Super Bowl

[yall_are_nutty]

What's That Smell? Jacksonville

By Tony Kornheiser

Wednesday, January 26, 2005; Page D01

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[Subdude]

Houston is the home of NASA, and, thanks to Enron, the gold standard in white-collar corporate crime.

Grrr...

Jeez, this guy really lets loose!

[Lowbrow]

By Tony Kornheiser

Does this guy miss the point of the superbowl completely?

What a dork.

What publication was that from? hmmm I see he writes for the post....

[The Great Hizzy!]

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle talked about this last year: it's a tradition to bash SB host cities. They bashed New Orleans the last time it was there and NO is heaven to many of these prima donas. It's also, in McClain's words, lazy journalism; the writers usually need something controversial or eyebrow raising to get themselves going (or to give them relevance over the 1,000 or more cretins who'll be writing all week) so it's no big deal.

Tony Kornheiser makes his home in one of the most traffic-choked, crime riddled metropolitan areas in the nation (and one of the best at that) so it's not like he can talk freely with piety. He's not as much of a moron as this piece indicates. It's just what is expected now.

They're will be tons more as the week goes on, and there may be a record amount next year in Detroit.

It's what a lot of journalists do now. Sorry, pathetic but it is what it is.

[kzseattle]

Well, I almost have to agree with the piece. It's a little hateful, but in all reality - Why Jacksonville?. The Superbowl is the big game. I would think even Houston wouldn't have been able to host it compared to some cities. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we did, but really: "What does Houston have besides NASA, Oil, & Enron?" And don't say Andrea Yates, Clara Harris, Billboards, Smog, Illegal Aliens, Mosquitoes or Sprawl either!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I dont think Superbowl should or does only goes to cities that people can associate with a few positive or negative icons. There is a lot more to Houston than NASA, Andrea Yates and Enron. Speaking of which, Southern California, Miami and New Orleans have Illegal Aliens, Mosquitoes and Sprawl too

By the way, why should a single entity such as Andrea Yates or Enron overshadow an entire city?

[N8TIV]

Well, I almost have to agree with the piece. It's a little hateful, but in all reality - Why Jacksonville?. The Superbowl is the big game. I would think even Houston wouldn't have been able to host it compared to some cities. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we did, but really: "What does Houston have besides NASA, Oil, & Enron?" And don't say Andrea Yates, Clara Harris, Billboards, Smog, Illegal Aliens, Mosquitoes or Sprawl either!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

New Orleans is overrated. The Super Dome is one of the poorest designed stadiums, the French Quarter smells like vomit, urine and skunky beer. Beads, Boobs and History is what holds up this soon to be underwater city. As for the food...Yeah, it's really good but it's really good in other places too.

Houston did better job handling the Super Bowl than I anticipated. This city can party with the best of them, yet be a respectable destination for any sports fan.

[kzseattle]

I don't know, you'd have to ask the rest of the nation, because that's all they seem to see in us.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, that sucks! This is what I talked about in another thread. Put some embellish landmarks/monuments or cheesy tourist attractions to distract the people and everything else would be forgotten. I usually hear only great things about San Antonio because of Alamo and River Walk. Those are nice but cover only a few blocks. As soon as you are out of that area, there is nothing much. So, presumably, if Buffalo Bayou were like River Walk and San Jacinto monument like Alamo, then that would all people would care about.

[yall_are_nutty]

From everything I've heard and read so far regarding the Super Bowl, people were expecting nothing from Houston and most were extremely surprised and had nothing but good things to say about the city itself and their experience at the festivities.

On the other hand, their fears that Houston would be a sucky venue for the Super Bowl are now being borne out in Jacksonville, which apparently IS turning out to be a sucky venue for the SB.

[kzseattle]

From everything I've heard and read so far regarding the Super Bowl, people were expecting nothing from Houston and most were extremely surprised and had nothing but good things to say about the city itself and their experience at the festivities.

On the other hand, their fears that Houston would be a sucky venue for the Super Bowl are now being borne out in Jacksonville, which apparently IS turning out to be a sucky venue for the SB.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That says something about how underrated and under appreciated Houston is!

[The Great Hizzy!]

The folks in Jax knew going in that they were going to have some challenges.

