As the world now knows, Las Vegas was suckered into holding the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl game in 2024 (also known as “The Big Game”). To be held Sunday, February 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium
So today I wanted to take a first look at just what we are getting ourselves into and to ask the important question: Is It Worth it??
My Answer? I think Not.
Let’s take a look at what we already know will happen and look at what has happened in other cities that got suckered into hosting the NFL’s “big game”.
First, asking just how did we get the blessing of the NFL to host such an event?
The 2024 game was supposed to be played in New Orleans, but when New Orleans saw that it would interfere with their Mardi Gras celebration, they knew it was smarter, easier, and more profitable to host Mardi Gras than the Super Bowl event. Smart move in my book.
NFL Demands (so far):
- Police escorts for team owners
- Use of presidential suites at the city’s top hotels
- 35,000 parking spaces
- NFL gets all profits from NFL merchandise sold in the host city
- All revenue from ticket sales goes to the league
- Members of local host committee have to buy their own tickets
- Two bowling venues (??)
- Portable cellphone towers
- Advertising space from local newspapers and radio stations
- The host committee will pay the NFL $55 million (??????)
We are supposed to give them a ton of freebies that will cost this city a ton of money while they sit back and smile? Shouldn’t they be paying us for the honor?
Think about it. If it wasn’t for our legal sportsbooks, all these tourists coming here to bet on their favorite teams for the last 50 years, the NFL would have been bankrupt decades ago.
They should be paying us for the honor!
I digress…
NFL Demands from previous host cities
- Hotel rooms for eight nights for each participating team, including 150 standard rooms, two “Presidential” suites and five other suites.
- Rent-free use of Stadium for the game and of other venues for ancillary events.
- Assignment of 10 security officers to each team hotel during the day and five during the night, as well as police escorts for the team owners to and from the game.
- Approximately 10,000 parking spaces for game-day use,
Why 35,000 for Las Vegas?? - The NFL retaining the parking revenue from the game.
- A wide range of lesser items, such as installing up to 2,000 banners on street poles and setting up a “social media monitoring and response center.”
- provide NFL owners with “VIP private airport accommodations.”
- reimburse the league and its teams for any other state or local taxes they pay in connection with the Super Bowl here.
Now comes the big issue… Security details. Keeping everyone safe and making sure the game goes on!
Super Bowl Security, Vegas Style
Think about this, Las Vegas is the only host city to have its main tourist corridor AND one of the busiest International airports just a couple of blocks away from the stadium…
Because this event is known the world over for having some of the best commercials ever made, that makes the host city (Las Vegas) a target for just about any reason or cause.
On High Alert
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the super bowl has a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) of 1 – meaning it has national and international importance that requires “extensive federal interagency support,”
Do You Know what that means??
If it is a government agency that deals with security, expect that they will be here in full force.
Nellis Airbase will be on high alert.
That means we should get a pretty good view of all the best military aircraft in the world Including Black Hawk helicopters and jet fighters with the inferred cameras circling above the city and the Stadium
Uber Tight Resort Security
Staying at a resort on the Strip or near the stadium? Expect New Year’s Eve style security. That means every member of your party will have their own credential with an RFID chip in it for tracking. You will need this credential to enter or to leave the property.
The entire Vegas valley will most likely be a No-Drone Zone
Sealed Perimeter
Previous host cities had a security perimeter around the stadium of 10 to thirty nautical miles. Only approved commercial aircraft allowed into that perimeter.
That would shove all other aircraft, including tourist helicopters to either Henderson airport or Jean/Primm airfields for at least a week.
If I were an Uber Driver, I would get to know the other airports around town much better than you do now!
One Mile Fenced Perimeter Around the Stadium
- Limiting tourist traffic
- A one-mile sealed barrier circling the stadium. No vehicles are allowed in that perimeter. That would include the MGM and the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign
- On game day, only credentialed people would be allowed in that barrier
- Vehicles that are allowed in or near that perimeter would be subject to X-ray and physical inspection
- Public transit/shuttle/monorail restrictions
With all the various government agencies here for the game week, and all the new security technology they will bring in and tie into the resort’s already cutting edge technology, expect all the security cameras will be tied into one large database.
From resort security cameras to street cams and traffic cams to aerial surveillance cameras. Then add-in the RFID chip to your credentials and resort badges, it will all get fed into one large government database
Final Thoughts
After everything we will have to endure, all the invasions and givebacks the city is handing the NFL, In the end, I see no real benefit to hosting this game.
Simply put; Too many barriers, too many expenses, and too much BS to deal with.
Normally Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest one-day sporting event in Las Vegas. More people are here that weekend than are in the host city!! People are here spending money without us having to give any skim to the thugs of the NFL.
Besides, if it weren’t for our legal sportsbooks, the NFL would have been bankrupt and out of business decades ago. Why else have they been publishing injury reports on Monday after a game? To feed the gamblers and sportsbooks!
I’m serious when I say they should actually be paying us for the honor of hosting the event…
Just my opinion. What’s yours?
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