Charlotte too boring to host a super bowl?

[Bradley89]

People say one of the reasons why Charlotte doesn't get a super bowl is because there is not enuff attractions and hotels, that Charlotte doesn't have much to offer or it's to boring to tourist. I disagree with Charlotte being boring, but now with all the new projects being built and future ones being anounced, I could see Charlotte landing a super bowl in the near future. I know the NFL has picked the location for the super bowl up to 2010 but could Charlotte get the 2011 or 2012 super bowl? Whats your thoughts?

[Southernyank]

according to NFL rules, charlotte is too cold in january/febuary to host the bowl game without a dome.

[NcSc74]

20% chance. Look for the big wigs in the NFL front office to continue to say "The super bowl will not be played in cold weather locations without a domed stadium". Then grant NY a super bowl as soon as their new stadium is built. We are not big time enough or flashy enough or whatever for the NFL to take notice. There only 5 or 6 franchises the NFL will placate and most of all NY gets all of the attention. It is something my friends and I discuss all the time. Maybe when we win one then we can get some real respect. I thought Charlotte was promised a super bowl within 10 years after we joined the league or is that an urban myth.

[dubone]

Let's focus on winning one first.

(and 'too' has two ohs)

[AuLukey]

The dome rule is true. It was up for debate when BoA Stadium was first built whether the cost of building a dome would be outweighed by the income a potential superbowl or two would bring in later on. It's too late now to find out.

Way back in 95/96 when the Jaguars and Panthers made it to the Champ games and were both forcast to go to the SB, it can be easily noticed that both teams lost those games in sub-freezing weather in outdoor stadiums in the North. They just aren't conditioned for that kind of weather in comparison.

Carolina will become a flashy team if we keep our records and our egos as high as we have lately. If we are contenders for the NFC Championship games or even make the playoffs every year this decade, our reputation could change, just as the popularity of the Patriots is still relatively new in the overall history of the NFL.

On a side note, did you know that in the 11 years that the Panthers have been in the NFL, they have never lost a game in the first or second round of the playoffs?

On average, Charlotte is pretty cold in February, but we have had unseasonably warm weather the last few years that time of year, so we'll see if opinions change. I guess we have to just keep hoping for those icecaps to melt a little more if we want the Super Bowl to come here.

And yes, getting back on topic, Charlotte is extremely lacking in the hotel department. AND we don't have the luxury of being a port city like Jacksonville and New Orleans which were able to fall back on cruise ships to hold the excess press, security, retail, and fans in town. That fact withstanding, Charlotte as a city could handle the SuperBowl. Hell, we host how many people every May during Speedweek? Too bad NFL fans don't all have RV's, we've got plenty of parking for those.

[Miesian Corners]

The following criteria are what the NFL uses in locating the Super Bowl (per Wikipedia):

• Average high temperature of at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit in February. (Unless the game is being played in an indoor arena)
  
• Stadium with 70,000 seats or more.
  
• Space for 10 photo trailers and 40 television trucks.
  
• 600,000 square feet of exhibit space for fan events
  
• Large, high-end hotel for teams and NFL.
  
• 50,000 square feet of space for news media ("Radio Row").
  
• Enough "quality" hotel rooms within a one-hour drive for 35% of the stadium's capacity.
  
• Separate practice facilities for each team.
  

Exceptions are at the discretion of the NFL. For instance, cruise ships made up the discrepancy in hotel rooms for Jacksonville and cities with cold weathers such as Minneapolis and Detroit have been awarded Super Bowls because the cities' stadiums had a roof. Chicago, New York, St Louis, Pittsburg, Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Washington and Denver have never hosted the game.

[Charlotteman]

Well this sounds like a perfect reason to build a few new high-rise hotels Uptown!

The Ritz, Twelve, and aloft are on the way.

What about a Four Seasons, a Hyatt Regency, W, and an Uptown Sheraton?

[eastsider]

I thought Charlotte was promised a super bowl within 10 years after we joined the league or is that an urban myth.

Nobody ever said that Charlotte would host a Superbowl. When Jerry Richardson was awarded the team, he promised that they would win a Superbowl within 10 years.

Considering that the NBA is hesitent to bring the all-star game here because of the lack of hotel rooms, the Superbowl looks like it will be a couple decades off, if ever.

[uptownliving]

Charlotte did host the NBA All Star game in 1991 back when we had the Hornets.