1) There is a lot to do in a large city, I don't care if it's New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas or Boston. When you have 5, 6, 10, 20 million people in a small area, there is going to be a lot going on during a SB, despite what some nimrod with a byline might lead you to believe. In a city of Jax's size (750,000 mun.; 1.3 million metro), diversity of activities is a challenge unless you have some built in tourist attractions like in NO, Orlando or SA.

2) Jax also has the acknowledged problem of public transport as well as adequate hotel rooms. A very large gamble is being made on the use of cruise ships docked in the St. John's.

3) Jax has heavy industry like most American cities (the mouthbreathers who write such gems as what Tony Kornheiser wrote will never, ever mention the number of refiniries around New Orleans or the refineries and chemical plants in eastern Los Angeles or San Francisco Bay but hey... accuracy isn't important in opinion pieces) so they'll have to deal with the smugness of people who don't respect the importance of heavy industry to the American way of life. When spewing venom, blue collar types are an easy target to demonize. How else would anyone know how special YOU are?

4) Jax doesn't have any known popularity. When you're dealing with professional travelers in the media, this is important. These guys think they've earned the right to go to Club Med for special assignment every week--not because Club Med is THAT great but because part of what makes them who they are--and thus special--is their ability to brag about these "known" places to which they've traveled. Can't impress someone if you say, "Hey, I went to Omaha, NE for the Winter Olympics." Not many people talk about Omaha.

BTW, 27, two of the most visited areas of Houston during SB week last year were: 1) the Theater District and 2) the Museum District, which are both among the most impressive cultural districts in the country, by anyone's measure.

[The Great Hizzy!]

NP, man.

From a professional standpoint, I'm sensitive (in the positive sense) to civic misinformation and acute city bashing because it's usually done so from bias and snobbery. These cities do a lot to try to change their image and promote themselves during such events as the SB or a Final Four, not just for the popularity contests (which I don't think are winnable anyway) but for their very survival, because you have to keep job growth in place, else you fall apart, like many rust belt cities. Giving your city a plug with the various business types who are visiting is important. Gives you an ear you might not have had ready access to otherwise.

Anyway, it's all part of what I do for a living, to an extent

[Sunstar]

Poor Detroit. They have so much history, especially when it comes to sports. Hopefully next year the media will focus on that and not the fact that the whole city has been in decline for as long as anyone can remember. As for Houston, the new Downtown saved our bacon. Downtown is the perfect location for holding mega events. You have the dense bar/club/restaurant scene on Main, and all those empty lots we hate so much are perfect for setting up outdoor events like concerts and charity go-cart races.

[jt16]

The city bashing will be endless next year when Detroit hosts the SB. They're banking on a large hotel/casino to host the media and word is that it's unlikely to be finished. Combine that with the weather and... well it doesn't look good for Detroit.

[NewMND]

The thing to see is if Houston get's another Super Bowl, in 2009 I think. It seems everyone is getting a Super Bowl at the moment, but most won't get it a second time. Did Houston prove itself and earn a second Super Bowl? I think it did, and I'm not saying it should go into the high rotation with New Orleans and Miami, but at least in a somewhat sorta kinda rotation with Tampa (who I hear is our main competitor for a Bowl). Can't predict the future, but I bet downtown would be able to put on an even better show next time around.

[NewMND]

"What does Houston have besides NASA, Oil, & Enron?" And don't say Andrea Yates, Clara Harris, Billboards, Smog, Illegal Aliens, Mosquitoes or Sprawl either!>

Oh, I know! Janet Jackson performed at Reliant Stadium?

[yall_are_nutty]

Reading and listening to the media who attend Super Bowls every year, you get the general impression that most just want southern florida, southern california and new orleans (and maybe Arizona?) based mostly on weather. however, out of the "extra" cities that have been added and other future possibilities, Houston is the preferred destination after last year. Way above Jacksonville and Detroit in particular, but also above Atlanta or any others at this point.

not to say Houston didn't have any detractors, but many of the most cynical going in really enjoyed last years SB and the prevailing sentiment was that most would welcome a return to H Town.

houston did a lot to repair its image with that SB publicity last year.

[GovernorAggie]

So then, it seems to me that we got work to do around Reliant in time for possibly the 2009 Super Bowl and the 2011 Final Four. Some think that Indy will get a SB b/c of their new stadium but I am very skeptical. However, I think they've put on a few successful Final Fours, so it's possible.

