissioners’ party with an estimated VIP attendance of 5,000 will require 125,000 square feet of space
– Saturday night event with an estimated attendance of 10,000 willrequire an outdoor venue for a concert and fireworks
2/2/2007 10
Other Events Trust Fund
• Tarrant County, Dallas County and the City of Dallas are the endorsing counties and endorsing municipality for an
Event as currently defined under Article 5190.14 Vernon’s Texas Civil Statues, Section 5A.
• An endorsing municipality must have a population of one million or more and be selected as a site for a qualifying
special event.• The purpose of the Other Events Trust fund is to access
the incremental state and local sales and use tax, hotel occupancy tax, and mixed beverage tax revenues that
are attributable to a qualifying special event within the State of Texas.
2/2/2007 11
Other Events Trust Fund(cont)
• The use of the funds as provided by state statute require:
–Each endorsing municipality must enter into a event support contract with the Host
Committee to authorize the disbursement of the funds.
2/2/2007 12
Other Events Trust Fund (cont)
• An economic study is submitted to the State Comptroller that estimates the incremental tax
revenues to result from holding the Event in the City and County, and the State Comptroller
accepts the results and determines that the market area consists of the endorsing
municipalities.• The State may deposit the lesser of (1) the
estimated incremental State tax revenue or (2) 6.25 times the total City/County estimated
incremental tax revenue.
2/2/2007 13
Other Events Trust Fund(cont)
State vs. Local Money
• As an example, if the total estimate City/County taxes is $150,000 and the estimated State tax is
$110,000, then• 6.25 times $150,000 = $937,500
• The State Comptroller will deposit the lesser amount of $110,000
• The total City/County deposit required to maximize the state deposit is $17,600
($110,000[maximum state dollars] divided by 6.25)
2/2/2007 14
The Second Ask
• The Bidding Committee is requesting of the City of Dallas governmental assurances to ensure
that all services for Super Bowl XLV activities held within the City of Dallas are provided at no
cost, expense, or liability to the NFL or the Host Committee.
2/2/2007 15
Governmental Assurances
• Ambush MarketingTo provide a one-mile anti-ambush marketing “Clean
Zone”around the stadium and around area airports, and a 6-block radius “Clean Zone”around the
headquarters hotel and NFL Experience.• Public Safety
To provide all law enforcement and fire and medical services during Super Bowl activities within the City of
Dallas.• Airport Authority
To provide cooperation to the NFL in establishing information booths, providing meeting space and
responding to special service requests.
2/2/2007 16
Governmental Assurances (cont)
•Tax ExemptionsGross receipts derived from official NFL
activities will be exempt from all state, county, city and other local taxes.
•Vehicle LicensingAll fees for special licensing of official NFL
vehicles be waived.•Temporary Flight Restrictions
Airspace above and around the Stadium must be protected by restricting access to all aircraft,
with the exception of aircraft used for television and security.
2/2/2007 17
Governmental Assurances (cont)
• Transportation –Rates for buses and limousines may not
exceed existing tariff rate as June 1, 2010.–Governmental authorities must commit to
providing variable message signs for the purpose of traffic management and public
messaging.–Park and Ride shuttle must be operated
during the NFL Experience and day of Super Bowl at no cost to the NFL.
2/2/2007 18
Governmental Assurances (cont)
• Venue Reservation Agreement
–Venues with a seating capacity of 1,000 seats or greater agree to honor a reservation period
which ends September 1, 2010 for activities held in conjunction with the Super Bowl.
–Venues agree not to solicit, negotiate, act upon or entertain in any way any offers to lease
any part of the venue during the reservation period.
2/2/2007 19
Governmental Assurances (cont)
• Venue Rental Requirements
–NFL retains rights to designate the food and beverage provider and retain 100% of all
proceeds from sales.
–NFL to retain 100% of proceeds from admission ticketing, novelty, signage and
advertising sales.
–NFL permitted to select security personnel.
2/2/2007 20
Impact
• Per NFL estimates, hosting a Super Bowl will generate an estimated $400 million of economic
impact to the region. • Global exposure from media broadcasts will
allow the City of Dallas to showcase the investment in its image and infrastructure.
• The City of Dallas will benefit by providing the majority of the required hotel room nights. A
large portion of the visitors to the region will visit the city’s restaurants and other entertainment
venues.
2/2/2007 21
Recommendation
• Authorize the City Manager to enter into negotiations with the Bidding Committee to
address the following:–City of Dallas’ participation as an endorsing
city to initiate the Other Events Trust Fund.–City of Dallas’ contribution of its incremental
sales and excess mixed beverage tax revenue to the Other Events Trust Fund.
Note: The hotel occupancy tax is restricted by bond covenants and contractual requirements. The mixed beverage is also restricted by bond covenants to the extent needed for operation
and maintenance of the convention center complex.
2/2/2007 22
Recommendation (cont)
–City of Dallas’ requirement to enter into an event support contract with the Super Bowl Host Committee
which provides that the City of Dallas has first priority position for payment of its incremental expenses from
the Other Events Trust Fund.
–City’s full recovery of its incremental expenses in support of Super Bowl XLV in 2011.
–To modify the reservation requirements to comply with existing facility contracts and fee structures.

Super Bowl XLI - Colts-Bears draws No. 3 Audience Of All Time

2007-02-22T14:55:00.000-08:00

Colts-Bears draws No. 3 audience of all time
NFL.com wire reports

NEW YORK (Feb. 5, 2007) -- Peyton Manning had a lot of witnesses to his soggy super victory, with the estimated 93.2 million viewers representing the second most-watched Super Bowl broadcast ever.

Only the 1996 Super Bowl between Dallas and Pittsburgh, which had 94.1 million viewers, had a bigger audience, according to Nielsen Media Research on Monday. Behind that 1996 game and the M*A*S*H series finale, Super Bowl XLI was the third most-watched program in television history.

The presence of one of the game's most popular players in Manning, the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback and a major-market team from Chicago undoubtedly juiced the ratings.

It was the highest-rated Super Bowl game since St. Louis-Tennessee in 2000. The viewership is higher this year even though the ratings are lower than in 2000 because there are more homes now with television sets.

The Colts beat the Bears 29-17 in a game played during a driving rainstorm in Miami. It was shown on CBS, a division of CBS Corp.

The Super Bowl last year between Pittsburgh and Seattle drew 90.7 million viewers.

Despite the huge audience, the Super Bowl didn't provide much of a jolt to the CBS drama Criminal Minds, which was given the choice time slot following the game. Criminal Minds was seen by 26.2 million viewers. While that's the biggest audience the second-year show has ever delivered, it dwarfs the 38.1 million people who saw Grey's Anatomy after ABC's telecast of the game last year.

According to another measuring service, the most-watched moment of the CBS broadcast wasn't Manning's lone touchdown pass, the interception and touchdown run by Kelvin Hayden or even Prince's electrifying halftime show. It was the Bud Light ad featuring Carlos Mencia and a language class, according to Tivo.

The digital recorder company's measurement includes not only people who watched the commercial live, but those who froze the set and went back and watched the commercial, said Todd Juenger, vice president and general manager for audience research.

More viewers with digital recorders tend to replay the Super Bowl commercials than game action perhaps because broadcasters offer plenty of replays of game action on their own, he said.

The most popular minute of the actual game, representing most Tivo replays, was after a personal foul was committed following an Indianapolis kickoff in the third quarter, he said.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Super Bowl XLI Ad Review Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3: SF American Marketing Association

2007-02-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

I attended this meeting of the San Francisco Chapter of the American Marketing Association on the invitation of my friend Beth. It is an informative and entertaining look at ads from the 41st Super Bowl game, and by ad and marketing professionals based in the San Francisco Bay Area. What follows is an entertaining three-part video series of this discussion.

As far as I've seen, this is the only online presentation of a full panel review on the Internet, so take advantage of it, and pass the link to it on to your friends and co-workers.

As for Super Bowl XLI, it was the third-most-watched tv program in the history of television. According to USA Today, CBS' Super Bowl XLI drew 93.2 million fans for the second-most-watched game ever — behind the 94.1 million who tuned in to the 1996 Cowboys-Steelers contest — and the third-most-watched telecast (the 1983 M*A*S*H finale drew 106 million). Last year's game: 90.7 million.

Here's the SF AMA's description of the meeting, followed by the videos in series:

As Super Bowl XLI is poised to return to sunny South Florida for the ninth time in 2007, the TV commercials surrounding the game will be all the talk on Monday.

We will hear whether companies' Super Bowl TV commercials have generated the "water cooler" conversation? Marketers dropped more than $150 million on Super Bowl commercials in 2006, but will the spots be good enough to make viewers want to speak out, tell others, discuss it on a blog or post a comment online? Did my $2.6 million ad create a buzz or blog comment? With new metrics on analyzing buzz, was the buzz positive or negative? Super Bowl draws around 140 million viewers for all or part of the game, but is the cost worth it? Do companies reach their intended audience? What about ROI?

Are companies getting more sophisticated in tracking their ads and ad dollars or do companies view a $2.6 million Super Bowl ad as a branding exercise? Come hear a panel of industry professionals discuss the pros and cons of Super Bowl ads at the San Francisco American Marketing Association February 8 event.

Speakers
Dante Lombardi -- Executive Vice President, Group Creative Director - McCann Erickson San Francisco
Paul Venables - Founder and Co-Creative Director -- Venables Bell & Partners
David L. Smith - CEO -- Mediasmith Inc.
Paula Storti - Managing Director -- Worldwalk Media
Mike Mazza - Executive Creative Director -- JWT
Rick Quan - CBS 5 Sports Anchor -- CBS 5 (less)

Video Part One

Video Part Two

Video Part Three

How to Pick A Super Bowl Party - Zennie Abraham's Criteria For Selecting A Super Bowl Party

2007-02-14T08:54:00.000-08:00

With every Super Bowl Game in a "host city" comes Super Bowl Parties. From Maxim to Playboy to Leigh Steinberg, there are at times too many parties. There were over 1,000 in Miami, the host city for Super Bowl XLI. How does one determine which parties to go to? Read on for help from a Super Bowl verteran. Me: Zennie Abraham, CEO of Sports Business Simulations , has attended five Super Bowls, and counting.

I also headed the effort to bring the 2005 Super Bowl to Oakland. (Oakland lost to Jacksonville on the third ballot vote of NFL owners.)

I felt compelled to write this after my great Miami Super Bowl experience, where I went to six parties, and didn't pay a dime. That's what maintaining good relationships gets you. But I digress, here's my guide. (Which can also apply to the NBA All Star game, by the way.)

Things You'll Need

Here's what you need to know about a Super Bowl Party. First, location. Where's it at. Second, how much does it cost to attend? Third, has it been done before. Beyond that, here's a step by step plan.

Instructions

STEP 1: Is PDiddy or another celebrity's name on it? If so, don't go to the party. Why? Because celebs who's names are part of the party name sometimes don't show up. Meanwhile, you're dealing with a lot of people in a crowded place waiting for that person to show. Save your money. I made this mistake in Detroit in 2006, when PDiddy himself failed to come to a Super Bowl Party with his name on it. But the place -- the Elylisium Lounge -- was so packed, the fire marshal threatened to shut the party down three times.

STEP 2: Does the party have free food? The best Super Bowl parties all have free food; the PDiddy party had no food at all. If you have to pay for food, don't go. There's no excuse other than poor planning for a lack of free food. If you have to pay for the party, you should expect that the caterer has been secured and paid. Plus, eating is a great way to cut down the impact of any cocktail you may consume. Which brings me to this point...

STEP 3: Are the drinks free? Again, if you're paying a lot to go to a party, the drinks should be free. That's a basic Super Bowl Party rule. If you go to the Playboy, Maxim, or Leigh Steinberg parties, the drinks are free. Don't even think of going to a Super Bowl party where you have to pay for drinks, unless the party itself is free of charge.

STEP 4: Is the party in a central location? Where is the party located? If it's in a downtown location, well served by cabs, and all of the other criteria for a Super Bowl Party are met, then go to the party. But if it's located way out in some suburban location where the cabs call once every 20 years, forget it. The best Super Bowl parties are the easiest to get to. Now, I'll place a word in for some very exclusive parties that are way out in a suburban location. I've been to a few of them, and given the celebs in attendance, I can understand. This was true for a party I attended at the Doral Country Club. But then cabs do serve at places like the Doral, so my basic rule applies -- it must be a place cabs call to.

STEP 5: Is there one party price? What's the price of the party? Is there one price or a level of prices? If there's a level of prices, avoid the party. It means that someone there will play favorites and as the result, what people paid for the party will be all over the place. If you paid for a ticket at $600 and find that someone else just paid $100 and for the same service, you will feel cheated and rightly so. Don't bother. One price should fit all.

Overall Tips & Warnings

If all of the criteria I listed above are met, it's obvously a party worth attending. But here are some more tips. First, don't drink and drive. Remember, you're more than likely from out of town and the last problem you need is to come back to the Super Bowl host city just to defend a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) charge. Forget it. If you're going to drink -- and most people do -- take a cab or a limo. They're plentiful for Super Bowls.

Here's a major warning: If you're going to buy a Super Bowl Party ticket do it where the purchase is either directly from the party producer or the transaction is insured. Some people posing as ticket brokers may sell you a fradulent ticket. I'm serious. The Super Bowl is also a magnet for dishonest business people. If you're going to buy a ticket, go to our site http://www.sbstickets.com"> , where your ticket transactions are secured as we're part of the StubHub network.

Super Bowl Party - ESPN Party At The Miami Design Center

2007-02-13T03:34:00.000-08:00

This video is of the great Friday, February 2nd party thrown by ESPN / NEXT and held at the Miami Design Center. In perfect ESPN fashion, the entire block was taken over as well as all of one building.

It was a total blast, and as you can see, I tried to capture as much of it as I possibly could. The only thing I didn't like was the VIP building got too hot after it filled with people. Also, the food wasn't as plentiful or as good as it was at the ESPN Party in Detroit. But it was a great effort overall.

Note the ever present Cadillac cars as they were a major sponsor. But also note the demographics of the people. It must be noted that this is a private party, so the marketers have a captive audience. It's a great lesson in sports marketing.

At the end of the video, we get to see a concert by LL Cool J and it can be said that he did bring the house down!

Super Bowl XLII - Arizona Super Bowl XLII Host Committee Gets Ready For 2008 Game - AZCentral.com

2007-02-07T16:36:00.000-08:00

Glendale prepping for Super Bowl XLII
Scott Wong

The Arizona Republic
Feb. 7, 2007 12:00 AM

MIAMI -When the clock hit zero Sunday night at Dolphin Stadium, and the Indianapolis Colts were crowned the NFL champs, planning efforts for Super Bowl XLII at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale kicked into high gear.

This time next year, more than 175,000 visitors will flood the state in a span of a week. Hotels, restaurants and local attractions will be brimming with out-of-towners.

And game-related festivities, from an National Football League interactive theme park to swanky VIP parties, will extend to every corner of the Valley, making the region the hub of the football universe.

To pull off the colossal undertaking, organizers from the Arizona Super Bowl XLII Host Committee will need a solid foundation: an estimated $15million in public and private sponsorship and an army of 10,000 volunteers.

