ATLANTA — The people of Atlanta are understandably proud to host this year's Super Bowl, in just the second season of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
That said, given the recent history of how host cities are determined, it's fair to wonder: When might Atlanta expect another Super Bowl?
For his annual pre-Super Bowl press conference, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell straddled a fine line between praising the city for its outstanding look ... while stopping short of estimating when Georgia might hear the siren call of Super Sunday again.
"Atlanta has done an incredible job," said Goodell, noting his very-positive feedback with league staffers regarding all phases of the hosting process, including Georgia's weather-related contingencies.
"The enthusiasm, the hospitality, the desire to put Atlanta on the big stage ... that's all we want to do," he said.
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Charting Super Bowl history (53 years and counting), only three markets (Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans) have hosted five or more Super Sundays.
After that, Atlanta joins a list of part-time hosts, such as Arizona, San Diego, Detroit, Indianapolis, Tampa, Minneapolis, northern California (Santa Clara, Palo Alto), Dallas, Houston, Jacksonville and the New York/New Jersey metro area.
Within that realm, the NFL powers-that-be previously used the prospect of new stadiums as leverage for hosting future Super Bowls – multiple events for warm-weather markets ... and one for cold-weather areas.
This past methodology explains why the Georgia Dome landed two Super Bowls for 1994 and 2000.
However, things have changed over the years.
Given the success of the New York/New Jersey Super Bowl from five years ago (decent weather, great exposure) ... the NFL has embraced the notion of conducting cold-weather Super Bowls in outside stadiums.
Hence, Goodell's skilled politicking with the Atlanta question.
In one breath, the commissioner lamented the tremendous competition among the 32 NFL markets, especially those with updated or new stadiums. In the next breath, Goodell reverted back to the aesthetic appeal of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which has presided over a Super Bowl, College Football Playoff title game and the MLS All-Star Game in just two years' time.
And for March 2020, the NCAA Final Four will make its long-anticipated return to Atlanta.
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