Speaking of the Final Four, San Antonio has quitely managed to get into the regular rotation of that event. I think Houston will as well.

Houston is used to being in the "emerging" category, so "emerging" sports mecca is about right, and Houston is doing it the right way. But the thing is that we have to continue to improve and not get complacent, like Atlanta IMO. Atlanta was THE place to do anything during the '90s (outside of the traditional NY, LA, NO, SD, and Miami). Now I think some of the luster has worn off and Houston is quietly asserting itself in the leagues of the cities that attract large, global events. It's an exciting time to be in this area.

[yall_are_nutty]

Boy, it is not going well in Jacksonville. It makes Houston look very good by comparison, but it's also pissing off everyone about rotating this thing outside of New Orleans, Miami and San Diego......

Here's a snippet from a guy who was extremely whiny about having to go to Houston last year, but came around quite a bit by the end.......

".....If anything, the past two days made me appreciate Houston's performance last year, a city that faced the same logistical problems and conquered many of them. I don't think Houston should have hosted a Super Bowl either, and those last two days were a certifiable train wreck. But at least they had enough hotels. At least there were a decent number of cabs. At least there was a recognizable downtown area. At least they had the Light Rail, with the bonus that you might get to see some drunken pedestrian bouncing off it. Houston was 10 times more prepared than Jacksonville is right now."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...ons/superblog/3

[Sunstar]

Boy, it is not going well in Jacksonville.  It makes Houston look very good by comparison, but it's also pissing off everyone about rotating this thing outside of New Orleans, Miami and San Diego......

Here's a snippet from a guy who was extremely whiny about having to go to Houston last year, but came around quite a bit by the end.......

".....If anything, the past two days made me appreciate Houston's performance last year, a city that faced the same logistical problems and conquered many of them. I don't think Houston should have hosted a Super Bowl either, and those last two days were a certifiable train wreck. But at least they had enough hotels. At least there were a decent number of cabs. At least there was a recognizable downtown area. At least they had the Light Rail, with the bonus that you might get to see some drunken pedestrian bouncing off it. Houston was 10 times more prepared than Jacksonville is right now."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...ons/superblog/3

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh man, it's my old buddy Bill Simmons! This guy turns dumping on SB host cities into a high artform. I would have liked to see him bounce off the light rail. At least there would be one less pompous, whiny jerk in the world. I like how he tries to justify his complaining by saying that it's his job as a journalist.

As for the NFL offering the Super Bowl as a reward for building new stadiums, I think it's a sound business decision. Bigger stadiums with more luxury boxes mean more money for the league, but most cities won't do it unless they get a shot at the big show. As for great event cities, I went to the Sugar Bowl a few years back and left with the following impressions:

1) It was freeeeezing cold and damp nearly the whole time

2) The Super Dome is a second-rate venue way past its prime

3) The French Quarter was an open sewer full of drunken brawls and unattractive people flashing

Ahhh, that felt kind of good. Maybe this Simmons guy is on to something!

[jt16]

what's the infatuation with New Orleans? Business and people move here becuase they don't want to be in NO. What do they have to offer? No last calls and sewer and trash filled streets? I can see the draw if you're a college frat-daddy, but for an event destination?

[yall_are_nutty]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writ...blog/index.html

City limits

Jacksonville is not cut out to host a Super Bowl

Posted: Thursday February 3, 2005 3:02PM; Updated: Thursday February 3, 2005 3:02PM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- You tried. You really did. All you lovely, helpful residents of this unlovely, disastrous town -- all you get-the-door volunteers, with your yellow windbreakers and shining smiles and palpable, desperate need to lend a hand -- truly gave it your all this week. You did everything in your collective power to make every visitor think and feel that this was anything but a sprawling, swampy, godforsaken roach motel. You tried. Hard.

So know this, folks: It's not your fault. In retrospect, I -- along with the thousands of media members filing similar dispatches this week -- will never hold you accountable for the sins of the NFL, which was given every conceivable reason to NOT bring this game (and thus, me) here and still decided that Jacksonville was ready for its ill-conceived, cruise-ship-addled close-up.

That you beautiful, big-hearted people live in a place with an unconscionable lack of hotel rooms, decent restaurants, recognizable city centers, attractive gathering places, cultural options, available taxis and dependable weather patterns, shouldn't be held against you. Just because I've heard your city called "scummy" and "smelly" too many times to count this week -- and one grizzled, overly nasty scribe proclaim yesterday, "The only attractive people here are the out-of-town strippers" -- shouldn't give you or your phalanx of defensive local columnists any more of a complex.

