Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Minneapolis awarded 2018 Super Bowl


The NFL announced Minneapolis will host the Super Bowl in 2018 during the owner's meeting in Atlanta today. 



The Big Easy, Circle City, or the Twin Cities.

That's the difficult decision owners needed to make during the owners meeting in Atlanta today. Indianapolis and Minnesota had hosted the Super Bowl once, while New Orleans had hosted 10 in the history of the city.

Each ownership group needed to present videos and argue why their city should host the most prestigious sporting event in the world. The Vikings theme, “Built for the Bold,” highlighted the new, iconic and bold stadium as a centerpiece, and included the many bold moves Minnesotans have made in creating a destination that is ready to host the world’s biggest game.

After the first vote by the owners, Indianapolis was eliminated from contention and the final race was down to New Orleans and Minnesota. Following the second round of votes by owners, it was announced Minnesota had won the majority and would be hosting Super Bowl 52 in 2018.

The game will be held in the new Minnesota Stadium, currently under construction and set to open in July 2016. The stadium, which will typically seat 65,400, will be expandable to 72,000 seats for the 2018 Super Bowl. With a clear ETFE roof and five of the largest glass pivoting doors in the world, fans will experience an outdoor feel in a climate-controlled environment.

“We appreciate the collaborative effort from Minnesota’s business and community leadership in putting together this winning bid,” said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. “It was evident to me and my brother Zygi that the other NFL owners were extremely impressed with everything Minnesota had to offer, and we have no doubt they will be even more excited with what the community will deliver in February 2018.”

Next year's Super Bowl is in Arizona, followed by San Francisco in 2016, Houston in 2017, and finally in Minnesota during the 2018 season.

For those worried about the cold weather, Vikings officials are stressing the eight-mile stretch of skyways, which will connect fans to many portions of the city.

This is a huge step for the state of Minnesota as they look to transition into one of the top athletic venues in the history of sports. Not only will it provide the state of Minnesota a chance to step into the spotlight, but it will bring revenue and excitement into the Twin Cities.

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