Future North Texas Super Bowl bids should anchor in Dallas

By Shawn Williams

What was thought to be North Texas? biggest asset for Super Bowl XLV ended up being our biggest weakness. ?Indianapolis made a much better Super Bowl impression that we did and it had little to do with the weather.

Granted, the most memorable thing about last year?s Super Bowl (unless you bought tickets for seat that weren?t built) was the weather. ?Six inches of snow couldn?t have fallen at a worse time. The same can be said for the twelve inches that fell the year before during All-Star Week.

While the media gave us an F for putting sand on top of the snow instead of salt, the general consensus about Super Bowl XLV was that things were too spread out. ?On the contrary, Indianapolis was given high marks because many Super Bowl related events were in walking distance. ?Al Michaels even made that point during the broadcast.

The same thing can be achieved in a future Super Bowl in North Texas if Dallas is the focal point. ?For starters, put the NFL Headquarters at the Omni and NFL Experience back at the Convention Center. ?The Media hotel could be the Sheraton again or the Hyatt.

From there take your pick. ?You?ve still got the American Airlines Center for Taste of the NFL, the Fairmont, Gilley?s, House of Blues, Convention Center Arena, Fair Park and any number of venues to put forth a more compact bid. ?If weather were to come into play, you wouldn?t have to ask folks to hit the highway except for media day and the game itself.

Last year Ft. Worth was designated as the AFC host city and Dallas was the NFC host city. ?Scrap that plan completely. ?You want to encourage fans from each team to interact with one another. Sounded good on paper but not in reality.

I was part of the host committee and remember when the venues for Super Bowl events was announced. ?It was a mix between the Grammy Awards and Romper Room.

As the names were read, every city, every municipality, every part of the region had to get something out of the deal. ?The mayors all seemed ready to cry foul if one city seemed to get too many events.

Ft. Worth got the Taste of the NFL and the AFC hotel and party (and eventually snatched the ESPN home base). ?Irving snagged the NFC Hotel. ?Dallas had the NFL Experience and Media Hotel. ?Arlington of course had the game and credentials center. ?I-30 was designated as Super Bowl Highway, connected Dallas, Arlington and Ft. Worth. It looked good on paper

The problem is when people are spread throughout the region, no one place feels like it?s the place to be. ?Density is the key. Traffic jams and gridlock are much better than sparcity and scarcity. ?The regional approach will never get a good review from the media, who are really the barometer as they travel from Super Bowl city to Super Bowl city.

I was in Houston in 2004 when the big game was held there. ?Realize Reliant Stadium is not downtown. It?s a pretty good hike actually. ?Houston, in all of its expanse, kept the majority of their activities within the downtown area. ?Houston received high marks and is still considered a candidate for a repeat once all the new stadiums have had their turn.

Dallas? downtown, while on the uptick, is not generally a selling point. ?While we may not be Ft. Worth, I have to believe Downtown Dallas could compete to some degree with Indianapolis.

I understand that Arlington and Tarrant County want their shine and would loathe the thought of a Dallas Super Bowl L, LI, LII, LIII or whatever it might be. Anytime an announcer dare say Cowboys Stadium is in Dallas they?re sure to get a quick correction from our neighbors to the west. ?Our region mates feel they spent the money and should therefore have the spoils.

That argument only goes so far. If it was that big of a deal then they?d push for the Dallas Cowboys to become the North Texas Cowboys or the Arlington Cowboys or the Tarrant Cowboys. ?That ain?t gonna happen.?For the same reason the Arlington Cowboys retain the Dallas name, the North Texas Super Bowl should relent to Big D.

Looking back I think we can all agree that the North Texas regional approach was ambitious, but not in line with what Super Bowls should be about. ?Cowboys Stadium will always be a player in Super Bowl discussions. ?But as we learned a great stadium alone does not a great Super Bowl experience make.

Photos by Grant Meeks and Byron Waters

Source: http://www.dallassouthnews.org/2012/02/06/future-north-texas-super-bowl-bid-should-anchor-in-dallas/

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