PHOENIX (AP) -What was once the sleepy home of the NBA's Phoenix Suns, the Fiesta Bowl and baseball's spring training has blossomed into a national sports capital.
This year's Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and New York Giants is the latest in a growing list of national sports events that have landed in the desert. And more are on the way as Phoenix contends with Los Angeles to become the West's top destination for major events.
"I think Phoenix is just growing into itself," said Jerry Colangelo, the former Phoenix Suns owner and Arizona Diamondbacks chairman. "On balance I think we have done an incredible job of coming from a small Western town into a major league market with an incredible array of events."
This represents a dramatic change from the last time Phoenix hosted the Super Bowl, at Tempe's Sun Devil Stadium in January 1996. Back then, some people wondered whether it was big enough to accommodate the event.
"In 1996, our question was, can we handle it?" said Mike Kennedy, a local lawyer and chairman of the Arizona's host committee. "Back then, we were selling one product - the warmth."
They made the sale, and then some.
Since that time, the Phoenix area's population has exploded to 3.8 million, and Phoenix has become the nation's fifth-largest city, with 1.5 million residents. The growth has attracted an events boom as promoters cash in on Phoenix's mild winter weather, resorts and golf courses.
When it comes to sports, Phoenix is not just another pretty place.
"This is the destination," Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall said. "This is the place to be."
The Phoenix area now has four major professional sports franchises, two PGA Tour events, two NASCAR races, two major-college bowl games, an LPGA tour event and a marathon.
Last January, suburban Glendale hosted the first Bowl Championship Series title game, between Florida and Ohio State. Next February, the NBA All-Star Game comes to Phoenix.
Arizona also is home to 12 major-league baseball spring training camps, and that number will grow in 2009, when the Los Angeles Dodgers shift their base to Glendale from Florida.
"People are coming here from all over the country, and they're bringing their love of sports with them," Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said.
