I Hope It Snows For The Superbowl XLVIII

As I’m sure everybody, even those poor souls who simply don’t care, knows by now that Superbowl 48 will take place in an outdoor, cold weather venue at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford New Jersey.  It is also common knowledge that it is the first of its kind, no other Superbowl has taken a stage that could potentially allow the elements to influence the outcome of a the game so dynamically.

Let’s say for instance it snows for the Superbowl the way that it did in the Eagles Lions game early in December, when its all said and down 8-10 inches of snow on the ground and during the game reliable visibility is reduced to 15 yards in any direction; would this make for a good Superbowl?

This is clearly an opinionated question that relies on the individual presenting there case.  However as the historic day draws closer we see that the odds of having the single most watched sporting event in America being played in a blizzard dissipating.

 “ Indeed, the current extended forecast calls for a high of just 32-degrees and a low of 24. Kickoff is scheduled for roughly 6:30 p.m. ET, and while skies are projected to be clear by then, there is a slight chance for snow during the day (AccuWeather).”

Honestly, compared to many of the games we have witnessed this season even in the playoffs (-15 in Green Bay) this hardly even categorizes as a cold weather game.  Obviously the forecast will change and perhaps the football gods will decide they want to see Mr. Goodell and the NFL owners squirm and dump severalteen feet of snow on the field during the game; however the odds seem to be playing against that taking place.

But what if it did, many professional sports commentators who have been covering the game for longer than I have been alive seem upset about even the possibility of the weather having an effect on the game.  “Its okay so long as its not sleeting, snowing, or the wind is to strong”; the general consensus seems to be that “we don’t want a poor footing, a wet ball, or a hard wind to influence the outcome of the game possibly causing the more talented and therefore deemed better team to fall short of the ultimate prize.  I can sympathize with this position, I even stood on that side of the argument for the majority of the season, this being said as the last November and December games progressed my stance changed.

If you are not a fan particular team in the superbowl, and I don’t mean a band wagon fan or, I like this player so I’ll root for their team fan. I mean if neither of these teams are ones that cause grey hairs to sprout or at least loss of sleep on a Sunday after a losing, or cause you to do fall to your knees and shout out cries of joy (that may include rants similar to Richard Sherman’s) after beating a divisional opponent.  If you are not a true fan of either team than if you are watching this game as a casual fan odds are you are hoping the commercials are hysterical.  Even so if you have made it this far into the article you probably not a casual fan, more than likely you love the sport and just want to see a good, competitive, memorable game; and what would be more memorable than snow for the first time at the superbowl.

Think back on some of the most memorable games in NFL history, the Fog Bowl between the Eagles and Bears, the Raiders and Patriots AFC championship game in ’01 when Brady caused the tuck rule to be brought into existence there was so much snow watching from the home the game was barely visible on the screen.  Or arguably the great game of all time the Ice Bowl when the Lombardi lead Packers faced the Landry led Cowboys in an epic showdown.  The point that I am trying to make is yes inclimate weather may bridge the perceived gap in talent between the two teams but this may lead to a more entertaining and memorable night.  People disrespect New Jersey on a daily basis where I’m from (center city philly) saying: “it’s the armpit of America” or “nothing good comes out of Jersey”.  But in this case I find myself is disagreement, two amazingly talented teams will go head to head in the first ever cold weather Superbowl, the will with a little luck be among the most memorable ever.