Thom Loverro: District could be Super, too

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By Thom Loverro

No one talks about dreams in the make-believe world of sports these days, not in these economic conditions.

The Oakland Athletics can't get a new ballpark built.

Manny Ramirez can't get a big payday.

And the notion of a Super Bowl played in the D.C. area seems more foolish than ever.

The District this month played host to one of the biggest events this country has seen in recent memory - the inauguration of President Barack Obama. And so it is galling to see Tampa, the Waffle House capital of America, play host to the nation's biggest sporting event this week and know the game may never happen here.

The Super Bowl will be played in Miami next season - though if you've ever been to Dolphins Stadium, you know it's closer to the Everglades than it is to any beach.

After that comes the great insult - 2011, when Jerry Jones plays host to the Super Bowl at his new stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Traditionally, the host city has been a warm-weather site, the idea being if you want people to travel and spend thousands of dollars on the Super Bowl experience, you had better make it a place they want to visit.

But no one was drinking margaritas on the deck overlooking the Detroit River when Super Bowl XL was held at Ford Field. And the warm weather certainly wasn't a factor in choosing Minneapolis to host the game in 1992, either.

Both of those cities have what is the prerequisite for a cold-weather site: A domed stadium. The dome is supposed to protect the integrity of the game.