The National Football League (NFL) is truly a unique league when it comes to the other major sports leagues in the United States. Firstly, it is the only league that holds only 17 regular season games followed by a short postseason of 4 rounds.
If we consider the other leagues, the NBA and the NHL both follow an 82-game regular season followed by four playoff rounds that are a best-of-seven each. Secondly, these leagues also hold the Championship rounds in the cities of the respective teams whereas, the location for the NFL’s Super Bowl is always predetermined at least 3 years in advance.
The Super Bowl is a grand event that has plenty of things going around for nearly a full week before the big game takes place. There are parties, media sessions, celebrities, fun things to do for fans, and much more. To be able to host such a glamorous event for an entire week means a lot to the host cities.
Since the NFL holds its biggest game at a different location each year, several cities in the United States get the pleasure of putting on a memorable show. But is that the only reason why the NFL does this or is there more than what meets the eye?
Why are the Super Bowl Locations different each year?
Super Bowl locations are different each year due to various reasons. The league decides on the next Super Bowl many years in advance and the decision is taken based on several factors which we will see below.
Whether conditions
Believe it or not, the weather conditions during the Super Bowl were almost entirely the sole reason as to why the NFL selected different cities each year. American football is generally more enjoyable in the open air although many new stadiums are now domed or have a roof over them.
However, there are still several NFL stadiums that are open-air with no roof facility. As the Super Bowl takes place in the winter season, some of the cities experience snow and extreme windy conditions rendering those venues impossible to host such a grand event.
Hence, if for example, the Super Bowl is hosted by one of the teams playing in the big game, and for the sake of argument one of the teams is the Green Bay Packers, then a Super Bowl at Lambeau Field in February could see snowfall which is not an ideal environment.
Super Bowl Bids
Every year a different city gets the chance to host the Super Bowl depending on their bids. Earlier, the NFL used to keep an open invitation and any city that wanted to host would submit their proposals after which the league would compile a list of finalists. It was then up to all 32 owners of the franchises to select the best one.
Nowadays, the NFL does not allow all teams to submit their bids but instead selects a venue themselves and requests them to put together a proposal for the Super Bowl. Hosting this big event in one location every year is not possible, furthermore, not every city is equipped enough to handle the logistics involved in carrying out this event, thus the Super Bowl takes place in various cities.
FAQ's on Why is the Super Bowl played in different cities?
A. Miami is the city that has hosted the most Super Bowls with 11.
A. Super Bowl LVIII will take place in Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.
A. Miami, New Orleans, and Los Angeles have been the top three cities to have hosted the Super Bowl.
A. The Super Bowl has been played at a total of 27 different venues.