[SmellyCat]

It also hosted the Final Four, but I don't think it can anymore because of the new minimum seating stipulation imposed by the NCAA.

[Charlotte_native]

We could fill in infield of the speedway with trailers for accomodations and cover the stadium with a quilt of tarps...

[AuLukey]

We could fill in infield of the speedway with trailers for accomodations and cover the stadium with a quilt of tarps...

I was thinkin the same thing, I mean, there are those huge RV parks out there need the speedway with RV's just waitin to be rented out for a couple days. Isn't North Carolina the capital of tarps or something after that string of Hurricanes some years back on the east side of the state? I'm sure there are plenty leftover, enough to cover a stadium at least. Haha, I could imagine that happening. How hick can we make ourselves appear?

[Charlotte_native]

I was thinkin the same thing, I mean, there are those huge RV parks out there need the speedway with RV's just waitin to be rented out for a couple days. Isn't North Carolina the capital of tarps or something after that string of Hurricanes some years back on the east side of the state? I'm sure there are plenty leftover, enough to cover a stadium at least. Haha, I could imagine that happening. How hick can we make ourselves appear?

How hick? How about a late-night club like Menage also serving BBQ under the name Belle's in the same venue, same front door!!

Actually I've eaten there and it is good, but atmosphere is strange...

[eastsider]

Charlotte did host the NBA All Star game in 1991 back when we had the Hornets.

Yes, but the all-star game is a much bigger event now. This years game in Houston drew an estimated 60,000 out of town visitors.

[fulcrumsf]

I thought Charlotte was promised a super bowl within 10 years after we joined the league or is that an urban myth.

That was actually Jerry Richardson promising to the fans that they would get to the superbowl in 10 years, which they made good on.

[jednc]

I'd love to see a Super Bowl game played in Charlotte. I think the temp. rule could be waived (we only miss by about 10 degrees anyway). We are well on our way to having enough hotel rooms (we'd need about 25,000 roughly). I'd say the rest we have covered.

I think some stadium recently added a roof/dome. I wonder what the cost would be and if it would be possible at BofA Stadium?

[AuLukey]

I think some stadium recently added a roof/dome. I wonder what the cost would be and if it would be possible at BofA Stadium?

Other than to draw the Super Bowl, Charlotte has little need to add a roof to BoA. Our weather does little to constitute the need for one. Being rained on and freezing your *ahem* off is all part of the football experience at any level. The stadium provides great views of the city and lets the skyline get a little limelight during games. I like BoA just how it is.

[NCB]

Just looking at one aspect, wouldn't Charlotte be lacking in terms of hotel rooms? After the problems with running out of hotel rooms extremely fast in Jacksonville, I don't see the NFL making that mistake again. I don't know the total number of hotel rooms in Charlotte, but we've got something like 80,000 hotel rooms in New Orleans, which is one of the main reason's why we've had 9 Super Bowl's here. But even all of those hotels are full during a Super Bowl or an NCAA Championship Football Game.

[jednc]

Just looking at one aspect, wouldn't Charlotte be lacking in terms of hotel rooms? After the problems with running out of hotel rooms extremely fast in Jacksonville, I don't see the NFL making that mistake again. I don't know the total number of hotel rooms in Charlotte, but we've got something like 80,000 hotel rooms in New Orleans, which is one of the main reason's why we've had 9 Super Bowl's here. But even all of those hotels are full during a Super Bowl or an NCAA Championship Football Game.

This is a quote from the VisitCharlotte website:

"With more than 30,000 hotel rooms in the area, including 4,100 within walking distance of the Charlotte Convention Center, the Queen City has what you are looking for."

This is a quote from the NoLa Convention and Visitors Bureau:

"There are more than 27,000 hotel rooms here, and our famed restaurants and music clubs are humming. "

While not 80,000 (or the post Katrina 27,000), this would seem to meet the 35% rule stated earlier.

[NCB]

Wow, sorry about that, I don't know where that 80,000 figure came from, and I know that's way off. I believe the New Orleans area has something like 44,000 hotel rooms in the area, and as of the latest estimates I had heard, about 29,000 were completely back up and running post-Katrina.

Anyway, thanks for the added Charlotte info, I guess the hotel rooms wouldn't really be a big problem.

Is Charlotte really trying to bring in a Super Bowl? Organizers, planners, proposed packages, etc? I know everything is locked through the 2011 Super Bowl, but is Charotte planning on trying to bring in a SB after that?

