Super Bowl LVI is highly unlikely to be moved away from SoFi Stadium in southern California, according to a report by the Sports Business Journal.
Dallas television station WFAA reported on Wednesday night that the NFL was looking into the availability of stadiums outside of California, including the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, in case a venue change is needed.
The report came in the wake of the Grammys being postponed and concerns that California might institute restrictions with the Omicron variant rapidly spreading throughout the state.
However, sources told the SBJ on Thursday that plans remain in place for a full-scale Super Bowl experience around the $2 billion SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. And if the wave of Omicron cases doesn’t peak in the coming weeks, it will likely result in smaller parties ahead of the Feb. 13 game rather than a change in venues.
Los Angeles County reported 21,790 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, marking the fourth time in five days that the county had topped 20,000 cases. That’s compared to 1,600 new cases on Dec. 5.
“We are working closely with the NFL to welcome the Super Bowl to L.A. County,” an L.A. County Public Health representative told the SBJ. “And while we cannot provide certainty for the future, we do not anticipate capacity limits at sporting events.”
WFAA reported that a Cowboys front office source told the station the team and league have had preliminary discussions about AT&T Stadium serving as an emergency site should California institute COVID-19 restrictions that would create issues with the game being held at SoFi.
At this point, it appears that remains a very remote likelihood as NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told WFAA that the league looks into backup venues every year.
“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,” McCarthy told the station.
“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.”
–Field Level Media
