Super Bowl vote coming soon
From left, Jets owner Woody Johnson, Jets head coach Rex Ryan, Gov. David A. Paterson and Giants treasurer Jonathan Tisch share a laugh after the governor's comments at a press conference about the metropolitan area's successful bid to host Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. (May 25, 2010) Credit: Joe Epstein
DALLAS — Presentations have just ended and NFL owners will soon vote to determine which site will host the 2014 Super Bowl.
In order, New York/New Jersey, Tampa and South Florida each gave 15-minute presentations to the owners. Next, the owners of the three finalists will have five minutes each to address the other owners. So, in reverse order, it will be South Florida (Dolphins), Tampa (Buccaneers) and New York/New Jersey (Giants/Jets). Woody Johnson and John Mara will address the owners on behalf of the Jets and Giants.
The announcement is expected to come in around 4 p.m., but that could change since the NFL Network is doing a live telecast. The NFL Network's coverage runs from 3-4:30 p.m. There will also be a live announcement in Times Square. Either way, we'll likely know in the next 60-90 minutes whether New York/New Jersey, South Florida or Tampa will be the host.
Here's how the voting works: if no team gets 24 votes in the initial vote, the third-place bid will be eliminated. Between the finalists, a majority (17 votes) will determine the winner.
If the votes go in favor of the Giants and Jets, the biggest single game in North American sports will come to the New York area for the first time. The NFL has said that this will be a one-time only situation, that other northern tier teams with outdoor stadiums shouldn't expect to win Super Bowl bids in future years.
But there seems to be a general feeling among many owners that this will, in fact, open up at least the possibility that places like Denver, Chicago, Washington and New England could one day host the NFL's title game.
We'll know soon.