"There's no question, it's massive. And every day, the energy ramps up," committee President Bob Sullivan said earlier this week over the chatter of dozens of sports radio hosts broadcasting from the floor of the sprawling Media Center in Miami Beach. "It's daunting but it's calming, because (being here) allays some of the anxieties.

"The unknown becomes the known."

Sullivan is part of an Arizona contingent of more than 60 tourism, transportation, law enforcement and other officials that has been in Miami since last weekend. They've been scrutinizing everything from airport security and shuttle routes to jerk-chicken skewers at a media party.

Those are just a couple of the thousands of details that go in to planning for a weeklong extravaganza that attracts America's wealthiest executives and celebrities, is beamed to television sets in more than 230 countries and is expected to give a $400 million boost to Arizona's economy.

"Everybody wants a piece of the action," said Jack Clary, a former reporter and Super Bowl media consultant from Boston who has attended all but the first two bowl games. "It's grown from a media event into a business event."

Arizona organizers will tackle the mega-event by breaking it down into parts: media relations, hospitality, transportation, security and special events, among others.

The host committee's more tangible efforts include staging up to three exclusive media parties and organizing football clinics for 20,000 youths.

Also in the works is a downtown Phoenix block party, similar to the one held along Mill Avenue when Super Bowl XXX came to Tempe in 1996.

Carrying lessons from Miami, Arizona organizers also will draw from last month's Fiesta Bowl and BCS National Championship Game, both held at the Glendale stadium.

Glenn Dickey - San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Bill Walsh Caused Increase In Hiring Of Black Coaches In NFL

2007-02-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

My friend and SF Examiner columnist Glenn Dickey wrote this great column on ex-49ers coach Bill Walsh, which I post here and link to here.

Dickey: Walsh laid groundwork for black coaches

"Bill Walsh was not only a groundbreaking offensive coach with Stanford and then the 49ers, he also was instrumentral in integrating blacks into the coaching ranks. Notably, Denny Green and Ray Rhodes were on his staffs and went on to become head coaches." - Glenn Dickey.

Feb 2, 2007 3:00 AM (5 days ago)

SAN FRANCISCO - Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith will be the first black head coaches to face each other in the Super Bowl because of groundwork laid by Bill Walsh.

From his first year as a head coach — at Stanford in 1977 — Walsh looked for black assistant coaches. Denny Green was on his first staff.

“Denny was one of our first hires,” Walsh said this week. Green later became head coach at Stanford and then one of the first half-dozen black head coaches in the NFL.

When he came to the 49ers, Walsh started an intern program to bring in black assistants. One of them was Ray Rhodes, who also became one of that first group of black head coaches in the NFL.

“You have to start somewhere,” Walsh said. “At that time, NFL teams weren’t even hiring black assistants.”

In 1987, Walsh created the Minority Coaching Fellowship program, which has produced several black college coaches, including Tyrone Willingham, who has coached at Stanford, Notre Dame and Washington.

He also started a yearly conference of black college coaches to discuss their situation among themselves. Lowell Cohn and I were the only writers present at one memorable meeting, when coaches talked frankly among themselves and then listened to a candid message by Dr. Harry Edwards about their specific role and the condition of black society. An organizer of the black athletes’ protest at the 1968 Olympics, Edwards was a sociology professor at the University of California who had been brought to the 49ers by Walsh to counsel players. He is still on the 49ers’ payroll.

Walsh then turned his focus to the NFL, working with Roger Goodell, now the NFL commissioner but then an assistant to Paul Tagliabue, on a program to help black assistants get head-coaching jobs.

“They weren’t even getting interviews,” Walsh said. “I don’t think it was racism so much as just indifference. White coaches and administrators had their own jobs, their own concerns.”

“I’ve worked with Bill almost from the time I came into the league in 1982,” Goodell said when I interviewed him before he became commissioner, “and I’ve never ceased to be amazed at the depth of his knowledge and understanding. He has a way of processing information and formulating a plan quickly.”

That’s exactly what Walsh did with his program to get black assistants into head-coaching jobs.

“They weren’t even getting interviews,” he noted, “So, we set up a video program where these coaches were interviewed and could then send tapes to clubs.”

One black assistant who did get interviewed was Marvin Lewis, but Lewis didn’t interview well because he didn’t know what was expected. So, Walsh set up seminars with other NFL executives to instruct the black assistants on how to interview.

The black assistants were prepared when the Rooney Rule, which mandates the interviewing of at least one minority candidate for head-coaching jobs, was installed in 2002. There were seven black NFL head coaches last season.

It all comes back to Walsh, who has affected so many people with his intelligence and compassion.

“To focus on him as a football coach is really a mistake,” Goodell said, “because it ignores the breadth of the man. He’s been involved in our league in so many ways.”

Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith can attest to that.

Glenn Dickey has been covering Bay Area sports since 1963 and also writes on www.GlennDickey.com. E-mail him at glenndickey@hotmail.com.

Deadspin Runs Photo Calling Super Bowl "Negro Bowl" - Why?

2007-02-07T15:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm not comfortable with the tag or the photo, which I knee-jerk found offensive. I just did. What's the point? I just don't get this stuff at all, I really don't.

We're doing just fine, I thought, then Deadspin, which I read and like and who's editor I respect, does this.

Why? Why? Why?

Interesting Statement On Churches and NFL Super Bowl Viewing

2007-02-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

I found this very interesting notice over at NFL Media.com:

February 2, 2007
STATEMENT FROM AN NFL SPOKESMAN:
The National Football League has absolutely no objection to churches and others hosting Super Bowl viewing parties as long as they do not charge admission and that the game is shown on a television of the type commonly used at home.

We are simply following copyright law and have done so consistently with regard to hotels, theatres, museums, schools, arenas and other such venues.

This is nothing new. It is a matter of longstanding policy and the law. We have no rules that relate to viewing at home on any type of television.

That's all there was to the statement. More on this later.

Tony Dungy Day Declared In Michigan - AOL

2007-02-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

According to AOL's mjd, Michigan politicians have declared their should be a "Tony Dungy Day." Here's the info

Lawmakers want Tony Dungy Day in Michigan
February 5, 2007
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LANSING — State lawmakers on Monday proposed a day honoring Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, who was born and raised in Michigan.
Dungy, whose Colts won the Super Bowl, is from Jackson, where he excelled in football at Parkside High School. He is the first black coach to win a Super Bowl.
Advertisement

“Because of the strength of his character, as well as his success on the field, Tony Dungy is an inspiration to all of us,” said Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, whose district includes Jackson.

Schauer plans to sponsor a legislative resolution proposing “Tony Dungy Day” along with Democratic Reps. Marty Griffin of Jackson and Mike Simpson of Jackson County’s Liberty Township.

They had not yet determined which day to honor Dungy.

Bauer's Pure Rush Party - AOL's Stephanie Stradley Pays A Visit

2007-02-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

Last week's Bauer's Pure Rush Party was a hit, and was covered by none other than America Online's Stephanie Stradley.

Check out her post with a click here.

Thanks Stephanie!

21st Leigh Steinberg Super Bowl Party In Miami - Video

2007-02-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

(Leigh Steinberg -- in suit -- with my friend Randy Gordon.)

I had the honor and pleasure of attending Leigh Steinberg's 21st Super Bowl Party in Miami and held at the Westin St. Francis Grand Floridian Yacht which is docked just off Ocean Avenue. This, my fourth of Leigh's parties I've attended, was the best. And this was due to the intimacy provided by the combination of the yacht and the grounds below. As a result, there was a lot of interaction rather than people sticking in their own groups and clicks.

The video -- as a result -- reflects how people did relate to each other there. It was a lot of fun. Stars? Well, I'm not the best at recognizing people, but I did talk a while with with Julian Jenkins of the Tampa Bay Bucaneers, Jack Del Rio, Heach Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars (not in video) and ESPN's Woody Paige (in the video) and Tony Rially (not in the video as well as Actor Billy Baldwin (Not in the video).

(As a note, Baldwin said that he's lanching an extreme sports tour later in the year.)

Finally, much of the video focuses on Al Samuels and Steve Fleming of NBC's "Sports Action Team" and their segment filmed with Leigh Steinberg, and Bruce Perlmutter, the GM of the Tribeca / ESPN Sports Film Festival.

The 2007 Playboy Super Bowl Party, Miami, At American Airlines Arena - Video

2007-02-07T06:02:00.000-08:00

The problem with living life and recording the life you live is that the act causes a delay in uploading the videos. Thus, I'm just getting the videos uploaded and embeded in the appropriate blog posts. Here's an example: last Saturday's Playboy Party at American Airlines Arena.

This was my first Playboy party out of the five Super Bowls I've attended and I'm glad I did because now I can say I've been to one and show you too. For all of the build-up it's really got the same things as other parties I've attended: music and free food and drink -- Super Bowl Party requirements. What other parties don't have is a dress code requirement for women that reads "Lingerie or Less." I'm not kidding. There was a lot of women who did comply with the dress code, as the video will show.

My complaint is there are too many guys, and almost no one dancing. The reason for the dance problem is the way the music is played: they only play part of a song for about 30 seconds, then switch to another tune, so you really can't get into a rhythm that allows you to grove and move.

There were a lot of celebrites, too. Rapper Too Short, ex-Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back Franco Harris (whos' a nice person), Oakland Raiders Wide Receiver Jerry Porter (who seemed a little paranoid that one would recognize him as Jerry Porter), to name some of the people I recognized when my eyes weren't drawn elsewhere. Writing on that, there's a lot of people just standing and looking around, mostly guys in groups. The female count needs to be upped considerably.

Before I get to the video, here's another idea: have a dress code for men calling for pajamas in honor of Hugh Hefner.

Here's the video:

Super Bowl XLI - Fun But Dolphins Stadium Must Be Weatherized

2007-02-05T05:20:00.000-08:00

I'll have more on this soon, but I'm writing from my friend's guest room at his place on 15th and Jefferson in Miami Beach. I just woke up from the wettest Super Bowl experience I've had, and frankly I did enjoy it.

Right now, I'm going to get some rest, get up, and start packing. Oh, I'll write more when I do. But let me report that Dolphins Stadium needs to be weatherized! It wasn't made for rain at all!

The 11th Street Diner - A 24-Hour Place For Food In Miami Beach

2007-02-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

My friend Steve Schnitzer was kind enough to put me up in his new place with his sister and my friend Beth while we were in Miami for the Super Bowl. Steve's got a great 24-hour restaurant called the 11th Street Diner on 11th and Washington in Miami Beach.

The staff there is both friendly and funny, as this video will show. After the video, I placed some text I found about the diner online.

Here's the video:

LL Cool J - ESPN NEXT Super Bowl Party Miami Concert In Miami Design Center

2007-02-03T17:24:00.000-08:00

On Friday night, I was invited to the ESPN NEXT Super Bowl Party held at Miami Design Center. The party's producers -- ESPN, NEXT, and Sony Playstation -- took over the entire main block and one building of the district and produced one of the best Super Bowl parties I've attended. I'll have more videos on this party, but for now I'm presenting you with the best part of the evening, a private concert by none other than LL Cool J. He rocked the house!

What was so interesting to me is the contrast in the crowd. The people close to the stage were young, of diverse backgrounds, and mostly female; as one moved away from the stage, the audience turned to one mostly white, older, and male. It wasn't a random group, as one had to have a pass to get into the party. By the time LL Cool J started, it was midnight and about 1,000 people remained for the concert. There were probably 5,000 people for the party as a whole.

Here it is:

Super Bowl Party - Bauer's Pure Rush Miami A Success

2007-02-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

Thursday night in Miami before Super Bowl XLI -- that's 41 -- featured a number of parties held under a clear sky and a full moon. One of them was Bauer's Pure Rush Miami Super Bowl Party.

Ok,you know about the party if you're a regular reader of this blog. But I'm here to tell you it was a blast! The buffet and cigar bar at The Havana Club was a total load of luxurious fun and drew stars like Fox Sports' Chris Myers, who annouced to a couple of beautiful women that he would do anything for a drink.

A free drink.

After 10 PM, the party moved over to Brick's Nightclub, where the parade of stars continued without interruption. I arrived a bit later, so I missed a face to face with stars, but I'm told that many of the people slated to come did make it. I did see and talked to Warren Moon, the former NFL Quarterback, and Cleveland Browns Linebacker. Willie McGinest, who was one of the party's sponsors and was appropriately dressed in white.

Aside from that, there were a gaggle of lovely women and to be frank some could not seem to keep all of their clothes on. I'm serious. There was one partier who was either pushing her shorts down, or pulling her top up, or having her shorts pushed down and having her top pulled up.

In fact, many of the party patrons where decked out that way, which is why it was subtitled "Heaven: The White Party." Brick'sitself is a huge place that must have played host to about a thousand people. Much of the party was held on a roof-top space and the night was perfect.

Steve Young. Steve Bono. Jay Marriotti. -- Greetings From Miami Beach!

2007-02-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

Hello. I arrived last night at about 8 PM when our plane touched wheels at Miami International Airport. The flight itself was a lot of fun -- two ex-49ers Quarterbacks were on the American Airlines flight 442. Steve Young was in the eighth row of first class. Steve Bono -- who I met at the GAP Project Red Party -- was just three rows behind me.

Steve Bono, his wife Tina, and I were talking at the gate just before boarding, when Bono spotted Steve Young walking up to the gate with his cap pulled down over his forehead and a Bluetooth phone in his ear. "I guess he's trying not to be recognized," Steve said. To which I replied "No one really cares. It actually draws attention to him when he pulls the cap down."

Bono expressed dismay with 49ers Owner John York's attempt to move the team to Santa Clara, stating that he and other 49ers Alums did a lot of work to help keep the Niners in San Francisco, including trips to see Governor Schwarzenegger.

The flight was a lot of fun. I sat next to someone who works for EA Sports, and saw a friend of a friend who was just six rows ahead of me; we exchanged numbers after the flight.

After I got settled in, my friend's brother took me on a tour of South Beach and we ate at his diner called "The 11th Street Diner" on 11th and Washington in Miami Beach. Great food!

Then, we walked around and ran into Jay Marriotti, of the Chicago SunTimes and the ESPN Show Around the Horn at the Clevelander Sports Bar, which was hoping late into the night. Jay's a nice guy. And what a nice night it was!

More soon!