[monsoon]

Is Charlotte really trying to bring in a Super Bowl? Organizers, planners, proposed packages, etc? I know everything is locked through the 2011 Super Bowl, but is Charotte planning on trying to bring in a SB after that?

No, the entire topic is pretty much pointless because the NFL isn't going to risk the Superbowl in an open air stadium in a city that can have the climate that Charlotte can have in the winter. In fact aside from the lack of a dome, Charlotte being a mostly warm climate city does not deal well with winter weather when it does happens. I've seen the city completly shutdown that time of the year. There are no efforts to convince the NFL to hold the Superbowl here.

[AuLukey]

No, the entire topic is pretty much pointless because the NFL isn't going to risk the Superbowl in an open air stadium in a city that can have the climate that Charlotte can have in the winter. In fact aside from the lack of a dome, Charlotte being a mostly warm climate city does not deal well with winter weather when it does happens. I've seen the city completly shutdown that time of the year. There are no efforts to convince the NFL to hold the Superbowl here.

I agree metro; Charlotte's winter weather is way too unpredictable. And, in light that we only get major storms once every three or four years, Charlotte is always unprepared for them when they do hit. Another issue is that Charlotte normally doesn't get the type of winter storms that most other NFL cities do. We get ice storms rather than snow storms. I can count the amount of snow storms we've had since I moved here in 94 on one hand. Ice is much more dangerous than snow as we all known, and it makes clean up harder. Along major highways, I hear every year that truck drivers have the most accidents in NC during the winter because of our lack of preparedness to take care of ice on the roads. As long as global warming never actually has a lasting effect on NC's weather, the Super Bowl most likely won't come to Charlotte.

To the person who added the extra "o" to the title, thank you, it was beginning to bug me.

[jednc]

Wow, sorry about that, I don't know where that 80,000 figure came from, and I know that's way off. I believe the New Orleans area has something like 44,000 hotel rooms in the area, and as of the latest estimates I had heard, about 29,000 were completely back up and running post-Katrina.

Anyway, thanks for the added Charlotte info, I guess the hotel rooms wouldn't really be a big problem.

Is Charlotte really trying to bring in a Super Bowl? Organizers, planners, proposed packages, etc? I know everything is locked through the 2011 Super Bowl, but is Charotte planning on trying to bring in a SB after that?

NCB...your 80,000 number could be a pre-Katrina number, and it could be a "metro" number. The NoLa Visitors Board didn't make it clear if their 27,000 number was just for NoLa of the entire metro. They also didn't mention if that number reflected "new" numbers post-Katrina. I think it's obvious that the Charlotte number is for the metro just because of the way it's worded. I'm sure all those rooms are not just in the city limits. So...it could be an apples to oranges comparison anyway. Who Knows?!

I agree metro; Charlotte's winter weather is way too unpredictable. And, in light that we only get major storms once every three or four years, Charlotte is always unprepared for them when they do hit. Another issue is that Charlotte normally doesn't get the type of winter storms that most other NFL cities do. We get ice storms rather than snow storms. I can count the amount of snow storms we've had since I moved here in 94 on one hand. Ice is much more dangerous than snow as we all known, and it makes clean up harder. Along major highways, I hear every year that truck drivers have the most accidents in NC during the winter because of our lack of preparedness to take care of ice on the roads. As long as global warming never actually has a lasting effect on NC's weather, the Super Bowl most likely won't come to Charlotte.

To the person who added the extra "o" to the title, thank you, it was beginning to bug me.

That's why I mentioned a ROOF!

I'm thinking retractable...because I agree that it's great as an open air stadium. The retractable roof just offers more options. It would solve any weather problems. It could also make it possible to host a Final Four again. Just a thought.

[AuLukey]

I'm thinking retractable...because I agree that it's great as an open air stadium. The retractable roof just offers more options. It would solve any weather problems. It could also make it possible to host a Final Four again. Just a thought.

Final Four... you know, that would be interesting, although you'd definately have to bring your binoculars. Concerts in football stadiums are annoying enough, I couldn't imagine what torture watching basketball would be.

[jednc]

I agree Luke. I wish the NCAA hadn't changed their size requirements. Each year it's (Final 4) held in a dome I think the same thing...that it must be a crappy view. But, until the NCAA decides to go back to smaller arenas, Charlotte won't get the game(s). I figure if it's going to be swallowed up in a giant stadium, it may as well be ours!