MIAMI — The Vince Lombardi Trophy will soon be hoisted here for a record 10th time.
Since Bart Starr's Packers routed Daryle Lamonica's Raiders in 1968, the Super Bowl has returned to South Florida time and again. Next Sunday's game would seem to only further solidify Miami as a routine — even default — host for the NFL championship.
But there's one factor that counts against South Florida hosting the big game in the future: its 23-year-old stadium, now rendered obsolete by pricey new facilities in Dallas, Indianapolis and Arizona.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said as much during a December luncheon in Miami.
"(Goodell) reiterated he loves coming to South Florida," said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the South Florida Super Bowl host committee. "He's basically saying, 'You're getting a little long in the whiskers, and I want to let you know your competition is creeping up on you, and to stay in competition with these billion-dollar stadiums you're going to have to have some improvements."'
Renovation plans are being studied by a new subcommittee chaired by Dick Anderson, the Dolphins' Hall of Fame safety and former host committee chair. So far, no one has suggested how much the improvements would cost or who would bear the burden.
If the Florida Marlins' struggle for a new ballpark is any indication, the Dolphins face an uphill climb. It took the Marlins 15 years to win court approval for their stadium, now expected to open in 2012.
Super Bowl-backers like Barreto say it's well worth the investment. Host committee studies typically estimate the title game provides $300 million to $400 million in economic impact. Hotels require at least a four-night stay, and the cheapest available on a recent check in Miami were $226 a night for budget properties.
From a public relations perspective, Barreto says hosting the Super Bowl is priceless.
"You saw the other day with the New Orleans Saints, they put the mic in front of them and they said, 'We can't wait to get to Miami.' What's that worth? We'll have all the press coming here from around the world with datelines Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale. All the live-feed stories from 'Good Morning America' and all the ESPNs."
Barreto said an extra 40,000 people come just for the parties, beyond the 75,000 ticketed for the game.
South Florida has been a natural place for the Super Bowl because it so easily fits the NFL's criteria. The biggest stumbling block for many cities is weather — temperatures must be at least 50 degrees heading into the game, unless the host city has a climate-controlled stadium. It must also have the infrastructure and amenities to handle the crowd: at least 17,500 four- or five-star hotel rooms, a first-class hospitality industry, and places for activities leading up to the game, like beaches and golf courses.
Only three times has the game been played in cold-weather cities — twice in Detroit, where snow and icy roads snarled traffic and even delayed a team bus, and once in the Minneapolis' Metrodome.
With a few exceptions, the game has generally shuffled between three places — South Florida, New Orleans and California.
Florida has hosted more than 30 percent of all Super Bowls, and organizers worry that fact will lull officials into a false sense of security. Miami's county mayor and other officials have said now is a bad time for the team to seek public support for a stadium. Besides, they argue, the area's warm climate and experience hosting the game will lure it back anyway.
"The worst thing we can do is sit on our laurels and say, 'The Super Bowl likes coming here and they'll come back,"' Barreto said. "The Orange Bowl used to host, then didn't for 10 years until Joe Robbie Stadium was built. Every major city in America wished they had a Super Bowl on their books this January."
The NFL's 32 team owners choose Super Bowl sites years in advance — Dallas is hosting next year, followed by Indianapolis in 2012 and New Orleans in 2013. South Florida is one of several areas vying for the 2014 game, and the host committee hopes to have a stadium upgrade plan in place to present at the spring owners' meeting. Also vying for the game are Tampa, Phoenix and a new Meadowlands facility near completion for the New York Giants and Jets.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said each committee submits a binder about 8 inches thick and full of plans.
"There's stiff competition from other communities," he said. "The stadium itself is one of the primary factors that goes into the ownership vote."
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