Super Bowl Media Day: Interview With Chicago Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith

2007-01-30T13:46:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Super Bowl XLI – Tuesday, January 30, 2007
QUOTES FROM CHICAGO BEARS MEDIA DAY
HEAD COACH LOVIE SMITH
(on any opportunities to visit with Tony Dungy and their relationship) “We got a chance to spend some time together last
night and this morning. I am just thankful for the opportunity Tony gave me. I was the defensive backs coach at Ohio State
and Tony hired me on his first staff as the linebackers coach and put me in charge of coaching Hardy Nickerson, Derrick
Brooks and guys like that. I’ll always be grateful and thankful for that opportunity. To compete against him on a national
stage like this is a dream come true.”
(on what he learned from Tony Dungy) “One of the early things I got from Tony was that he brought different personalities
in on his coaching staff and told all of us to just be ourselves. That was my philosophy coming in. I’ve always tried to be
myself. As a young coach, it is good to see someone at the top level handle themselves that way. Hopefully, guys out there
right now that aren’t screamers and yellers will realize that players want you to teach them as much as anything. They want
you to help them with their trade. They will not turn you off as much if you reason with them as a real man.”
(on his relationship with his mother) “Like all sons, I loved my mother dearly. At a young age, she let me know that I could
do whatever I wanted to do, not to use being poor or where I came from as an excuse for what happens to me in life., to not
feel sorry for yourself and she preached to me about hard work. To not set your dreams too low, but shoot for the sky and
I’ve had a chance to see her persevere. I’ve had a chance to see her fight diabetes that has taken her sight, but she doesn’t
complain. Every day her glass is half full. I get a lot of advice each week from quite a few people and she’s definitely one of
them. I’m trying to figure out how my mom who can’t see can give me this kind of advice and try to tell me exactly who I
should start and all that. She’s a football lady and I’m just glad she will get a chance to hear the game here at Dolphin
Stadium.”
(on if his calm attitude has helped Rex Grossman) “I hope so. Rex isn’t looking over his shoulder. None of our players are.
They know it’s a game of production and you have to produce, but they know at the same time, there is a reason why we
have chosen them to be in this position. Rex knows that there is a reason he is leading our team. We believe in him. He is a
good football player and all Rex has to do is look at his record. He has been a winner throughout his life and he has been that
way with us since he has been our quarterback. He’s fought through a lot, too. The only thing I have seen that has hurt him
has been injuries and this year he has been injury-free and we are excited about that.”
(on his thoughts about making history as an African-American coach in the Super Bowl) “I have had a chance to reflect on
what we are doing. I know that we are taking a step in the right direction. I know about the guys that have come before me
that did not get an opportunity, and some of the guys that did. I’m going to talk about winning. I know about John
Thompson being the first black coach to win in the NCAA basketball tournament. I had a chance to communicate with Bill
Russell a little bit this week and he is the first Afro-American basketball coach to win an NBA title. I know about all of that.
One of our teams will win so we will have a black coach that has led his team to the Super Bowl and hopefully, young
coaches out there will see that and know that you can achieve whatever you like.”
(on how he sees the Super Bowl as a platform for his religious faith) “My relationship, first, is with Jesus Christ and he is the
center of my life. I try to live a Christian life. I would like for guys to know my faith based on what they see on a day-to-day
basis. I had a chance to see that on a daily basis with Tony Dungy. I had a chance to see Tony through a lot of storms and he
has been the same guy all the way. This is also an opportunity for us to acknowledge our belief in Jesus Christ, which we do,
and hopefully more people with come around to him based on that.”
(on if it is special to be one of the first Afro-Americans to coach in the Super Bowl) “Yes, it is very special to both of us.
We would like to open doors for others coming through the ranks and I think we are doing that, being on an international
stage like this. At the same time, both of us would like to be the first black coach to hold up that world championship
trophy.”
-more

Super Bowl Media Day: Interview With Colts Offensive Coordinator Tom Moore

2007-01-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Super Bowl XLI – Tuesday, January 30, 2007
QUOTES FROM INDIANAPOLIS COLTS MEDIA DAY
OFF. COORDINATOR TOM MOORE

(on how much Peyton Manning is involved in the game planning) “We talk about it and there are things he likes and some
things he doesn’t feel comfortable with, but we go over it and hash it out and make sure we’re on the same page and make
sure we’re doing things that are sound and things he feels comfortable with. It’s important that he feels comfortable with it
and the chances of him being successful go up. I don’t want to put a guy in there and have him do something that says Tom
Moore says you got to do this. Well, he’s the guy that has to take the snap and there are lots of things you can do so let’s do
good things. I take my hat off to him, he comes up with a lot of great suggestions.”

(on play of the offensive line) “They are doing excellent and it’s evidenced by being able to run the football. One of the big
things is pass protection. In other words, we take big pride in pass protection and we take big pride in not getting the
quarterback hit. We want to keep the quarterback clean and the offensive line has done a great job.”

(on if the offensive line is overlooked) “I don’t know of any offensive line that truly gets the recognition that they deserve
because it’s the toughest position to play and the toughest position to coach. We who coach them and are around them, we
know how good they are.”

(on how the offense has changed over the last three decades) “I think the biggest change that goes on continually and that’s
why you have to keep up to date, are all the substitution packages. Defensively, they are running substitutes in the game all
the time. Substitution pattern and getting your blocking and protections squared away, that’s a constant thing that keeps
advancing.”

(on if his coaching philosophy has changed) “No, my philosophy has not changed. My philosophy is to get your best 11
players on the field and get your offense designed that takes advantage of their abilities.”

(on the toughness of the Bears front four) “They are great athletes and they are very well coached. Their coaching staff is
excellent. Lovie (Smith) does a great job with the coordinators – they are very well coached. You watch them execute and
you have so much respect for them and their ability. They are excellent.”

(on play calling during the game) “I give him (Manning) an idea of what we’re thinking. We have a set game plan and I give
him certain ideas and he goes from there. He makes a lot of great calls, any of the bad ones are mine.”

(on not being a head coach) “I don’t worry about that stuff. I have to be me. I have not been cheated because I haven’t been a
head coach. Nobody owes me anything. I haven’t been cheated. I’ve been 30 years in this League and it’s a privilege to coach
in the National Football League. The way I’ve been able to raise my family, the things I’ve done and the biggest thing, 30
years to do exactly what you want to do and have fun. You can’t buy that with money. “

2006 NFL PLAYER COMPENSATION FOR NFL POSTSEASON GAMES

2007-01-30T11:51:00.000-08:00

From NFLMedia.com

*Wild Card Games:

$18,000
Divisional Playoff Games:

$20,000
Conference Championship Games:

$37,500
Super Bowl Winning Players:

$78,000
Losing Players:

$40,000
Pro Bowl Game Winning Players:

$40,000
Losing Players:

$20,000

NFL Super Bowl Hotel and Media Center Information - NFLMedia.com

2007-01-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

For anyone in the media who may not have access to the website

NFL HEADQUARTERS — Marriott Biscayne Bay,
1633 North Bayshore Drive, Miami, FL 33132,
(305) 374-3900; FAX: (305) 536-6411.

NFL Office: (212) 450-2000.

MEDIA CENTER — Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL (305) 673-7311;

FAX: (305) 673-7435. Registration Desk will open at 2:00 P.M., Sunday, January 28, and each day thereafter from
8:00 A.M. until 6:00 P.M. Media Lounge will open at 2:00 P.M., Sunday, January 28, and each day thereafter at 8:00
A.M. Week of game credentials can be picked up beginning Sunday, January 28 at 2:00 P.M. Gameday credentials can be picked up beginning at 10:00 A.M., Friday, February 2.

Any credentials not picked up by 6:00 P.M., Saturday, February 3, will be available at the Media Center beginning at 10:00 A.M. on Sunday, February 4. There will be no willcall at Dolphin Stadium on gameday.

ESPN's Len Pasquarelli Points To Offense's Running Game As Key To Colts Success

2007-01-30T01:04:00.000-08:00

Colts' running game key to Super Bowl run

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Overlooked amid the Indianapolis defense's suddenly stout performance against the run in the postseason is that the Colts' offense has taken care of the other half of football's most basic formula for playoff success.

Run the ball and stop the run. That's the simple equation, most NFL purists contend, for winning in the postseason.

And in advancing to the first Super Bowl appearance since the franchise relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, the Colts have surprised almost as many skeptics by achieving the first of those goals as they have by allowing just 76.7 yards rushing per game in their three postseason contests after surrendering a league-worst 173.0 yards per game rushing during the regular season.

Indianapolis has outrushed all three playoff opponents by a whopping average of 61.0 yards per game. The Colts, who averaged 110.1 rushing yards during the regular season, have averaged 137.7 yards in the postseason. Their rushing attempts have risen, from 27.4 per outing to 35.0. And the offensive split has changed, as well. During the season, the Colts ran the ball on 43.4 percent of their snaps. The quota is up to 46.5 percent in the playoffs.

"That might not seem like a lot," tailback Dominic Rhodes said. "But it's made a difference. Teams, I think, have been a little surprised by how we've stuck with the run. The good part is, we've run when we had to and run when we wanted to. We've used the run to dictate to people, and that's a good feeling."

Count the New England Patriots among those stunned by the Indianapolis offense's unusual reliance on the running game. The Patriots allowed 32 second-half points to the Colts in a 38-34 AFC Championship Game loss.

"With them being down like they were at halftime by so much [a 21-6 score], I think we felt like they might come out desperate and just throw every down in the second half," said New England defensive end Ty Warren. "But they didn't panic and just go one-dimensional. They stayed with the run, and it kind of kept us off-balance, definitely."

In fact, in the second half, the Colts were surprisingly balanced for a team playing from so far in arrears. On its 45 second-half snaps, Indianapolis had 21 rushing plays and 24 pass plays. On the first two possessions of the second half, both of which culminated in touchdowns that lifted the Colts into a 21-21 tie, the offensive mix was 11 passes and 11 runs.

That the Colts didn't panic, and didn't abandon the run, had another ancillary benefit: It resulted in an incredibly lopsided snap-count, one that, combined with Indianapolis' no-huddle "quick" offense, physically drained the Patriots' defensive front seven.

Beginning with 3:06 left in the second quarter, until there were just four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Colts ripped off 34 offensive snaps, compared to only four by New England. For the game, the Colts had 80 snaps, while New England managed only 59 plays.

"It's probably the most ignored or underrated part of our offense," said Indianapolis Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday. "For whatever reason, people keep hanging that finesse label on us. But we've shown that we can run the ball, that we can stay in the game running it and close out games running it."

That has certainly been the case in the playoffs, where offensive coordinator Tom Moore and QB Peyton Manning -- who has more freedom to audible than any quarterback in the league and makes most of his calls at the line of scrimmage -- have blended the run brilliantly with the team's explosive passing game.

Against the Kansas City Chiefs, who were supposed to have the more dangerous rushing attack, the Colts ran for 188 yards and established tempo early. Their offensive mix defined balance, with 40 passes and 40 runs.

In the divisional-round victory at Baltimore, which featured the NFL's top-rated defense overall, and second-ranked unit versus the run, Indianapolis had more rushes (35) than passes (31). And the defining moment of that game came in the final half of the fourth quarter, when the Colts just jammed the ball down the throats of the smack-talkin' Ravens. Leading 12-6 with 7:36 to play, the Colts put together a 12-play drive that included 11 runs, ended in Adam Vinatieri's game-clinching field goal and bled all but 23 seconds from the clock.

"Peyton has really handled the run well," Saturday said. "His instincts have been tremendous."

Although it isn't a hard-and-fast rule of the Indianapolis offense, the Colts characteristically key off the alignment of the opponent's safeties to determine when they run. If the safeties are in a Cover 2 or split look, backed 10 to 12 yards off the line of scrimmage and essentially unable to play run support, Indianapolis will usually run. When there is just a single high safety, Manning will throw.

The formula has been a successful one for the Colts. All they need is for it to work one more time and they'll have run themselves to a Super Bowl title.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

Oakland Tribune's Monte Poole On The Color Barrier In The NFL and In Sports

2007-01-29T04:01:00.000-08:00

Color barrier: Sports still has long way to go
Column by Monte Poole
Article Last Updated: 01/29/2007 02:37:52 AM PST

WELCOME TO Super Bowl Week, where football fans will be inundated with stories about Indianapolis and Chicago, about the various Colts and Bears, about fans and skin color.

We'll see and hear plenty about these, most assuredly the last one.

Because the skin color of Colts coach Tony Dungy is a relative match with that of Bears coach Lovie Smith. This is news not simply because neither is white but because neither is white and both have nurtured and coaxed their teams into the NFL's championship game.

Their incidental involvement in this bit of history is undeniable. The most pleasant aspect of this, though, should be the flattening of another color barrier.

Another one down, a hundred or so still standing.

If this is an example of sport leading the way, providingmembers of a race previously considered unfit with the opportunity to prove otherwise, it should be noted that sport has slowed its pace toward achieving a truly equal society.
Ownership, the most significant and aristocratic level of sports, has been excruciatingly slow to accept non-whites.
The power brokers remain overwhelmingly white — whiter than the much-publicized head-coaching ranks in NCAA Division I-A football. The owner/managing-partner level among the 92 teams in our three major sports — MLB, NBA, NFL — is roughly 2 percent Asian, black or Latino.

To be more distinct, a total of two.

Bob Johnson in 2003 bought the rights to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, becoming the second majority owner of a major sports team; Peter Bynoe and Bertram Lee bought the Denver Nuggets in 1989, lasting three years as owners.
Johnson's purchase preceded by four months that of Artie Moreno buying the Anaheim Angels, making him the first Latino to become majority owner.
Though Hiroshi Yamauchi, the Japanese billionaire and former majority owner of the Seattle Mariners, preceded Johnson and Moreno, he sold his shares a few years ago.
Several individuals of color own minority stakes, including Magic Johnson with the Lakers, but only Bob Johnson and Moreno top the organizational chart.
Meanwhile, Reggie Jackson, urged by commissioner Bud Selig to be patient in his quest for baseball ownership, has nothing to show after nearly a decade. Joe Morgan's attempt to become president-owner of the A's, with a group led by Bob Piccinini, was rebuffed. Alabama attorney and businessman Donald Watkins, with a reported worth in excess of $1 billion, was denied in his effort to buy the Minnesota Twins in 2001 because MLB was uncomfortable with his finances.
Former Duke player Brian Davis failed in a recent bid to lead a group seeking to purchase the Memphis Grizzlies. Reggie Fowler's attempt to become majority owner of the Minnesota Vikings died amid questions about his financial wherewithal; he now is a minority owner of the team under Zygi Wilf, who received unanimous approval.
This is not so much an allegation of racism as a recitation of facts, thereby highlighting the color barriers still in existence in sport.
So many have come down, from the playing fields to the executive offices, from merely reaching the position to actually winning championships. This is another. Dungy or Smith will become the first black head coach to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
If the definitive integration moment in this country is Jackie Robinson's entrance into the Major Leagues in 1947, the pivotal moments of measured progress came with the promotion of Bill Russell to head coach of the NBA Boston Celtics in 1966, the hiring of Frank Robinson as manager of the Cleveland Indians in 1975 and the promotion of Art Shell to head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1989.
Seeing these men earn authority and experience success opened minds and softened hearts. It suggested that, lo and behold, fitness for a specific job had much less to do with skin color than with character and intellect.
Had these moves not been made on the social gameboard, would someone like Barack Obama be in position to think about running for president?
But Obama, though identified as a political star, still can't consider himself a favorite. If sports is his barometer, he is a decided underdog.
While the sight of Dungy on one sideline and Smith on the other surely represents a measure of progress, it also reiterates the statement regarding character and intellect.
Which might be enough to convince an owner or athletic director to consider what he or she might not have in the past: That a black coach not only can win a championship but also hold his own in the upper levels of society.
As sport pats itself on the back this week, reminding everyone of how far it has come, let's not kid ourselves. It still has a ways to go. We all do.
Monte Poole can be reached at (510) 208-6461 or by e-mail at
mpoole@angnewspapers.com.