It's just that the very things that make this place so livable for you -- no big-city bustle, no discernable tourism industry, no apparent geographic center --unfortunately make it, by far, the worst Super Bowl burg ever.

So please, y'all: Keep smiling. Because at this rate, your pearly whites may just be all we've got.

That said, I'm more certain of any number of other things Super-Bowl-week-related. So, in homage to my esteemed colleague Peter King, I give you the Ten Things I Think I Know I've Learned:

1. When considering future Super Bowl sites (and let's not even get started on next year's host city -- the balmy, escapist environs of Detroit), the NFL should disabuse itself of the following fallacy: The South doesn't experience a winter. Five years ago, we suffered through ice storms in traffic-choked Atlanta. Three years ago, it was the Gulf-whipped rainstorms of traffic-choked Tampa. Thus far here, we've endured sub-arctic temperatures and gloomy skies, until yesterday, when the mercury climbed into the 40s...just in time for a day-long downpour, and today's pea-soup inversion layer. (And -- surprise -- choking traffic.)

What's so wrong with the Miami-New Orleans-San Diego rotation? Or better yet, a permanent stay in the Big Easy, by far the South's most capable host city (the tourist traffic barely rates among the city's top-10 weekends) and one which will appreciate the NFL presence when the Saints move to L.A. in a few years.

[kzseattle]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writ...blog/index.html

City limits

Jacksonville is not cut out to host a Super Bowl

Posted: Thursday February 3, 2005 3:02PM; Updated: Thursday February 3, 2005 3:02PM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- You tried. You really did. All you lovely, helpful residents of this unlovely, disastrous town -- all you get-the-door volunteers, with your yellow windbreakers and shining smiles and palpable, desperate need to lend a hand -- truly gave it your all this week. You did everything in your collective power to make every visitor think and feel that this was anything but a sprawling, swampy, godforsaken roach motel. You tried. Hard.

So

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wasnt here when Super Bowl was held in Houston but did it face the same kind of bashing? If so, it seems that hosting Super Bowl does more harm than good for the image of a city!

[yall_are_nutty]

LOL. Naw, people had very low expectations of Houston so you had a little bashing at the beginning, but that was outweighed substantially by positive articles, comments, etc.. The media and the fans all had a great time so they were happy and so pleasantly surprised at Houston.

I think downtown had over 150,000 people down there several nights in a row. Much of it was blocked off for huge parties, etc. Many compared it to Bourbon St. There were pics in some old threads. Anyway, it was pretty crazy all over town. Difficult to get into bars, parties everywhere, celebrities, etc.

Houston has a lot more energy than Jacksonville since it's so much bigger. Plus Houstonians know how to throw parties and put on a show.

[Lowbrow]

Yeah, Playboy had its superbowl party last year in the Corinthian... You think Jacksonville has anything like the Corinthian?? la de da ta ta

[The Great Hizzy!]

I don't know why more of the media don't come clean and admit that Miami is a logistical nightmare as well. The stadium sits, literally, in the middle of nowhere. To the south, there is a long swath of empty, dunish land surrounded by mid-size suburban homes and some ho-hum businesses--Checkers Burgers, Wachovia Bank, etc, etc. To the east are more suburban type homes seperated from the actual stadium by Florida's Turnpike. To the west are a lot of risky apartment complexes, which, at least at one time, were high areas of crime and mayhem. To the north is a race track and a hotel. By the way, it's the only hotel in the area over a two-mile radius.

It's also a good little jaunt from: MIA (10 miles), DT Miami (12 miles), DT Fort Lauderdale (13 miles) and South Beach (19 miles). There isn't much public transportation, and certainly no rail.

Also, getting to and from South Beach can be a record breaking hassle. Hell, getting to and from it on a regular weekend is hell, as traffic backs up across the intercoastal as people try to make a turn at either Alton Road or Ocean Drive. It sucks, in that sense.

However, the hotels, bars and restaurants are outstanding and there's shopping to do nearby.

But it's not as convenient as Houston's setup, and that's without debate.

