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  • NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell answers a question during a news conference Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, in Indianapolis. The New England Patriots will face the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5. David J. Phillip

    Roger Goodell
February 3, 2012

Goodell says competition growing to host the Super Bowl

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — It didn’t take long during NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s annual state of the game address for the topic to turn to the question on everybody in the host city’s mind:

Is it possible Indianapolis will be considered to host future Super Bowls?

“Sure it is,” Goodell said. “We’re here, and they are doing a fantastic job.”

But Goodell said there’s work yet to be done. “I have said it repeatedly this week. I said yesterday (we’re) in the second quarter, maybe we are in the third quarter today, but we’ve got a weekend still to go and a game to put on.”

Indianapolis is enjoying its spot on the “global stage,” and other NFL markets would like to host sports’ biggest event, he said.

“The fight to be at the center of that stage is growing more competitive each year.”

With the league scheduled to host the Super Bowl for the first time outdoors in a cold-weather venue in 2014 at New York, questions were posed about the chances for the big game to be played in Chicago and Philadelphia.

Even Miami, which has hosted a record 10 Super Bowls, is feeling uneasy about its future.

Reports surfaced at Super Bowl XLIV that the league would like to see improvements made to Dolphins Stadium before bringing a championship game back to South Florida.

Goodell said he does believe Miami will host future games, but the Super Bowl is getting bigger every year.

“Clearly, they’re competing against better and better Super Bowl venues across the country,” Goodell said. “You’ve got one right here in Indianapolis, a great facility. And the reality is, that’s our stage. The Super Bowl has become a national holiday. People are watching all over the world on Sunday. Everyone is going to raise their game.”

Recent rules changes designed to protect player safety were another big topic.

Goodell said offenses might be ahead of defenses now, but he believes defenders eventually will adjust and catch up. Any time there are changes to the rules, he said, there is an adjustment period. And he believes that’s what fans are seeing now.

“We think the players understand the rules,” he said. “They may not agree with them all the time, but the rules apply to every player in the league, every team in the league, and they have to be applied consistently.”

Goodell also addressed the NFL’s growing media presence.

The NFL Network’s Thursday night package will increase from eight games to 13 next season. Thursday night games will be spread from Week 2 through Week 15, and each of the league’s 32 franchises will appear in at least one primetime game every year.

Social media also has made a big impact in the NFL, and Goodell said he’s happy to see any avenue that helps promote the game.

“Football brings people together,” he said. “If they do that on social media or other technologies or watch it on television, it’s all okay by me as long as they do it.”

George Bremer is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin in Anderson, Ind.

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