Super Bowl XLI - Chicago Bears Arrive In Miami - Miami Herald

2007-01-29T03:21:00.000-08:00

Bears touch down in Miami
The Bears landed at Miami International Airport armed with camcorders and cameras to record an unforgettable week.
BY SARAH ROTHSCHILD - Miami Herald

Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith, wearing a navy-colored suit with an orange shirt and tie, emerged from the team plane Sunday afternoon leading a contingent of his players, who captured the moment with their digital cameras and camcorders.

The Super Bowl-bound Bears had arrived.

The procession of players, coaches and team employees lasted about 15 minutes and featured several familiar faces, including former Florida Gators quarterback Rex Grossman and defensive end Alex Brown.

Moments earlier as the plane taxied down the Miami International Airport runway, a large Bears logo on the side of the plane came into clear view and the pilot opened his window to show off a Chicago Bears flag.

United flight 9900 landed at Miami International Airport at about 3:40 p.m. amid little fanfare aside from the media horde of about four dozen photographers and cameramen; the team's arrival was closed to the public and players did not speak to the media.

''We're treating this as a presidential arrival,'' airport media relations manager Marc Henderson said.

Media had to arrive at the airport about two hours before the Bears landed because of security protocol. A packed shuttle escorted the media onto the runway, where dogs sniffed their belongings and security personnel screened media with a security wand.

Nearly 90 minutes later the Bears made their grand entrance before being whisked away by a police caravan to the nearby Hilton Miami Airport Hotel.

The Bears' fate in Super Bowl XLI won't be decided until Sunday at Dolphin Stadium. But the Bears already held one edge over the Indianapolis Colts: being the first team to arrive.

City Of Arlington, Texas Announces Super Bowl XLV Effort - City Of Arlington Website

2007-01-26T01:14:00.000-08:00

The City of Arlington is leading a regional effort to bring Super Bowl XLV to the North Texas area in 2011. - City Of Arlington News

The game would be played at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

This week, elected officials from throughout the North Texas area joined Cowboys officials to support the formation of a Super Bowl Bid Committee. The bid application is due to the National Football League in April 2007. The selection could be announced in May 2007.

On Thursday, the North Texas Commission Board of Directors approved a resolution, pledging their support for this effort to further enhance worldwide prestige for the region, and to create “substantial economic activity and positive fiscal impacts for local taxing jurisdictions.”

“This regional effort has an economic impact of hundreds of millions of dollars that will allow us to fund efficient, better government,” said Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck. “We urge all businesses, cities, counties and citizens throughout the region to join in and support this positive enterprise.”

Robert Dale Morgan - The North Texas Super Bowl Bid Committee Lands His Help

2007-01-26T01:09:00.000-08:00

D-FW grabs for Super Bowl
New 'Boys stadium in good position to land 2011 game; vote due in May
Dallas Business Journal - January 12, 2007
by Dave Moore

If landing an NFL Super Bowl is all about getting a head start, North Texas has a good shot at nabbing the big game for 2011.

Besides having the most-expensive football stadium in the National Football League to bid with, North Texas has landed Robert Dale Morgan, who was part of successful Super Bowl bids for Atlanta in 2000 and Houston in 2004.

The North Texas Super Bowl bid committee also has acquired the pro-bono services of Denis Braham, a Texas attorney who helped draft laws for the Texas Legislature that aided Houston in its bid for the 2004 Super Bowl.

What's more, North Texas appears to be the only community that is loudly and blatantly proclaiming that it will fight to land Super Bowl XLV.

While the city of Indianapolis has said it's likely to enter a bid, and Arizona says it also will pursue the bowl game, neither has launched an official effort to bring the bowl game home. Rumblings are that New Orleans might submit a bid, but so far, those rumors are unconfirmed.

"You'll have the most phenomenal stadium in football history, and they've got to give you the game," said Jordy Tollett, a consultant with the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, referring to the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington.

Tollett was president and CEO of the Houston bureau when it made its bid for the 2004 Super Bowl. Tollett worked with Morgan and others to land the Super Bowl for the Houston region.

Morgan, a 23-year veteran of sports marketing and event management, was president and chief executive officer of the 2004 Houston Super Bowl Host Committee. Morgan, who couldn't be reached, also was president of the 2000 Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee and vice president of championship management for the PGA Tour, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Tollett said the $1 billion Cowboys stadium -- which cost Arlington taxpayers $325 million -- is a crucial ingredient in North Texas' proposal. Reliant Stadium in Houston played that role for that region's application, he said.

"I think if taxpayers make that kind of commitment to the NFL, that they will honor you by giving you ... a Super Bowl," Tollett said. "It's great for the community."

Estimates are that Super Bowls draw 120,000 people and about $300 million in economic impact, while costing about $20 million for pre- and post-game parties. Braham and others involved in the North Texas bid say communities throughout the region will need to work together to feed, house and entertain those crowds, and to assemble an application that will be approved by NFL football team owners.

The owners will vote for a site for the 2011 Super Bowl in May, after applications from communities are submitted on April 2.

Other rivals?

It might be argued that Indianapolis, whose citizens covered $575 million of the Lucas Oil Stadium's $675 million cost, also has a good shot at the event.

Deputy Indianapolis Mayor Steve Campbell would be glad to argue that case, though Indianapolis officials will only say that the city is leaning toward entering the 2011 Super Bowl derby.

"We feel confident that we have the apparatus that can get it done," Campbell said. "It's a culmination of what we've been doing for 30 years." He said while the Super Bowl might be higher profile, events that Indy has hosted -- including the Indianapolis 500 -- draw greater crowds.

Campbell acknowledged that the groundbreaking of Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis was a lynchpin in the consideration for pursuing a Super Bowl there.

Arizona, too, is counting on its newly constructed, $455 million University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale to draw a Super Bowl in 2011; it's already won the right to host the game in 2008. Hopes are to draw a Super Bowl to the stadium every five years, according to documents from the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, which owns the stadium.

The belief that newer stadiums have a better chance of attracting Super Bowls appears to have some foundation. Between 1992 and 2010, only five Super Bowls will have been held in stadiums more than a decade old, according to a Business Journal review of NFL records. And since '92, only two Super Bowls have been held north of the Mason-Dixon Line: one in Detroit and one in Minneapolis.

Tollett said it's no secret that the owners of professional teams like to vote for Super Bowls in warm destinations.

"I think they're going to occasionally go north, but I think they'll stay in a warmer climate," he said. "It's held in January or February and ... businesses want to head south for hosting purposes. I think it makes sense that they stay in a warmer destination."

Few would discount Arizona's climate.

"Just as in 2008, we have the infrastructure, the hotels and we have an unbelievably great stadium," said Debbie Wardrop, CEO of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee. "We have great weather and a great West Coast destination."

Indianapolis, meanwhile, brags of having 200 restaurants within walking distance of Lucas Oil Stadium.

Braham said a consortium of North Texas cities will collectively offer Super Bowl crowds a splendid time. And a regional Super Bowl application is the key to success, he added.

"You're going to have the international and national press there, focused on where the ... Super Bowl is being held," said Braham, who was recently named CEO of Winstead, Sechrest and Minick PC.

"The community coming together to show their hospitality to the fans, to the league, to the owners, teams, etc., is critical," he said. "The more they can show themselves as coming together as one, the more impressive the presentation will be."

New Dallas Cowboys Stadium
Location: Arlington
Seating capacity: 80,000, expandable to up to 100,000 for special events
Cost: $1 billion (estimated)
Completion date: 2009
Designer/ architect: HKS, Dallas
Replaces: Texas Stadium

Special features: A 60-yard-wide, center-hung video screen will allow crowds to see action up close; an 86-foot-high glass wall built into the facility will glow during evening games.

Arizona Cardinals Cardinals ready to bid for Super Bowl XLV

2007-01-26T01:06:00.000-08:00

Cardinals ready to bid for Super Bowl XLV
Michael Bidwill tells Valley mayors of plan
Ken Alltucker
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 15, 2006 12:00 AM

With a Super Bowl locked up for 2008, Arizona's football interests expect to once again bid for pro football's showcase game in 2011.

Arizona Cardinals Vice President Michael Bidwill said Tuesday that the organization will submit a Super Bowl XLV bid in March during an NFL owners meeting.

Bidwill made his comment during a Super Bowl Host Committee luncheon attended by mayors across the Valley.
advertisement

"It's our intention to explore this," Bidwill said after the meeting.

Host Committee Chairman Mike Kennedy described the bid process as "incredibly competitive" because "everybody wants it."

NFL owners typically select a host city during their spring meeting.

Arizona's Super Bowl Committee is kicking into high gear, planning events leading up to the Feb. 3, 2008, game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The NFL selected Tampa and south Florida as Super Bowl hosts for 2009 and 2010, respectively.

During the luncheon, Frank Supovitz, the National Football League's senior vice president of events, said cities that prepare early for the Super Bowl tend to get the biggest economic payoff.

Roger Staubach Will Head The North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bid Committee

2007-01-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

Staubach to head SB bid committee

Posted: January 25, 2007

Associated Press

DALLAS -- Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach was selected Thursday to chair an effort to bring the Super Bowl to North Texas.

The North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bid Committee wants the game to be played at the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington in 2011, two years after the venue is scheduled to open.

Bids must be turned in to the NFL by April 2. Team owners will review the bids and decide the venue in May.

"With tens of thousands of people expected to travel to the site of Super Bowl XLV, the economic impact would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars for our region," the former Dallas Cowboys star said in a news release.

Construction started last year for the 75,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium, two years after Arlington voters approved paying for half of the original $650 million price tag by raising sales, hotel and motel, and car-rental taxes.

Arlington, between Dallas and Fort Worth, is also home to baseball's Texas Rangers.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

If Colts Win Super Bowl, Coach Tony Dungy May Retire - ESPN

2007-01-25T02:10:00.000-08:00

After you read this ESPN article, you'll understand why

Dungy will ponder future with Colts after Super Bowl
Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts coach Tony Dungy will wait until after Indianapolis plays in the Super Bowl against Chicago to consider his future with the team.

Dungy signed a contract extension last year that would keep him in Indianapolis through 2009. But many have wondered whether the 51-year-old coach, who previously said he intended to retire at age 50, might resign if he wins the Super Bowl.

"That's something I've not thought a whole lot about," he said Wednesday. "I'll sit down with [owner] Jim [Irsay] and my wife at the end of the year. The first thing you have to do is make sure you're still wanted back. I never take that for granted any more."

Dungy made a similar statement after last season, when the Colts were eliminated from the playoffs in a 21-18 loss at home to eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh.

He has said since then that he always anticipated returning to the sideline this season.

There's little doubt Irsay would like Dungy back.

Irsay has often praised Dungy for his commitment to football and his life outside of it, and recently called Dungy's coaching job in 2002 one of the best he's ever seen.

Dungy ranks among the active leaders in victories with a record of 114-62. He's gone 60-20 in five seasons with the Colts, who won their first AFC title during their Indianapolis era Sunday with a 38-34 victory over New England. It's the first time Dungy has taken a team to the Super Bowl as a head coach.

Before joining the Colts in 2002, Dungy spent six seasons in Tampa Bay.

Off the field, however, Dungy has endured trying times since coming to Indianapolis.

His mother, Cleomae, died in January 2002, and his father, Wilbur, died in June 2004. Tony Dungy's oldest son, 18-year-old James, committed suicide at his apartment in Tampa, Fla., in December 2005.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

"Blue Sunday" Is Indy Colts New Song And Video

2007-01-25T02:07:00.000-08:00

Ok. It's not the Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle, but it's something to work with for the Colts' fans. Here's Blue Sunday, the song and the video:

My AFC Championship Playoff Game Experience - Colts 38, Patriots 34

2007-01-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

It's hard to begin to put into words how truly amazing this past weekend was. I had the opportunity to be at the AFC Championship game at the RCA Dome on Sunday. Being a Colts fan since they moved to my hometown in 1984, you can imagine my excitement.

While my beloved Colts have put forth efforts (and failed) several times to reach the big game, this year seemed different to me. I guess the media got tired of copying and pasting "Manning can't win the big one, Colts will never make the Superbowl", etc. etc. because this year, there didn't seem to be much hype about Indy in the press. They quietly made their way to the AFC Championship game.

On my connecting flight from Houston to Indy on Saturday, my excitement began to grow. As I boarded with the sea of Stokely, Addai, Manning and Freeney jerseys, I just couldn't contain myself. I gave high fives to and carried on conversations with complete strangers who were dressed in head-to-toe blue and white, just like me.

On Saturday evening, we headed out to check out the Circle City. We ended up tailgating (yes, I realize it was still about 18 hours before the game) in a parking lot with several Colts fans. It was freezing but I didn't care. I was too nervous and excited to notice. The shouts and honking of passer bys kept us warm.Finally...Sunday comes! I wake up to 3 inches of snow. Get up, get dressed and head downtown to check into my hotel. I started to feel discouraged with the number of Pats fans I encountered in the lobby. We watch the beginning of the Bears/Saints game and then head to the RCA Dome.

The outside of the Dome is plastered with GIANT blue and white letters that read "AFC CHAMPIONSHIP". Reality begins to creep in...win one more game and we're in the big show!We find our seats, watch warm-ups and pray that no loud Pats fans sit near us. By the time the game started, there were so few Pats fans in the stands, I felt proud that Indy fans actually heeded Peyton's advice "Don't sell your tickets to Pats fans!”

The game starts and the crowd is into it. I mean it's loud. But, as you can imagine, the noise diminished rather quickly through the remainder of the first half.As the first half drew to a close, I realized...I am NOT prepared for my Colts to lose this game!

The second half begins and it's like a whole new team. As our Colts determination began to grow, so did the crowds. The noise level comes back up and it would only get better!

Fast forward to the Addai touchdown to put the Colts ahead by 4. That hole was so big I could have made it through! The Dome just went berserk! But, being the realist that I am, knew that if anyone could make something out of a last, one minute drive, it would be Tom Brady. As the Pats continued to go through downs, we began to get more excited.

It was just then that the THE play that I will never forget happened. Tom Brady intercepted! The place erupted! I hugged my mom and every other Colts fan around me!! The floor was shaking from the jumping and I actually couldn't hear what my mom was saying to me (and she was right next to me). I had to sit down because I actually felt like I could pass out at any moment. All I could do is stand there and cry. I don't know if it was out of relief or adrenaline or just thankful that after all of the years of disappointing endings, Dungy, Manning and the Colts were finally going to the Superbowl!!

The confetti guns went off creating a blizzard of blue and white confetti, Will Smith's "Miami" is blaring over the PA system and the scoreboard reads "Colts 38, Patriots 34 / 00:00 / 4th Quarter". It's a Colts fan's dream come true.As they are setting up the podium for the trophy presentation I look around and realize, this is what it's all about. We all know at the end of the day, football is a business. But for this moment, it was about the fans that have seen their heroes fall so many times and for the coaches and players who have put their heart and souls into getting into the big game. It was a proud day for all Indy fans, players and coaches.

