http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/westvalleyopinions/articles/0402nwedit0402.html
Now that would be really Super
Put football's crown jewel in W. Valley
Apr. 2, 2003 12:00 AM
Fast-forward to a January afternoon in 2008. Wispy white clouds that arc through the darkening cerulean sky turn a violent red and orange.
The television camera from the MetLife blimp catches the beauty of the unfolding sunset over the White Tank Mountains - a purple mountains majesty moment if there ever was. Silhouettes of saguaros dot the ridge line. The images that we take for granted are beamed to hundreds of millions of people around the world.
It's Super Bowl XLII, live from Glendale, Arizona.
Landing the Super Bowl will be another major coup for the West Valley and the region. There's the exposure, the publicity and the tourists who'll want to flee their harsh winters and come to the warm environs of Glendale . . . and the Valley . . . and spend their money.
Pro sports is big business, and a Super Bowl in the new Cardinals stadium - where ground will be broken this month - is relatively certain. The only things that appear unclear are the year - either 2008 or 2009 - and whether Arizona can become part of a permanent rotation.
A team consisting of Bid Committee Chairman Gregg Holmes, Gov. Janet Napolitano, Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs and retired TV newsman Hugh Downs wowed National Football League owners at the Arizona Biltmore resort last week. Theirs was a strong and convincing case that dwelled a bit on the past but clearly concentrated on the future.
The past was Super Bowl XXX in 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium - a weeklong festival that met with owner and fan approval alike and, according to an Arizona State University study, pumped $306 million into the local economy.
Capture that spirit and build upon it is a fitting motto. "If you liked us before, we're even better now," says Holmes, who ticks off all the improvements in the region - hotels, resorts, restaurants, golf courses and other entertainment venues. The impact on the local economy would be bigger - an estimated $400 million.
And then there's the stadium. By 2008, it will have been in operation for several years - long enough to get any kinks worked out. It will have everything that Sun Devil Stadium didn't - from sufficient numbers of bathrooms to theater-style seating to a retractable roof.
Just as the West Valley united behind the effort to win the stadium selection sweepstakes, communities across the Valley have passed resolutions pledging help in putting on the next Super Bowl. This broad-based community support does not go unnoticed. The camaraderie is a breath of fresh air.
Glendale is a deserving host. Even if the site-selection process was ugly, the voters of Maricopa County and the West Valley delivered by authorizing a new, $355 million, state-of-the-art stadium.
It's now NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's turn to follow through on his pledge to get the team owners to bring the Super Bowl back to the Valley. The year 2008 would be just fine.
Now that would be really Super
Put football's crown jewel in W. Valley
Apr. 2, 2003 12:00 AM
Fast-forward to a January afternoon in 2008. Wispy white clouds that arc through the darkening cerulean sky turn a violent red and orange.
The television camera from the MetLife blimp catches the beauty of the unfolding sunset over the White Tank Mountains - a purple mountains majesty moment if there ever was. Silhouettes of saguaros dot the ridge line. The images that we take for granted are beamed to hundreds of millions of people around the world.
It's Super Bowl XLII, live from Glendale, Arizona.
Landing the Super Bowl will be another major coup for the West Valley and the region. There's the exposure, the publicity and the tourists who'll want to flee their harsh winters and come to the warm environs of Glendale . . . and the Valley . . . and spend their money.
Pro sports is big business, and a Super Bowl in the new Cardinals stadium - where ground will be broken this month - is relatively certain. The only things that appear unclear are the year - either 2008 or 2009 - and whether Arizona can become part of a permanent rotation.
A team consisting of Bid Committee Chairman Gregg Holmes, Gov. Janet Napolitano, Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs and retired TV newsman Hugh Downs wowed National Football League owners at the Arizona Biltmore resort last week. Theirs was a strong and convincing case that dwelled a bit on the past but clearly concentrated on the future.
The past was Super Bowl XXX in 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium - a weeklong festival that met with owner and fan approval alike and, according to an Arizona State University study, pumped $306 million into the local economy.
Capture that spirit and build upon it is a fitting motto. "If you liked us before, we're even better now," says Holmes, who ticks off all the improvements in the region - hotels, resorts, restaurants, golf courses and other entertainment venues. The impact on the local economy would be bigger - an estimated $400 million.
And then there's the stadium. By 2008, it will have been in operation for several years - long enough to get any kinks worked out. It will have everything that Sun Devil Stadium didn't - from sufficient numbers of bathrooms to theater-style seating to a retractable roof.
Just as the West Valley united behind the effort to win the stadium selection sweepstakes, communities across the Valley have passed resolutions pledging help in putting on the next Super Bowl. This broad-based community support does not go unnoticed. The camaraderie is a breath of fresh air.
Glendale is a deserving host. Even if the site-selection process was ugly, the voters of Maricopa County and the West Valley delivered by authorizing a new, $355 million, state-of-the-art stadium.
It's now NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's turn to follow through on his pledge to get the team owners to bring the Super Bowl back to the Valley. The year 2008 would be just fine.
