Cold Weather Super Bowl? Bring It On

Of the four major American sports, football is the only one without set weather conditions. In basketball and hockey, everyone is safe with a roof overhead and a thermostat set to perfect conditions. Major League Baseball is played predominantly during the spring and summer months and should there be rain, the game is postponed for a later date. This is not a knock on the other three sports leagues, it is a just a fact of how those games are played.

Football, however, is an entirely different animal. The game is played in 120 degree heat, negative 25 degree chills, rainstorms, snowstorms, and everything in between. In other words, nothing stops football or the National Football League from getting a game underway.

Since its inception in 1967, the Super Bowl has become a global event. It is the biggest sporting event in the United States of America, and Championship Sunday has become an unofficial holiday. As time has gone by, fans have been treated to forty four Super Bowls in forty four perfect climates. Should it be the beautiful southern California landscape of San Diego or the Superdome of New Orleans, the NFL has made it a goal to keep the players and fans from experiencing any sort of Mother Nature induced discomfort.

Super Bowl 48 needs a home and very soon the NFL will vote if the brand new New York football stadium is a worthy shelter. The biggest city in the world hosting the world's biggest game? Seems only logical. The only thing standing in the way is the threat of a little cold weather. Its time for the NFL to do the right thing and play the Super Bowl the way football is meant to be played...outside in the conditions.

The most noteworthy objection to this idea is that one team may have an advantage over the other. Heinz Field in Pittsburgh gets a hell of a lot colder then Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay. Seriously though, its not as if an NFL team is incapable of playing in cold weather. Every year, every NFL team is exposed to the elements on at least one occasion. The Dolphins play in New York, New England, and Buffalo. The Chargers play in Denver and Kansas City. The list goes on and on. Aren't we cutting these "Warm weather teams" short when we act as if playing in the cold will render them incapable of winning the game?

Football claims to be a tough, macho man sport. When thinking of the "Monsters of the Midway" or the "Steel Curtain", the thoughts of physical, outdoor football come to mind. Its not pretty but it is the heart of football. There is a reason dome teams are sometimes portrayed as "soft." Outdoor football is thought to be more physical while indoor football is thought to be more finesse. Its time the NFL allow their Hercules type athletes to play a championship game in a "Hell on earth" environment. Lets see which team can toughen it out in their quest for a title.

Some of the NFL's most memorable playoff games have taken place in winter wonderland conditions. The classic "Ice Bowl" of 1967, the "Tuck Rule Game" of 2002, and the "Ice Bowl 2" NFC Championship game of 2008 are all synonymous with cold weather. Not only are these game synonymous with the cold, they are thought to be some of the greatest postseason games in NFL history.

A cold weather Super Bowl is worth a try. A one year trial run in New York isn't going to cripple the NFL's popularity. People are still going to tune in and fans are still going to fill the seats. A bit of added intrigue in the form of cold temperatures could boost the ratings even more.

So listen up NFL, put away your beach chairs and sunglasses and lets get a Super Bowl in New York. Roger Goodell has made enough changes as it is already, one more won't hurt.