As we hear Dungy and Manning start to talk to Jim Nantz, I started to think of all of the elements this Superbowl entails, the first time two African-American coaches will face off in the big game, Peyton Manning is now 200 pounds lighter after getting that giant monkey off his back, the Colts just staged the biggest comeback in postseason history, an all-Midwest Superbowl and most importantly, the Colts have a great chance of bringing the Lombardi trophy to Indianapolis.We listen to the trophy presentation and then head outside to the mayhem!

We are shoulder to shoulder getting outside the Dome. A thundering chant of "Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl" is roaring from the crowd. When I was finally able to get to the top of the stairs to start my decent down to Capital Street, I was taken aback again. Chills run down my body, but not from the 20 degree weather, it was from the view. The sea of people in their blue and white, the posters, the Indy Star copies with "Super Colts" waiving in the air.

Again, I thought to myself, this is what the NFL is all about.

Tony Dungy Proud of Two Black Coaches In Super Bowl

2007-01-23T05:54:00.000-08:00

Dungy proud of two black coaches in Super Bowl
After a decades-long struggle for minority coaches in professional football, the Colts' Tony Dungy fully embraces the significance of two black head coaches in the Super Bowl.
BY MICHAEL WALLACE
mwallace@MiamiHerald.com

INDIANAPOLIS - Tony Dungy could only shake his head in disbelief as he reflected on the numbers back then.

Way back when black head coaches in the NFL didn't exist. Back when any thought of establishing a pipeline of minority head coaches essentially was a pipe dream.

That was the reality the Indianapolis Colts' coach stepped into in 1981 when he accepted his first NFL coaching job as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dungy quickly did the math. Then, he set out to alter the equation.

''When I came into the league, there were 14 African-American assistant coaches and 28 teams,'' Dungy, 51, said Monday, a day after he and the Bears' Lovie Smith became the first black head coaches to reach the Super Bowl.

``People who had an opportunity to change that were going to have to do it. It was about bringing good coaches and people into the league. In my heart of hearts, it was also to bring good African-American coaches.''

On Feb. 4, Dungy faces one of the protégés he groomed when the Colts play Smith's Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium. It will be the first meeting between black head coaches in the Super Bowl, which guarantees a black coach will lead his team to the title for the first time in NFL history.

For that reason, Dungy said next week's historical matchup represents ''a win-win'' situation.

It's also the high-water mark in a decades-long struggle for minority coaches who have had to overcome discriminatory hiring practices to land jobs at the top level.

''I realize the position we're in,'' Smith, 49, told reporters in Chicago after the Bears beat the New Orleans Saints to get to the Super Bowl. ``It's hard to put into words, but I know a lot of great coaches who came before me that didn't get this opportunity.''

Smith was a college assistant until 1996 when Dungy, then head coach at Tampa Bay, hired him to coach linebackers. Of the 45 questions Dungy was asked at Monday's news conference, 20 were related to his role in fighting through obstacles to create opportunities for himself and other black coaches.

COACHING TREE

Dungy is the league's only active coach to lead his team to the playoffs seven consecutive seasons. He is at the top of a coaching tree that saw a fourth former assistant land a top job on Monday when Mike Tomlin became the Steelers' first black head coach. Herm Edwards (Kansas City) and Rod Marinelli (Detroit), who is white, also have worked for Dungy.

''An opportunity like this, to get to the big game, has been a long time coming for him,'' said Colts lineman Anthony McFarland, who also played for Dungy in Tampa. ``I wish it would have happened for him years ago in Tampa. But he's got it now, and it couldn't be any better.''

The attention on Dungy and Smith leading to the Super Bowl should raise concerns about the overall low number of minority head coaches, said Floyd Keith, executive director of the Indianapolis-based Black Coaches Association.

There were seven black head coaches among the NFL's 32 teams this season, and two -- Dennis Green (Arizona) and Art Shell (Oakland) -- since have been fired. In college, there were only five among 119 Division I-A schools. The University of Miami made Randy Shannon the sixth after the season.

''I don't know if we'll ever match a day in the NFL of this magnitude,'' Keith said Monday. ``I don't know if you can adequately describe it, but you just appreciate it. It should send a message that color should never be a barrier. The issue is the quality. But some of the breakthroughs in the NFL, we're not seeing in college.''

Shannon's hiring was a significant step, but more need to be taken, said Florida State associate athletic director Bob Minnix, a member of the BCA's board of directors.

EVALUATING COLLEGES

Minnix said the BCA has started to circulate a report card that evaluates hiring practices of college athletic departments. It serves a purpose similar to that of the NFL's so-called ''Rooney Rule,'' which mandates that owners must interview minority candidates in coaching searches.

''On the collegiate level, we're woefully behind the times,'' Minnix said. ``We're just trying to help colleges make up ground. I applaud the University of Miami. But with Randy's hire, it's slow progress.''

Dungy sees that progress with programs now in place that once didn't exist. He said being one of two black coaches in the Super Bowl should continue to raise awareness.

''Some of the impediments are out of the way,'' he said. 'I think about my generation of kids who watched Super Bowls and never saw African-American coaches and didn't think that you could coach. Now, they can look at us and say, `Hey, I might be the coach one day.' That's special.''

RCA Dome Celebration After Colts RB Joseph Addai Scores Winning TD

2007-01-23T04:37:00.000-08:00

This video shows the pandemonium at the RCA Dome after the Colts RB Joseph Addai scored the winning TD in the AFC Championship Game:

Super Bowl Party - Leather And Laces And Penthouse "Goin Deep" Super Party - AOL Fanblog

2007-01-23T03:57:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl Party Quest: First Miami Party Webpages Are Up
Posted Jan 16th 2007 10:50PM by Stephanie Stradley

Visit our blog about Bauer's Pure Rush Super Bowl Party

My quest is to go to some fabu parties during my Super Bowl trip that I won after being named 2006 Ultimate Texans Fan. As long as I am searching the web for the best party info, I thought I'd share....

From what I can tell, this year's Super Bowl might be the biggest party event of all time. I am not exaggerating.
The last time the Super Bowl was held in a city that is really known as being a "party city" was Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans in 2002. Since there are few places as appealing as South Beach in February, apparently, the game and the parties that weekend are going to be hot tickets according to this article in the Miami Herald:

''Generally, we have about 30 more parties than the other Super Bowl cities,'' said John Webb, the sports tourism director for Broward County, who is also in charge of finding venues for local Super Bowl organizers. Webb said his latest list shows 104 events -- ``And we don't know about all of them.''

So far, only a few websites for the bigger parties are starting to go up (uh, the links are probably not the safest for work unless you work somewhere kind of relaxed):

* Leather & Laces Friday, February 2nd, 9pm-5am at Chakra , 15th Street and Ocean Drive.
The celebrity hosts for this 4th annual event are beautiful and clearly not chosen to appeal my particular demographic, though I am sure that they are delightful people and fun to party with: Carmen Electra, Jenny McCarthy, Kelly Monoco, Victoria Silverstedt and Brande Roderick.
The list of invited players and celebs is far too vast for me to mention other than by this link. Personally, I believe, in all seriousness, that a SB party is probably not worth going to unless someone associated with the show Entourage is in attendance. HBO makes magnificent television.
And, hey, it is nice to justify spending money to go to this event because the proceeds go to great causes.

* The Penthouse "Goin' Deep" Super Party Saturday, February 3rd, 10pm-5 am at Mansion, 1235 Washington Ave.
The featured entertainer for this party is Snoop Dogg. No particular list of guests is given other than saying it will include mingling with 28 Penthouse Pets, and "A List" celebs, actors, musicians and athletes.

I don't doubt folks will want to be there because everybody loves Snoop. (Funny non-PC link, and the translations on that page are funnier, even if your French isn't so good).

Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle Video

2007-01-22T12:11:00.000-08:00

The famous Chicago Bears Super Bowl shuffle video is here, reposted after 20 years in hibernation:

Cirque du Soleil To Perform in Super Bowl XLI Pregame Show - Superbowl.com

2007-01-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

Cirque du Soleil to perform in Super Bowl XLI pregame show
(Jan. 9, 2007) -- Cirque du Soleil and Miami-based artist Romero Britto will team to celebrate South Florida and football in an unprecedented performance in the Super Bowl XLI pregame show on CBS at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida on Sunday, Feb. 4, the NFL announced.

The Super Bowl is annually the nation's highest-rated TV program. More than 141 million viewers watched last year's game in the U.S. Super Bowl XLI will be broadcast to a potential worldwide audience of 1 billion in more than 230 countries and territories.

Inspired by Brazilian street theater, 60 professional performers and hundreds of other participants will participate in the pregame show, which will be a high-energy extravaganza of music, dance, gymnastics and circus arts linked by a multi-colored football theme. The Cirque du Soleil performers will be a living, breathing canvas for Britto, whose signature pop-art has come to define the color and vibrancy of South Florida.

Grammy® Award Winner Louie Vega will supply an original musical score and will perform with his Elements of Life Orchestra featuring vocalist Anane while the Cirque du Soleil performance comes to life.

The Cirque du Soleil team will include Fernand Rainville, director of creation, Patricia Ruel, creator of costumes and accessories, Geneviève Dorion-Coupal, choreographer and Daniel Cola, acrobatic coach.

Don Mischer Productions and White Cherry Entertainment will produce the Super Bowl XLI pregame show as part of their season-long marquee entertainment agreement with the NFL. The two companies produced the NFL Opening Kickoff 2006 special from Pittsburgh and the Thanksgiving special from Kansas City on NFL Network. In addition to the pregame show, they also will produce the Pepsi Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show. Don Mischer Productions will serve as executive producer and director, while White Cherry Entertainment, led by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss, will serve as executive producers. The NFL has worked the past three years with both Don Mischer Productions and White Cherry Entertainment on Opening Kickoff and Super Bowl shows.

David Saltz of Red Eye Flight Productions will also serve as producer of the pregame show. Saltz has worked with Cirque on their Beatles inspired LOVE production and has brought them together with Britto for this original Super Bowl performance. Saltz has worked with the NFL on Opening Kickoff and Super Bowl Halftime the past three years.

With Dungy and Smith In Super Bowl XLI, African Americans Forced To See Positive Role Models

2007-01-22T05:58:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know the title of my post is controversial. But it's also true. It comes from several episodes in my personal life that I will never forget and caused me to think that we -- African Americans or "blacks" if you will (I use the terms interchangebly) -- have actually conditioned ourselves to accept a second class place in American Life. (Oh, if youre wondering, that's me on the left, in the suit.)

Now, with the two teams in Super Bowl XLI being coached by African Americans -- the Chicago Bears by Lovie Smith and the Indianapolis Colts by Tony Dungy, Blacks are actually forced to see ourselves in positive role model positions. It's about time and will help me reduce, but not erase the memory of the following occurences in my life.

The first one was when I was 14-years-old. (I'm 44 now.) I was just leaving a McDonald's Restaurant located in South Chicago and just off Avalon Avenue, when an older Black man walked in and yelled "I want the manager! Where's the manager?!" I don't know what his complaint was but he seemed angry. So a tall, well dressed Black man walked out from behind the counter and identified himself as the manager. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"Naw. You're not the manager. I wanna see the White Man." That's what he said, and I obviously never forgot it. I left the place as my Mom was waiting for me outside, but those words "I wanna see the White Man" never left my head.

The second occurence was during a visit to see my auntie in Tennessee when I was 17-years-old. One of her family friends was bragging about how he purchased a new car almost every year "Like the White man does" he said. And he kept saying it. It was annoying to me and so I asked Mom about it. "That's how some of us think," she said. "It's not right, but you're being exposed to it."

No kidding.

I was never told or even allowed to think that I could not do something because I am Black. I was never instructed that there are "two rules" -- one for Blacks and the other for Whites. I was also never discouraged from seeing the late Economist John Kenneth Galbraith as my hero even though he's White. No one ever told me that his position or way of thinking was not attainable to me or anyone else because they were or I am Black. I was never told not to date interracially because I was Black. I was never told that I could not be with Asian or White or Latino or any "different" friends because I am African American. Never.

I was always instructed to expect to see Blacks in important positions and indeed my Mom knew Blacks who were. Blacks like Arnold Grant, who was the first African American Regional Director of Kentucky Fried Chicken in the 60s. Or my father, who I'm named after, and who invented an electric ladder. Or my late stepfather Chester Yerger, Jr., who fought in World War II and who's father was part of one of Arkansas' most prominent families. Thus, I'm happy that at least one of the members of the Federal Reserve Board are Black -- there should be more. The point is, I was brought up to expect greatness from Blacks.

But I digress.

I've seen more examples of Black self-hatred and dislike of other Blacks who rise to positions of power or prominence than the opposite. You can take the examples I gave, or San Francisco Radio Station KNBR's Personality Rod Brooks' recent statements calling Black Coaches "one of those" as if they were a bad thing, or Black on Black crime, I could go on and on.

But now, with Colts Coach Tony Dungy exorcising the demons of Patriots past, and Lovie Smith expecting his Chicago Bears to be Super Bowl champions and then willing his team to the game, I have a reason to smile. And Blacks everywhere do as well.

This adds to the expected greatness of Tiger Woods, and the rise of Barack Obama to Senator and perhaps President of the United States of America. It means we can expect greatness from us, and indeed should insist on it. Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith coaching in the World's largest single day sports event seen by almost 1 Billion people, will do almost as much for Black self-esteem as Martin Luther King did decades ago and today. A tall statement, perhaps. But consider the size of the Super Bowl TV audience once again and then think about it.

Still, it's a jarring experience for some of us to see this. Derrick Bell, the noted Black law professor formerly of Harvard and now at New York University, told the story of an African American cab driver who asked what he did, and when he told him, the driver said "Man, it's guys like you that make it hard for me." What he meant, was that he could not easily use the fact that he's Black as a reason for not succeeding. Indeed, it's a reason to at least try. We all know that racism is alive and well but it makes life harder when we as Blacks don't expect to excell because of it. It's better to fight racism and battle through it, but not destroy one's self because of it.

Thus, the next time -- regardless of who you are as we need all hands on deck to rid ourselves of this self-esteem problem -- you hear someone Black ask "Where's the White Man?" when an African American manager appears, don't slap the crap out of him, just say to him "He's in line, ordering from the Black man who runs the place."

Coming to Miami? Come to the Bauer's Super Bowl Party!

Super Bowl XLI: Chicago Bears v. Indianapolis Colts - NFL.com

2007-01-22T02:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday, February 4, 6:25 p.m. ET on CBS

Super Bowl XLI will have a fresh look with two teams that haven't seen the NFL's title game in a long time. The Bears are back in the Super Bowl for first time since winning Super Bowl XX in January of 1986, while the Colts will make a Super Bowl appearance for the first time since the franchise, then located in Baltimore, beat Dallas in Super Bowl V.

Both teams started the 2006 season fast with the Bears winning their first seven games on their way to the NFC North title and the Colts starting 9-0 on their way to the AFC South crown. The game will feature strength against strength with the Colts' offense, ranked third in the regular season, going against a Bears defense that finished the season ranked fifth overall.

Both teams have plenty of talent, with Chicago sending seven players to the Pro Bowl, six from the defense or special teams, and the Colts boasting five Pro Bowl players, all from the offense. Bears coach Lovie Smith and Colts coach Tony Dungy are close friends, dating back to Smith's time working on Dungy's staff with the Tampa Bay Bucs, and the two are the first African-American head coaches to reach the Super Bowl.

