Super Bowl Date Change: Bad Weather To Force New Day & Time For The NFL's Football’s Biggest Game?
The risks of choosing a New Jersey based stadium for Super Bowl XLVIII are potentially coming to the forefront, as the possibility of a rescheduled Super Bowl comes to light
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is now saying that the potential for bad weather in the area on Super Bowl Sunday has forced the NFL to consider alternative contingency plans for the big game.
"We are embracing the weather," he said. "Football is played in the elements."
However, if a storm of massive proportions head to the area in time for the big game on Feb. 2, the date could be changed for anywhere between Friday, Jan 31 and Monday, Feb. 3 as a result, according to The Chicago Tribune.
The current forecast for Super Bowl Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J. is for a high of 40 and a 30percent chance of rain or snow, making the need for a change highly unlikely, but weather can be unpredictable.
If New Jersey governor Chris Christie is forced to declare a state of emergency due to weather however (he recently did so for a storm that dumped between 10-15" of snow on the area), it would restrict local traffic heading to MetLife Stadium in all directions, which would prompt a date change for the game.
"We don't have a crystal ball on weather, but we're confident we'll be able to have our events," NFL Vice President of operations Eric Grubman said.
As of right now though, NFL officials are hoping fans will embrace the first-ever outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl in league history, by accepting complimentary ear muffs, hats, lip balm, mittens, cup holders, scarves, tissues, radios, hand warmers, and seat cushions as they enter the stadium.
Heavy winter storms have affected N.J. and the surrounding tri-state area with large amounts of snowfall during this time period in recent history. Last year, one week after Super Bowl XLVII took place in New Orleans, the area selected for this year's game was hit by Winter Storm Nemo, which dumped 15 inches in parts of New Jersey, but pummeled the rest of the Northeast with amounts between 24-32" of snow.
Super Bowl XLVIII, which will see the Denver Broncos face off against the Seattle Seahawks, is currently still scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 2 with a kick-off at 6:30 p.m.
