According to officials in Texas, the NFL is quietly looking for a replacement stadium for the Super Bowl if California’s coronavirus rules become too restrictive to hold the game in SoCal.
WFAA reports that the NFL has reached out to the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to see if the venue is available for the coming Super Bowl LVI game scheduled for Feb. 13.
The TV station added that a Cowboys official confirmed that the league asked about the availability of their stadium and that officials are also considering several over arenas in parts of the country with looser coronavirus rules.
The source told WFAA that “the league did inquire about a date if [the] stadium is available. But that’s all I’ve ever heard. They could be just covering all options just in case.”
Still, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy claims that searching for a backup stadium is entirely routine, and the league plans for emergency venues every year.
“We plan on playing Super Bowl LVI as scheduled at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 13,” McCarthy insisted. “As part of our standard contingency planning process that we conduct for all regular and postseason games, we have contacted several clubs to inquire about stadium availability in the event we cannot play the Super Bowl as scheduled due to weather-related issues or unforeseen circumstances. Our planning process for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles is ahead of schedule and we look forward to hosting the Super Bowl there to culminate another fantastic NFL season for our fans and clubs.”
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 10: An exterior view of SoFi Stadium is seen prior to the game betweeen the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots on December 10, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
If the Super Bowl were to be moved out of California, it would not be the first high-profile event the state has lost already this year. The Recording Academy and CBS, for instance, have announced that the Grammys are canceled for now. The show was to be held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on January 31, 2022. No replacement date has been announced.
L.A. has not hosted a Super Bowl since 1993 when the Cowboys bested the Buffalo Bills to win Super Bowl XXVII. And with new restrictions being floated in California every month over mounting cases of the omicron variant, it might make sense to abandon California.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 08: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference at Kingston 11 Cuisine on October 08, 2021 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Attendance may increase for the game, too. The Cowboys lead the league with attendance averaging 93,421 fans per home game. Meanwhile, L.A. is only averaging 68,205 fans per game this year.
California health official Dr. Mark Ghaly, though, waved off rumors that the NFL might strip California of the big game. “I want to be clear,” Ghaly said on Wednesday. “The Super Bowl is coming to Los Angeles.”
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