NFL SUPER BOWL XLI FACT SHEET - SUPER BOWL MIAMI NFL / MEDIA HOTELS - ECONOMIC IMPACT: $350 million - PRESS RELEASE

2007-01-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

I found this press release from the Miami Super Bowl XLI Host Committee complete by accident and posted it. It's full of information on the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami.

SUPER BOWL XLI FACT SHEET

HOST COMMITTEE: The South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee is a private, not-for-profit 501 c (6) Florida Corporation that serves as the liaison between the National Football League and local efforts in the planning and executing of Super Bowl XLI. The 32 NFL owners awarded the game to South Florida on the condition that a Host Committee was established.

The South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, which is chaired by Mr. Rodney Barreto. Day-to-day operations are handled by a small full-time staff under the direction of Mr. Michael Kelly, President of the Host Committee, a grouping of sub-committees and thousands of dedicated volunteers.

HOST COMMITTEE CONTACT INFORMATION:
South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee
2269 Dan Marino Boulevard, Miami Gardens, Florida 33056
Phone: 305-626-7341
Fax: 305-614-7567
Website: www.superbowlxli.org

E-mail: General Information - info@superbowlxli.org, Media - media@superbowlxli.org,
Volunteer - volunteer@superbowlxli.org

SUPER BOWL XLI WHERE & WHEN: Super Bowl XLI will be played at Dolphin Stadium on
Sunday, February 4, 2007, at approximately 6 p.m. EST.

SUPER TRADITION: Super Bowl XLI is the 9th Super Bowl to be hosted in South Florida since
1968. This ties the record for the most Super Bowls hosted by a community.

1) Super Bowl II – played January 14, 1968 (Green Bay Packers 33, Oakland Raiders 14)
2) Super Bowl III – played January 12, 1969 (New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7)
3) Super Bowl V – played January 17, 1971 (Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13)
4) Super Bowl X – played January 18, 1976 (Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17)
5) Super Bowl XIII – played January 21, 1979 (Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31)
6) Super Bowl XXIII – played January 22, 1989 (San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16)
7) Super Bowl XXIX – played January 29, 1995 (San Francisco 49, San Diego 26)
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8) Super Bowl XXXIII –played January 31, 1999 (Denver 34, Atlanta 19)
9) Super Bowl XLI – to be played February 4, 2007
10) Super Bowl XLIV - to be played February 7, 2010

ECONOMIC IMPACT: Super Bowl XLI is expected to generate over $350 million in total economic impact for the region. Most of these dollars will be generated from the 125,000 visitors who patronize hotels, restaurants, stores and attractions and indirectly from exposure that leads to increased tourism and business relocation.

PRACTICE SITES: AFC Champions – Miami Dolphins Training Facility (Nova Southeastern University Davie Campus); NFC Champions – University of Miami (Coral Gables).
MEDIA CENTER: The Media Center will be located at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
HOTELS AND LODGING: The NFL in conjunction with the Host Committee has approximately 20,000 hotel rooms under contract. For further information on ‘Fan Housing’, please visit SuperBowl.org

NFL Headquarters Hotel for Super Bowl XLI:

♦ Marriott Biscayne Bay
1633 N. Bayshore Drive, Miami, Florida 33132 (p) 305-374-3900
Team Hotels for Super Bowl XLI:

♦ Hilton Miami Airport (NFC Team)

5101 Blue Lagoon Drive, Miami, Florida 33126 (p) 305-262-1000
♦ Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa (AFC Team)
3030 Holiday Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33316 (p) 954-525-4000

Media Hotels for Super Bowl XLI:

♦ Hyatt Regency Miami
400 SE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33131 (p) 305-358-1234
♦ Doubletree Surfcomber
1717 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139 (p) 305-532-7715
♦ Holiday Inn South Beach
2201 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139 (p) 305-779-3200
♦ Fairfield Inn & Suites
Page 3
4101 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140 (p) 305-673-3337
♦ Four Points by Sheraton
4343 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140 (p) 305-531-7494
♦ Best Western Beach Resort
4333 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140 (p) 305-532-3311
♦ Deauville Resort
6701 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33141 (p) 305-865-8511

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE BOARD MEMEBERS:

Rodney Barreto (Chairman), The Barreto Group
Joe Bailey, Dolphins Enterprises
Steve Belous, Ernst & Young
Bruce Jay Colan, Holland & Knight
Dean Colson, Colson Hicks Eidson
Shaun Davis, Shaun Davis & Associates
Victor Diaz, Podhurst Orseck
Albert Dotson, Bilzin Sumberg Dunn Price & Axelrod
Linda Gill, Gill Hotels Company
Nicki Grossman, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
Robert J. Henninger, Huizenga Holdings, Inc.
Pete Hernandez, Miami-Dade County
W.E. “Mac” McLaughlin, Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Angel Medina, Jr., Regions Bank
Bruce Schulze, Dolphin Stadium
Phil Smith, Phil Smith Mitsubishi & KIA
William D. Talbert, III, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE STAFF:
Michael Kelly, President
Myra Berk, Executive Administrator
Ken Elder, Senior Director of Corporate Marketing
Nicole Epley, Director of Operations & Special Events
Gary Hartfield, Director of Community Outreach
Soulan Johnson, Director of Volunteer Services
Leslie Bauknight Nixon, Community Outreach/Public Relations Coordinator
Donn Patchen, Director of Communications
Kathryn Rogers, Director of VIP Relations/Hospitality Services

Page 4
SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEES:
Communications – This committee is responsible for developing a comprehensive media/public relations plan that is designed to promote Super Bowl XLI programs and events, and to foster a sense of community pride in hosting Super Bowl XLI throughout the South Florida region.

Co-Chairs: Gary Bitner, Evan Contorakes
Staff Contact: Donn Patchen
Community Outreach - The Community Outreach Committee is responsible for conveying to all segments of our population the ways in which people can get involved with the local Super Bowl XLI movement. Of particular importance to this committee is the implementation of the NFL’s Emerging Business Program in order to promote and facilitate opportunities for local businesses. This committee will also develop a comprehensive youth outreach program that will provide all students an opportunity to participate in Super Bowl XLI and will work with the NFL to enhance the existing Youth Education Town (YET) Centers. YET Centers were built during the two most recent Super Bowls in South Florida. The facilities are high-tech educational facilities designed to benefit economically disadvantaged youth.

Co-Chairs: Dr. Wilhelmena Mack, Al Padron, Bryan Finnie
Staff Contact: Gary Hartfield
Corporate Marketing - The committee works towards the development of sponsorship opportunities, creating and monitoring prospect lists, and developing sponsorship packages and benefits in order to provide the resources necessary to accomplish our organizational objectives.

Co-Chairs: Phil Smith, Jose Cancela
Staff Contact: Ken Elder
Government Relations – This committee will ensure that the federal, state and local governments are informed about the preparations surrounding Super Bowl XLI and that governmental compliance with all bid parameters are met.

Co-Chairs: Marshall Criser, Joel Gustafson
Staff Contact: Michael Kelly
Page 5
Hospitality Services – This committee is responsible for welcoming visitors to South Florida in a warm and memorable manner and providing exceptional service throughout their stay. This committee will identify a sufficient number of accommodations in the area suitable for both VIP’s and general fans. The committee will also develop programs to properly train the local service industry to embrace the opportunity of hosting a Super Bowl in our community.

Co-Chairs: Christopher Pollock, Larry Gautier
Staff Contact: Kathryn Rogers
Operations – In conjunction with the NFL’s transportation and logistical consultants, this committee is responsible for the integrated planning of all aspects of traffic, transportation, parking, public safety and spectator/visitor movement, including ground and air transport. This committee will also be responsible for preparing Dolphin Stadium and the surrounding areas to host Super Bowl XLI and ancillary activities, establishing a local medical services program and securing and preparing practice sites.

Co-Chairs: Pete Hernandez, Rob Hernandez
Staff Contact: Nicole Epley
Special Events – This committee is responsible for producing all Host Committee events and for coordinating and facilitating the calendar of ancillary events that surround the Super Bowl so that visitors and residents have a “super” week whether they have a game ticket or not.

Co-Chairs: John Webb, Victor Diaz
Staff Contact: Nicole Epley
Volunteer Services – The Volunteer Services Committee recruits, trains and coordinates more than 8,000 volunteers who will assist in many areas (e.g. Meet & Greet, NFL Experience, airports, hotels, transportation, special events, command center, visitor information line). This committee will work closely with the Hospitality Committee to provide first-class service to our visitors.
Co-Chairs: Elaine Adler, Kelly Tortoriello
Staff Contact: Soulan Johnson

SPECIAL EVENTS INFORMATION: Dozens of events are staged each year during Super Bowl week. The dates for several key events surrounding Super Bowl XLI are:

♦ Saturday and Sunday, January 27 and 28; Wednesday through Sunday, January
31 through February 4 – NFL Experience
Page 6
♦ Saturday and Sunday, January 27 and 28 – NFL Youth Football Clinics
♦ Sunday, January 28 and Saturday, February 3 – İSuper Fieston!
♦ Monday, January 29 – Opening Ceremonies, “A Salute to South Florida’s Super
Tradition”
♦ Tuesday, January 30 – Miami-Dade County Media Party
♦ Wednesday, January 31 – Broward County Media Party
♦ Wednesday, January 31 and Saturday, February 3 – NFL Global Junior
Championship XI
♦ Thursday, February 1 – International Media Reception
♦ Friday, February 2 – South Beach Celebrity Shootout
♦ Friday, February 2 – Super Bowl Gospel Celebration
♦ Saturday, February 3 – NFL Charities Golf Classic
♦ Saturday, February 3 – Super Bowl Saturday Night
♦ Saturday, February 3 – Taste of the NFL
♦ Saturday, February 3 – Volleypalooza
♦ Sunday, February 4 – NFL On Location
♦ Sunday, February 4 – The Touchdown Club
Additional information regarding the many special events that will occur during Super Bowl week in South Florida will be posted on www.superbowlxli.org as soon as the details are confirmed.

# # #
Contact:
Donn Patchen, Director of Communications, 305.614.7560, dpatchen@superbowlxli.org
Maria Scott, Media Relations, 305.614.7558, mscott@superbowlxli.org

2005 TAMPA SUPER BOWL BID PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS NFL SUPER BOWL BID RESPONSE EXAMPLE

2007-01-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

For anyone responsible for assembling a Super Bowl Bid, this is a good example of what it should contain and how the bidding organization should respond to the NFL's requirements.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
May 3, 2005
Karen Brand, 813/342-4052

Tampa, FL -- The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau planned to get a jump on the
competition by submitting the area’s bid to host Super Bowl XLIII to NFL owners a day earlier
than the official deadline. The organization shipped the 80-page “Host City Bid Specifications
with Responses for Super Bowl XLIII (2009)” to the 32 team owners and NFL staff for delivery
on Friday, April 29. The official deadline was Monday, May 2.

“It’s just one of the many tactics and strategies we have in place to set our bid apart from the
others,” explained Dick Beard, chair of the Super Bowl Task Force. “We’re doing everything we
can to call attention to Tampa’s bid and position ourselves as the best choice for hosting the
world’s most spectacular sporting event. I think we’re off to a good start.”

The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau compiled the response with support from various
community organizations including Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, Tampa International
Airport, Tampa Sports Authority, and area hotels. The bid included over 50 letters of support
from business and community leaders across the region. Packaged in a customized binder for
each team, the document showcases the area’s beaches, warm weather, and leisure pursuits.
“Our goal with the bid book was to remind the owners that there’s nowhere else in the country
that they’d rather be than Tampa in February for the Super Bowl,” said Paul Catoe,
President/CEO of the Tampa Bay CVB. “We have the total package: a great stadium, a solid
hotel block, tremendous community support, and a legacy of success and innovation every time
we’ve hosted the Super Bowl. And don’t forget our award-winning airport, world-class
attractions, warm weather, championship golf, and some of the best beaches in the country.”

-more-
SUPER BOWL BID
SHOWCASES TAMPA BAY’S
BEST ATTRIBUTES

Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau
400 N. Tampa Street, Suite 2800
Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 223-1111
(813) 229-6616 www.visittampabay.com

Page 2
Super Bowl Bid Showcases Area’s Best
Page 2

In response to the requirements set forth by the NFL, some of the elements of the bid include:
• Resolutions from the City and County protecting the NFL from unauthorized promotional
activities during the Super Bowl period (“ambush marketing”).
• Resolutions from the City and County confirming that there will be no charge for any
public security/safety services provided outside the Stadium, the NFL Experience, and
all other facilities used for NFL Official Events.
• The City and/or County must create a one-mile “clean zone” around the Stadium and
pertinent downtown areas where no unauthorized merchandise vending will be allowed.
• The Host Committee will provide cost-free venues for both the Friday night party and the
Saturday night parties sponsored by the NFL. Venues suggested include the Tampa
Convention Center, MacDill Air Force Base, USF Sun Dome, The Florida Aquarium, A
La Carte Event Pavilion, Busch Gardens, and The Plaza at the St. Pete Times Forum.
• The Host Committee will provide three top-quality 18-hole golf courses for the NFL
Charities Golf Classic at no charge.
• Funding for the Host Committee activities will be derived from sponsorship and
corporate contributions, tourist development funds, the Florida Sports Foundation, and
hotel rebates.
If Tampa Bay’s bid is successful, it would mark the fourth time the area has played host to the
Super Bowl: Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, the Super Bowl XXV anniversary game in 1991 during
the Gulf War, and Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. Super Bowl XLIII will be played on Sunday,
February 1, 2009.
Tampa is competing with Houston, Miami, and Atlanta for the 2009 Super Bowl.
Representatives from the Tampa Bay area will make a presentation on May 25 in Washington,
D.C. at the NFL Owner’s Meeting. A decision is expected following the conclusion of the
meeting.

# # #
The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau is an independent, non-profit membership
organization created to attract and serve visitors to Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay CVB is funded, in part, by the
Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners/Tourist Development Council.
www.VisitTampaBay.com

Indy Star Points To RCA Dome Crowd As "X-Factor"

2007-01-19T23:07:00.000-08:00

I found this in the Colts Blog area of the Indy Star:

The RCA Dome will probably be at its loudest. It’s often said that home-field advantage doesn’t matter to the ultimate competitors in the most important games, but the climate-controlled venue should have a dramatic effect on this game. Colts fans have waited 22 seasons for their first AFC Championship Game in Indianapolis. They won’t sit on their hands unless New England forces them to do it. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is seasoned enough to block out the noise, but New England must be careful in how it attacks a fast-improving speedy Colts defense, which feeds off crowd energy and, led by pass rusher Dwight Freeney, has been a step too fast for visitors this season. The Colts have enjoyed four home games this season with four sacks apiece. That includes the AFC wild-card playoff victory over Kansas City. The Colts have generated 23 of their 31 sacks at home. And the Colts are 9-0 in their dome this season.