[tamtagon]

But it's not as convenient as Houston's setup

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I know thats right

[DJ V Lawrence]

I came from Korea to Houston just to see the Super Bowl. Three weeks before Super Bowl weekend, there was plenty of bashing from New York journalists, saying they didn't know what Houston had to offer. Foriegn journalists were more open-minded. Once Super Bowl week finished, and I went back oversees, I didn't hear ONE bad thing about Houston. Everything was positive, and most foriegn press members said they've NEVER seen so many celebrities at any city for a one day sports event. They all LOVED Houston.

My only problem was this. Did anyone notice that CBS NEVER showed pictures of Houston during the game? However, that's alwayz done for all the other cities. Wussup widdat?

[Trophy Property]

I came from Korea to Houston just to see the Super Bowl. Three weeks before Super Bowl weekend, there was plenty of bashing from New York journalists, saying they didn't know what Houston had to offer. Foriegn journalists were more open-minded. Once Super Bowl week finished, and I went back oversees, I didn't hear ONE bad thing about Houston. Everything was positive, and most foriegn press members said they've NEVER seen so many celebrities at any city for a one day sports event. They all LOVED Houston.

My only problem was this. Did anyone notice that CBS NEVER showed pictures of Houston during the game? However, that's alwayz done for all the other cities. Wussup widdat?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What are you doing in Korea. Are you in the Military?

[skwatra]

My only problem was this. Did anyone notice that CBS NEVER showed pictures of Houston during the game? However, that's alwayz done for all the other cities. Wussup widdat?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i noticed that, and it bothered me. people were asking me what they showed for houston during sports events. in the past, i remember seeing the astrodome from the blimp for games there, the waterwall and transco, downtown, even rocket park.

i didn't didn't see one shot this time. you would think they would have showed the new main street or reliant park. unless i missed it...

[kjb434]

I sick and tired of the bashing on the city of New Orleans. The reason businesses and jobs are leaving New Orleans and Louisiana is because of the horrible political situation. The democratic run state has drove away businesses because of the kickbacks they wanted for the business to get tax incentives. The same process is what cause Walt Disney to relocate Disney World from the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain to Orlando (a more uncentralized sub tropical climate). New Orleans has the issue with being the only city in the state that has direct ties to the capital and state governements. This makes the state intimately involve with the city dealings. Recent changes in the politics are changing the state. New Orleans is seeing a revitalization economically that it hasn't see in a long time. The current mayor is pro business without forgetting the citizens. Although the current governor (the first woman) was elected because of bigotry against a main with a different ethinicity.

New Orleans has the luxury of having the best crowd control police force in the US. Other cities get trained by the New Orleans Police and Sherifs department for crowd control techniques. Imagine being able to vacate crowded Bourbon Street at midnight on Mardi Gras in 30 minutes. As the cops push through, behind them is street sweepers and garbage trucks. The next morning you couldn't tell Mardi Gras existed. Some cities will have officers trained during Mardi Gras time in New Orleans. It's very appealing to event organizers to have an effective force for handling crowds.

Also, New Orleans has the luxury of having everything in close proximity. Entertainment, Shopping, Hotels, Covention Center, and Sports Facilities all in one place. The Superdome is in great condition even though it is aging. The main drawback to the facility is the the luxury boxes aren't as numerous as some newer facilities such as Reliant. Plans have been made to adjust for these upgrades. Also, with the addition of the new arena next door to handle smaller court events, the facility now has more flexibility.

Also, the comment about New Orleans going to be underwater was obiviously made by someone who has no engineering concept of the cities geographical location and measures in place to prevent flooding. It is true that portions of the city are under sea leve, but the key word is portions. Many parts are above see level. If Amtserdam can exist for the time it has, so can New Orleans.

If you look at the list of Superbowls being held there, it has the record. Also, some of the first superbowls were held there before the Superdome was built. They played at the old Tulane Stadium. This shows the city can market itself and has proven to be able to handle the situation.

Also, with Houston's success of hosting the Superbowl, I think it will definitely host many more. Houston's improvement have made the city a serious contender now in League with New Orleans, San Deigo, and Tampa. Jacksonville has lots of promise also. Atlanta has done an ok job despite the weather situation. I think Dallas would be the next contender in the future. Northern cities, eventhough they can build covered stadiums, still have problems with weather possible being bad. A good rail system can handle bad winter weather, but roads can be a problem.

I'm hoping Detroit and possible Indianapolis have figured these issues.