Presidential suites in top-dollar hotels, police escorts, bowling alleys, access to top golf courses and a million other over-the-top demands
The Star Tribune in Minneapolis has got its hands on the 154-page list of demands the Twin Cities was asked to meet during their successful bid to host Super Bowl LII (52) in three years’ time.
As the newspaper reports, the NFL’s wishlist included, ‘Free police escorts for team owners, and 35,000 free parking spaces. Presidential suites at no cost in high-end hotels. [20] free billboards across the Twin Cities. Guarantees to receive all revenue from the game’s ticket sales – even a requirement for NFL-preferred ATMs at the stadium.’
The NFL also sought access to some of the areas top golf courses, free of charge, and the reservation of two bowling alleys it will use for social outings and events. It will choose a high-end ‘House’ in which its employees, corporate guests and sponsors can ‘meet, unwind, network and conduct business’.
The local police force will be required to marshal, at no cost to the organisation, ticket touting. Added to that, if the NFL feels mobile phone signal in any hotel it is using is weak, the host city will foot the bill for installation of additional, temporary mobile phone signal towers.
The committee behind the bid have assembled a war-chest of $30m that will be used to meet most of the NFL’s demands. The Super Bowl, confirmed for Minneapolis in May 2014, will be held at Vikings Stadium, newly constructed home to Minnesota Vikings.
The paper’s release of the 154-page document has met with consternation in some quarters. Minnesota governor Arne Carlson declared, ‘This is a huge public event. It should be transparent. We should know how the NFL operates.’
It’s not all take, take, take. Some 100,000 American football fans will descend up Minneapolis in 2018 and the city will get 750 free tickets to distribute in whatever, legal, way it sees fit.