Edge: Colts

I could not agree more. This already noisy crowd will be sky-high jacked up for this first-time-in-Indy contest. It's hard for me see the Colts not feeding off this tribal-warfare-dance level frenzy of people. It will impact everything. It's just that -- if you're Peyton Manning -- you hope the crowd know when to be quiet and when to get loud.

Indianapolis Is Bidding For The 2011 Super Bowl - WTHR, Mary Milz/Eyewitness News

2007-01-19T06:54:00.000-08:00

Indy hopes to court Super Bowl
Jan 5, 2007 02:38 PM

Mary Milz/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - It's not too early for Indianapolis to think Super Bowl - the 2011 Super Bowl, that is. Indianapolis, Phoenix and Dallas have all expressed interest in hosting football's big event.

Indianapolis business and government leaders think the city has a good shot at getting the game with Lucas Oil Stadium opening in 2008, but a great stadium is just the start.

So what will it take to host the Super Bowl? The NFL's Brian McCarthy said the NFL's checklist starts with weather. Temperatures must average 50 degrees or higher in January or the host city must have a climate-controlled venue. Lucas Oil meets that requirement.

That venue needs at least 70,000 seats. Lucas Oil can provide that. McCarthy said if the venue is new, the host team must have played at least two regular seasons in the stadium. The Colts will have.

The host city must also provide two comparable practice facilities. Indy has the Colts training facility, but needs another.

Capital Improvement Board President Fred Glass said that's one requirement the city needs to address.

"That's going to be an expense," Glass said. "It's the challenge of a cold-weather city. We have to have a top over our second facility. We'll be able to do it. It's just the expense."

McCarthy said the host city must provide a first-class media center able to accommodate 3,500 journalists from around the world. It must provide between 700,000 and one million square feet for the NFL Experience, an interactive theme park and it must have facilities able to house large-scale events, like the Commissioners' party, expected to draw 5,000 to 7,000 people.

Glass said the expanded convention center should accommodate much of that, with other venues such as Conseco Fieldhouse also available.

"We're built for entertainment to host big events," Glass said, pointing to the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard and U.S. Grand Prix. Indy has also hosted five men's Final Four Championships.

McCarthy said the NFL also requires a host city to provide 27,000 available hotel rooms within an hour's drive of the venue. Those rooms must be designated for the Super Bowl.

"That will be one of the challenges," Glass said, "But I believe we'll absolutely be able to meet that and without bringing cruise ships up the White River or anything off the wall like that."

Glass was referring to Jacksonville, Florida which hosted the Super Bowl in 2005. Because it didn't have enough hotel rooms, Jacksonville used cruise ships to make up the difference.

He said the new 1,000-room JW Marriott convention center hotel will help considerably. It's due to open in early 2010. Also on the list of NFL requirements?

Adequate security, transportation and 5,000 to 10,000 volunteers. No problem, said Glass.

"Again, the events we put on are a huge advantage for us," Glass said. "We know how to run big events. Our police officers know how to run events, our firefighters do."

Nearby attractions can help. Miami, the site of this year's Super Bowl, offers an array of outdoor activities including beaches, boating, fishing and golfing. Glass said while Indianapolis can't compete with South Florida on weather, it does offer an array of attractions and a compact, easy-to-get-around downtown.

"The hotels are close to the venues, the restaurants and bars, so you get this buzz of activity that you don't get in other places," Glass said. "What we bring is this excitement focused on downtown."

Glass estimates the cost of hosting a Super Bowl in Indianapolis at $15 million to $20 million, all money that would be privately raised. Glass said he and others exploring the feasibility of a bid, will make a decision by month's end. At this point, he said, it looks likely they will pursue it.

The NFL requires bids by April first. McCarthy said league officials will then spend a month or so helping cities improve their bids. Those cities will make a final presentation to the NFL owners, who meet in Nashville in mid-May.

A final decision is expected then.

Prince To Perform at Pepsi Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show

2007-01-15T17:54:00.000-08:00

Prince to perform at Pepsi Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show - Superbowl.com

NEW YORK (Dec. 10, 2006) -- Prince, one of the world's most electrifying performers, is set to perform in the Pepsi Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show on CBS at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida on Sunday, Feb. 4, the NFL announced today. The announcement was made live on CBS' NFL pregame show, The NFL Today.

Prince is more than just one of the world's most popular and influential musicians -- he is an international icon. One of the greatest living performers of our time, he has sold nearly 100 million albums and is a member of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He has won six Grammy Awards (he's one of the leading nominees this year with five Grammy nominations) and five American Music Awards. He has one of the most recognizable and successful bodies of work of any musician, consisting of 20 Top 10 hits which include "Purple Rain," "Little Red Corvette," "1999," "Kiss," "When Doves Cry," "Cream," "Diamonds and Pearls" and countless others. There is no question that when it comes to his achievements, Prince has made an indelible mark on rock 'n roll history.

The Super Bowl is annually the nation's highest-rated TV program. More than 141 million viewers watched last year's game in the U.S. Super Bowl XLI will be broadcast to a potential worldwide audience of 1 billion in more than 230 countries and territories.

This year marks the first time Pepsi, which has been an NFL sponsor the past five seasons, has sponsored the Super Bowl halftime show.

Don Mischer Productions and White Cherry Entertainment will produce the Pepsi Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show as part of their season-long marquee entertainment agreement with the NFL. The two companies produced the NFL Opening Kickoff 2006 special from Pittsburgh and the Thanksgiving special from Kansas City on NFL Network. In addition to the halftime show, they also will produce the Super Bowl XLI pregame show. Don Mischer Productions will serve as executive producer and director, while White Cherry Entertainment, led by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss, will serve as executive producers. The NFL has worked the past three years with both Don Mischer Productions and White Cherry Entertainment on Opening Kickoff and Super Bowl shows.

SUPER BOWL XLI Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash - Thursday, February 1 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.

2007-01-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS INFO

Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash

The event includes two concerts with top musical acts and NFL players and will be taped to air on television the Saturday night before the Super Bowl. This event is part of a concert series and will be aired on VH-1.

Location: NFL Experience Built by the Home Depot
Dolphin Stadium Grounds
2269 Dan Marino Boulevard
Miami Gardens, FL 33056
Date and Time: Thursday, February 1 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Features performances by: Kanye West, Fergie and John Legend
Friday, February 2 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Features performances by Daddy Yankee and Aventura
Tickets and Cost: Tickets are $35 general admission and $50 for seats. Tickets are
available through www.ticketmaster.com.

Troupe21's Player Networking Event In Miami, Thursday, February 1, 2007

2007-01-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

I talked to Guy Troupe, President of Troupe21, about two years ago and just before his second Players Networking Event. It's a great idea and well-presented as well. If you have a business that can benefit from working with a former NFL player, and you're going to be in Miami for Super Bowl XLI, contact Guy. The text below is from his website. Here's the location and info:

Thursday, February 1, 2007
Troupe21's Player Networking Event
Location: Bank of America Tower
www.troupe21.com

The Player Networking Event™, an exclusively owned property of Troupe21 & Associates, was created to help current and former athletes transition from sports. In major team sports such as baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, hockey, football and men’s soccer—statistics say that over 1,000 professional athletes are forced to retire from a playing career each year—and an additional 30,000 athletes competing in these sports at NCAA member schools must transition to the traditional world of work annually. When faced with transition at such a young age players are looking to associate with new teams, and powerful brands, that will provide them with opportunities to display the transferable skills they have acquired as a result of years of practice and competition.

The Player Networking Event™, also known as PNE, is designed to help current and former athletes understand the importance of networking and helps to facilitate (1) athlete-to-athlete partnerships and consulting relationships; (2) exposure for organizations in place to help athletes with career transition; (3) recruiting opportunities for corporations targeting athletes as future employees; (4) access for corporations targeting athletes for partnerships, endorsement and franchising opportunities, and (4) targeted sales and marketing opportunities.

PNE, which began in professional football at the NFL Super Bowl in 1999, is a three hour networking extravaganza with soft music, food, beverages and display booths for major corporations interested in working with athletes. Sponsors and Strategic Allies help to make PNE a worthwhile experience for all involved. Click one of the links below to learn more about the expansion of PNE.

Motorola Mile At Super Bowl XLI: Ocean Drive (between 5th and 15th Streets) Miami

2007-01-15T17:22:00.000-08:00

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS INFO
Motorola Mile At South Beach
Come enjoy the Motorola Mile at South Beach. From Thursday, February 1 to Sunday, February 4, Motorola is opening up Ocean Drive on Miami Beach to pedestrian only traffic, (between 5th and 15th Streets), creating a walk through South Florida History. Super Bowl XLI is the ninth Super Bowl hosted by the region. Football fans will take a trip through past South Florida Super
Bowls as they walk down the street passing photos and stories that will be used to bring those great memories to life. Motorola will light up the night with a unique lighting display featuring a tribute to the eight past Super Bowls in South Florida and Super Bowl XLI.

Location: Ocean Drive (between 5th and 15th Streets)
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Dates and Times: Thursday, February 1 to Sunday, February 4
Tickets and Cost: Free and open to the public

SUPER BOWL XLI NFL Youth Football Clinics

2007-01-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS INFO
NFL Youth Football Clinics

Over 3,200 boys and girls ages 8-12 invited from local elementary and middle schools, youth
football programs and community youth organizations will partake in youth football clinics.
Participants will learn basic football fundamentals, sportsmanship and team work from NFL
players and youth coaches. More information is available at www.nflyouthfootball.com.
Location: Orange Bowl Stadium (January 27)

1501 NW Third Street
Miami, FL 33125
Lockhart Stadium (January 28)
1350 NW 55TH Street

Miami, FL 33309

Dates and Times: Saturday, January 27 Orange Bowl Stadium

Clinic #1: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Clinic #2: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Clinic #3: 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Clinic #4: 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday, January 28 Lockhart Stadium

Clinic #1: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Clinic #2: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Clinic #3: 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Clinic #4: 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Tickets and Cost: Free Event

Super Bowl XLI -- The NFL Experience In Miami Opens Saturday, January 27 10 a.m.

2007-01-15T17:11:00.000-08:00

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS INFO
NFL Experience
The NFL Experience Built by the Home Depot is the most exciting continuous event surrounding
Super Bowl XLI. The NFL Experience is pro football’s interactive theme park offering
participatory games, displays, entertainment attractions, kids’ clinics, free autograph sessions
and the largest football card show of the year. More information is available at
http://www.superbowl.com/features/nfl_experience

Location: Dolphin Stadium Grounds
2269 Dan Marino Boulevard
Miami Gardens, FL 33056
Dates and Times: Saturday, January 27 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday, January 28 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Thursday, February 1 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday, February 2 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday, February 3 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday, February 4* 11 a.m.

Tickets and Cost: Tickets are available via online at www.superbowl.com or via phone at
(866) TIX-4NFL (846-4635). Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $10 for
children (12-and-under).
* Note: Closed to general public. Game Ticket Holders Only

Miami Gets Ready To Host Super Bowl XLI - The Associated Press

2007-01-15T16:58:00.000-08:00

Seductive, sleepless Miami gets ready to play Super Bowl host
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By MATT SEDENSKY, The Associated Press
Jan 14, 2007 5:55 AM (1 day ago)
Current rank: Not ranked

MIAMI - When 75,000 fans pack into Dolphin Stadium for the Super Bowl, when the coin is finally tossed and that ball is first kicked, this city will become, temporarily at least, the football capital of the world.

But no matter how many tens of millions of homes the game is beamed into, Miami is like a runway model wearing an oversized football jersey that hangs to her knees. This city can't hide its seductive, playful, sleepless nature behind a facade of pigskin and turf.

Those that descend here for the big game on Feb. 4 will be greeted by the sandy coastline and pulsating clubs that have long been synonymous with this tropical playground, but also a lively arts scene, distinct neighborhoods and surprisingly serene escapes.

As game day nears, the opportunities for a visitor are as diverse as this city that is both sleek and gritty, authentic and artificial, boisterous and serene.

FOOTBALL: Game festivities kick off Jan. 29 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, with Hootie & the Blowfish performing and stars of Super Bowls past, including Jerry Rice, in attendance. Dozens of other events are scattered throughout game week, too, including Super Saturday Blast on Biscayne, a free pep rally at Bicentennial Park in Miami on Feb. 3 that is capped by fireworks.

FAMILIES: An interactive football theme park, "The NFL Experience," will be open in the Dolphin Stadium parking lot Jan. 27 and 28 and Feb. 1 through 4. Among other things, the NFL Experience offers visitors the chance to test their play-by-play broadcasting skills, experience a drive to the end zone while harnessed to a bungee and test their passing accuracy using special targets. Meanwhile, the Miami Children's Museum is offering its own football program, giving kids a chance to learn referees' signals, dress up in football gear and try to kick a field goal.

ARTS: The city's profile in the art world has grown exponentially since Art Basel, the decades-old Swiss festival, established an American outpost on Miami Beach five years ago. You're too late for the December event, but art lovers will find numerous other options, including the spectacular exhibit of glassblower Dale Chihuly's work at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables. Thousands of pieces of the artist's work hang from trees, rise from the ground and float on water; they're particularly impressive if you visit at night, though the Fairchild only stays open late on Thursdays. Elsewhere, Lorna Simpson's collection of photographic and video works closes at the Miami Art Museum on Super Bowl Sunday and "The Syringa Tree," a tale of growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, closes at the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center in Fort Lauderdale a day earlier.

MUSIC: From Fergie to the Florida Grand Opera, musicians are packing in for concerts surrounding the game. Dolphin Stadium will play host to the "Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash" on Feb. 1, with Kanye West and John Legend among the performers. The sounds of Caribbean and Latin American music will be featured in "Nations in Rhythm" in Dania Beach on Jan. 27. Mel Torme and the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra will both be in West Palm Beach on Jan. 30; "The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration" is in Miami on Jan. 27; and Willie Nelson takes the stage at the glittering new Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami on Jan. 31.

THE BEACH: Special events abound on Miami Beach during Super Bowl week. On Feb. 3, 350 top fashion models from around the world face off in Volleypalooza, which is billed as the "sexiest sporting event of the year." Clubs will likely be packed as game day nears, including Penthouse Magazine's "Going Deep" party at Mansion on Feb. 3 with Snoop Dogg performing. And in yet another "what it feels like to be in the NFL" type event, Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th Streets will shut down to vehicle traffic to create the Motorola Mile. Visitors can take a walk through exhibits highlighting Super Bowl milestones and step unto an interactive football field that allows a chance to experience scoring the winning touchdown or simply perform an end-zone dance. All that said, a visitor would be remiss to omit a day at the beach from their visit, as they would to leave without a nod to Cuban culture or Art Deco architecture.

THE UNEXPECTED: For all the chaos the Super Bowl will unleash on South Florida, visitors will likely still be able to enjoy quiet escapes. A nighttime walk from South Pointe, along the South Beach shoreline is inescapably serene. The Holocaust Memorial is a moving, typically hushed spot that allows a guest to stand beside statues of the tortured, panicked and heartbroken. And Espanola Way on South Beach feels like a lower-key Mediterranean escape for dinner or drinks.

Visitors to the city will notice the massive construction - including dozens of new hotels, AmericanAirlines Arena and the Carnival Center - that have ascended since the last time the Super Bowl stopped here, seven years ago. And one look up, at countless cranes giving way to still more high rises, means the city will transform itself again before the big game returns in 2010.

