As Indianapolis wrapped up its first Super Bowl week, the good folks of Denver will wonder if they will ever get their chance to host the event the Denver Broncos have wanted to host for so long.
Keep on wondering, because Denver might never get the chance Indianapolis just received. It’s not because the team doesn’t want to. Since the Broncos secured their new stadium in 2001, Denver owner Pat Bowlen has been vocal about the city hosting the Super Bowl. A Denver Post columnist pushed for it again last week.
I have no doubt Denver would be a terrific Super Bowl host, and it would please the league, teams, fans and the media.
Don’t expect it to happen. Why?
Check the recent Denver weather. The city was rocked by record amounts of snow on Thursday and Friday. It was one of the worst snowstorms the city has seen in recent years.
Of course, Denver has one of the most unpredictable weather patterns in the United States. There have been plenty of Super Bowl weeks in which the weather in Denver was much better than in the host city. But the NFL will look at the storm of 2012 and use that as evidence that a Super Bowl in Denver will not fly.
Unless the Broncos put a roof on their stadium. And that won’t happen. Sure, the game will be played outside in New York (OK, New Jersey) in two years. The Broncos hope that fact helps their cause. But New York plays by its own rules.
So, keep dreaming, Denver, and keep expecting to watch the Super Bowl played in other cities. The Broncos shouldn’t feel too bad. None of their AFC West foes are close to hosting the game.
San Diego use to be in the rotation, but it won’t get another Super Bowl until it gets a new stadium. Oakland would be in the mix with a new stadium, but it is nowhere close to getting one. The Chiefs had a contingent Super Bowl award, but that fell through.