Super Bowl Locations From 2007 to 2010

2006-12-06T06:17:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of the locations for the Super Bowl to 2010:

Super Bowl XLI February 4, 2007 Pro Player Stadium Miami, Florida
Super Bowl XLII February 3, 2008 New Arizona Cardinals Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Super Bowl XLIII February 2009 Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, Florida
Super Bowl XLIV February 2010 Pro Player Stadium Miami, Florida

Recap: Arizona Wins Right To Host 2008 Super Bowl - kidsnewsroom.org

2006-12-06T06:10:00.000-08:00

This is a recap just to have it in the blog record and for review ...

Arizona, and a stadium not due to be completed until 2006, have been awarded the right to host the 2008 Super Bowl, beating out rival bids by Tampa Bay and Washington, DC. With 24 of the 32 team owners voting for Arizona, the locale won the bid on the first ballot.

This past week, Sun Devil Stadium, current home of the Arizona Cardinals, pulled-out the red carpet and hosted a Monday Night Football game which paired the Miami Dolphins against the San Diego Chargers. The game, moved from San Diego due to the wildfires still ravaging the area, went off with only minor difficulties, the largest of which was ticket distribution. In order to fill the 65,000-seat stadium, the Cardinals, with approval of the NFL, opened the stadium to any and all, free of charge. Asking only for small donations at the door, to benefit fire relief, the effort raised over $500,000. Needless to say, such last-moment, selfless planning by the Cardinals did much to cement their new stadium as the appropriate choice for the 2008 Super Bowl. Nevertheless, it should be noted that a Super Bowl has never been hosted at a cold-weather stadium without a roof; hence, our nation's capital has never seen a Super Bowl match-up first hand.

Paul Tagliabue, in response to the rumors that the Monday Night game was the sole reason why Arizona won the Super Bowl bid, addressed the press: "It certainly didn't hurt, but the fundamentals here are much more important. Rome was not built in a day, and this Super Bowl was not built on Monday night."

The Cardinals new stadium, being built just outside of Phoenix, is slated to have some of the most high-tech features for a football venue. A retractable roof, among the most highly touted.

Tampa's 2005 Bid For The 2009 Super Bowl - Press Release

2006-12-06T05:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a press release on Tampa's bid to host the 2009 Super Bowl, which it did win the right to host.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:

May 3, 2005 Karen Brand, 813/342-4052

Tampa, FL -- The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau planned to get a jump on the competition by submitting the area’s bid to host Super Bowl XLIII to NFL owners a day earlier than the official deadline. The organization shipped the 80-page “Host City Bid Specifications with Responses for Super Bowl XLIII (2009)” to the 32 team owners and NFL staff for delivery on Friday, April 29. The official deadline was Monday, May 2.

“It’s just one of the many tactics and strategies we have in place to set our bid apart from the others,” explained Dick Beard, chair of the Super Bowl Task Force. “We’re doing everything we can to call attention to Tampa’s bid and position ourselves as the best choice for hosting the world’s most spectacular sporting event. I think we’re off to a good start.”

The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau compiled the response with support from various community organizations including Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, Tampa International Airport, Tampa Sports Authority, and area hotels. The bid included over 50 letters of support from business and community leaders across the region. Packaged in a customized binder for each team, the document showcases the area’s beaches, warm weather, and leisure pursuits.

“Our goal with the bid book was to remind the owners that there’s nowhere else in the country that they’d rather be than Tampa in February for the Super Bowl,” said Paul Catoe, President/CEO of the Tampa Bay CVB. “We have the total package: a great stadium, a solid hotel block, tremendous community support, and a legacy of success and innovation every time
we’ve hosted the Super Bowl. And don’t forget our award-winning airport, world-class attractions, warm weather, championship golf, and some of the best beaches in the country.”

-more-
SUPER BOWL BID
SHOWCASES TAMPA BAY’S
BEST ATTRIBUTES

Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau 􀁺 400 N. Tampa Street, Suite 2800 􀁺 Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 223-1111 􀁺 (813) 229-6616 􀁺 www.visittampabay.com
Super Bowl Bid Showcases Area’s Best

Page 2

In response to the requirements set forth by the NFL, some of the elements of the bid include:

• Resolutions from the City and County protecting the NFL from unauthorized promotional activities during the Super Bowl period (“ambush marketing”).

• Resolutions from the City and County confirming that there will be no charge for any public security/safety services provided outside the Stadium, the NFL Experience, and all other facilities used for NFL Official Events.

• The City and/or County must create a one-mile “clean zone” around the Stadium and pertinent downtown areas where no unauthorized merchandise vending will be allowed.

• The Host Committee will provide cost-free venues for both the Friday night party and the Saturday night parties sponsored by the NFL. Venues suggested include the Tampa Convention Center, MacDill Air Force Base, USF Sun Dome, The Florida Aquarium, A La Carte Event Pavilion, Busch Gardens, and The Plaza at the St. Pete Times Forum.

• The Host Committee will provide three top-quality 18-hole golf courses for the NFL Charities Golf Classic at no charge.

• Funding for the Host Committee activities will be derived from sponsorship and corporate contributions, tourist development funds, the Florida Sports Foundation, and hotel rebates.

If Tampa Bay’s bid is successful, it would mark the fourth time the area has played host to the Super Bowl: Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, the Super Bowl XXV anniversary game in 1991 during the Gulf War, and Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. Super Bowl XLIII will be played on Sunday, February 1, 2009.

Tampa is competing with Houston, Miami, and Atlanta for the 2009 Super Bowl. Representatives from the Tampa Bay area will make a presentation on May 25 in Washington, D.C. at the NFL Owner’s Meeting. A decision is expected following the conclusion of the meeting.

# # #
The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau is an independent, non-profit membership organization created to attract and serve visitors to Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay CVB is funded, in part, by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners/Tourist Development Council.

www.VisitTampaBay.com

2005 Super Bowl XXXIX - Oakland's Bid; Zennie Abraham's Work

2006-12-06T05:17:00.000-08:00

An article written by Oakland Tribune Columnist Monte Poole talks about how Oakland could have hosted the 2005 Super Bowl, which was in Jacksonville and explains my role in the bid. Here's a taste of the text:

For the next eight days, Jacksonville, the Florida city unable to be Miami or Tampa or Orlando, will host Super Bowl XXXIX, thus making its first attempt to hog the international spotlight.

It's an opportunity for the NFL to see Jacksonville's act in the clutch.

An opportunity that was sought by Oakland and could have gone to Oakland.

One man, Zennie Abraham, who attempted to facilitate a deal to bring Super Bowl XXXIX to Network Associates Coliseum, insists it should have gone to Oakland.

"Yes, in capital letters," Abraham said. "We could have kicked ass."

Now the CEO of Sports Business Simulations, Abraham spent five years working for the City of Oakland, the last two as an adviser for the city's Community and Economic Development Agency (CEDA), where he reported to Robert Bobb, then the city manager.

For nearly two years beginning in late 1998, Abraham's crusade was to bring a Super Bowl to Oakland, which stepped in when it became apparent San Francisco might not get a new stadium and certainly wouldn't by 2005. ... for more click here.

If you have questions for the press, contact me at 510-387-9809.

Arlington, Texas Super Bowl Bid Committee Formed; Appilcation Due April 2, 2007

2006-12-04T06:53:00.000-08:00

Panel launches Super Bowl bid
By SALLY CLAUNCH
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
IRVING — North Texas leaders are launching a regional push to get the area’s first Super Bowl game, which would be played at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in 2011, Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said Thursday at a meeting of the North Texas Commission.

Cowboys officials plan to work with area leaders to select a Super Bowl bid committee to put together an application package, said George Bayoud, a team adviser and lead negotiator in the Cowboys’ stadium deal.

The bid committee will raise money to pay a coordinator and cover costs associated with preparing the application. The Dallas law firm Winstead, Sechrest and Minick will offer the committee pro bono help, Bayoud said.Donations could also come from groups such as hotel and motel associations, whose members would benefit from more visitors coming to the area, or corporations.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that Arlington is a good location and that the city is about 18 or 19 minutes from downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth.

“We really are in the heart of all of the action,” he said. “Of course, we need 88,000 hotel rooms if we’re going to have upwards of over 200,000 people associated with the game coming to the area. And that’s why every city in this area and every business and restaurant will benefit from having this Super Bowl.”

A Super Bowl in Arlington could have a $400 million impact on North Texas, Cluck said, although the economic benefit of such large events have been debated by experts.

The commission, made up of North Texas business leaders and elected officials, unanimously approved a resolution Thursday calling for a regional effort to bring the Super Bowl to North Texas.

Cluck, surrounded by Cowboys officials and mayors from other Metroplex cities, said having the game here would benefit the whole area, not just Arlington.

“We plan to bring many Super Bowls to our city and our region over the next 30 years,” he said.

Dallas Mayor Laura Miller said she is looking forward to Super Bowl fans coming to the area, staying at hotels in Dallas and spending money in her city.

“Dallas and Fort Worth love a good party, and the Super Bowl is the best party of them all,” Miller said. Dallas and the Cowboys unsuccessfully negotiated to build the stadium in that city.

Irving Mayor Herbert Gears reminded Miller that all the fans flying into D/FW Airport will have to pass by Irving hotels on their way to the stadium.

Miller added that she has faith in Jones’ ability to persuade other team owners to vote to hold the game in Arlington when they decide on the 2011 site in May.

The bid committee must submit an application and bid proposal to the National Football League by April 2.

Pro Football Hall of Fame member Roger Staubach, a former Cowboys quarterback who was also at the meeting, said, “I think one of the fun things we’re going to have to do is show people what this Metroplex is capable of doing. The infrastructure is really in place to support a Super Bowl — with hotels, restaurants and people.”

Staubach, who was Super Bowl MVP in 1972, and is a Dallas businessman, added that NFL owners will see the infrastructure, and that could encourage them to vote for the Arlington venue.

Going after Super Bowl XLV
What happened: Regional leaders agreed Thursday to try to bring the 2011 Super Bowl to the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington. The stadium is under construction and is to open for the 2009 season.

What’s next: A bid committee is being formed. It must submit a proposal to the NFL by April 2. Team owners are expected to vote on the venue in May.

Arlington, Texas And The Dallas Cowboys Bid For The 2011 Super Bowl - Fort Worth Star-Telegram

2006-12-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

City isn't alone in its Super Bowl bid
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
November 18, 2006

ARLINGTON -- North Texas leaders looking to host a Super Bowl at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in 2011 face some stiff competition.

Those reportedly planning bids:

Arizona, which is also hosting the 2008 Super Bowl in its new Phoenix-area stadium.

Indianapolis, which will have a new stadium in 2008.

New Orleans, which refurbished its stadium after it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said Indianapolis will pose especially tough competition for the new Cowboys stadium, which is to open in 2009. But he said the regionally backed Arlington bid will have a good shot.

'I feel really confident that we're going to get it,' he said.

But at this point, it's anybody's guess who will land the Super Bowl.

None of the bidders are strangers to big games and other events. Most have hosted several in recent years.

All the stadiums are covered, so weather is not expected to be a factor.

By the time the Super Bowl is played, all the stadiums will meet National Football League requirements such as having completed two seasons of play by an NFL franchise and being home to an active NFL franchise. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., has been the only exception.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said team owners also consider other criteria when choosing a Super Bowl site. There must be:

At least 72,000 seats in the stadium.

At least 27,000 hotel rooms within an hour's drive of the stadium.

A suitable location for a media center that can accommodate 3,400 media members.

A practice facility for each team.

A suitable location for the NFL Experience, an interactive theme park.

McCarthy said having a new stadium doesn't hurt.

He said the most recent Super Bowls have been played in new or newly improved stadiums, such as Houston's Reliant Stadium, Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., Ford Field in Detroit and Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

SUPER BOWL GAME DAY RESTRICTIONS - From www.superbowl.com

2006-12-04T00:11:00.000-08:00

SUPER BOWL GAME DAY RESTRICTIONS - http://www.superbowl.com

Every person attending Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium is required to have a ticket, regardless of age or size.

Screening Procedures for Those Attending Super Bowl XLI

Security screening at Dolphin Stadium will be significantly heightened for the Super Bowl. Many items usually permitted into NFL venues are not allowed into Super Bowl. The National Football League and the Miami-Dade Police Department strongly recommend that game attendees minimize the number and size of all items carried into the Stadium. If you are in doubt about the appropriateness of an item, it is best to leave it behind on Game Day.

All items carried by game attendees will be carefully inspected and may potentially not be allowed into the Stadium. 8 ½ x 11 inches is allowed. The NFL, Dolphin Stadium and the Miami Dade Police Department cannot hold prohibited or excluded items for game attendees.

Safety and security of all fans is still at the forefront in preparation for Super Bowl XLI.

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS CANNOT BE BROUGHT INTO DOLPHIN STADIUM:

Alcoholic beverages
All hard fruits unless cut into bite-size pieces
Any plastic liquid container with seal broken
Backpacks
Bags
Bottles of frozen water or frozen soft drinks
Cans
Coolers or other hard containers
Glass bottles
Illegal drugs
Ladies purse measuring more than 8-1/2 X 11
Laser pointers
Plastic grocery bags
Poles or brooms
Regulation size bats
Strollers
Thermoses
Umbrellas
Weapons
Whistles, horns or other noise makers

ALLOWABLE ITEMS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

Baby diaper bags
Binocular Cases -- ONLY those with binoculars that conform to the size of the binoculars
Camera Cases -- ONLY those with cameras that conform to the size of the camera
Fannie Packs

Lunch With NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell December 4th

2006-12-03T23:50:00.000-08:00

The South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee presents lunch with Commissioner Roger Goodell on December 4th at the Broward Convention Center. Don't miss this unique opportunity to hear the Commissioner's vision for the future of the NFL. Advance tickets are $41 or purchase a table of 10 for $350.

For a copy of the application, click here.

Super Bowl Information - Tickets: NFL Website

2006-12-03T23:41:00.000-08:00

This is from Superbowl.com

Tickets

The demand for tickets to Super Bowl XLI greatly exceeds our ability to accommodate the majority of our fans interested in attending. Most tickets are made available through the two teams competing in the game, and to a lesser extent through each of our other NFL teams. Remaining tickets for the general public are made available through a random drawing. There is no other means for the general public to purchase tickets. The NFL does not sell tickets to travel or ticket agents.
Entries for the random drawing are accepted between Feb. 1 and June 1 of the year preceding the game in question. All entries must include name, address, phone number and email address, and must be sent via certified or registered mail. You will be notified by mail in October or November if you are eligible to purchase Super Bowl XLI tickets. Requests for tickets to Super Bowl XLII, to be played Feb. 3, 2008 in Glendale, Ariz., will be accepted beginning Feb. 1, 2007. Requests should be sent to:
Super Bowl Random Drawing
P.O. Box 49140
Strongsville, OH 44149-0140
Please note: Only one request per address is accepted. Duplicate requests will be ineligible.

A New Blog On The Super Bowl

2006-12-03T23:05:00.000-08:00

This blog's about the Super Bowl and it's really more a behind the scene's look. More soon!