New York Jets legend “Broadway” Joe Namath believes freezing temperatures and wind will diminish play in Super Bowl XLVIII, which will be held in East Rutherford, N.J., at MetLife Stadium.
“Guys aren’t performing at their peak efficiency when the weather’s nasty,” Namath said at the NFL Honors during Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. “When its cold, when the hawk is blowing 40 miles per hour it makes the game diminished from the kind of play you would get.
“If it’s good weather, terrific. If it’s bad weather, the game is up for grabs. Not even the best teams can win. Accidents happen, bad things happen. Mother Nature takes over.”
Super Bowl XLVIII will be the first Super Bowl in the Northeast and the first to be held in an outdoor cold-weather venue. The lowest recorded Super Bowl kickoff temperature, 39 degrees, would be great in East Rutherford where average February temperatures are 24 to 40 degrees.
Although Namath believes play may be sub-par due to inclement weather, he’s absolutely sure the Big Apple will still be a great experience for the thousands of fans who’ll flock to town.
Most fan-experience related events will be held in New York on Super Bowl Boulevard, a.k.a Broadway. Super Bowl Blvd will stretch 10 blocks from 34th street right through the heart of New York City in Times Square and end on 44th street.
“[The location provides] great opportunities,” Namath said. “New York and New Jersey will make it happen as best they can and they are going to make it work.”
The host committee isn’t shying away from the fact that fans may be wary to come to the area because of frigid temperatures. Instead, they’re embracing it by appealing to their insane fandom.
A promotional video on the host committee website includes images of bare chested NFL fans in sub-zero temperatures cheering on their teams. Frigid temps are nothing new to the NFL or its fans. The message the host committee seems to be sending is crowds withstand below-zero weather for a regular season game, so why not the biggest game of the year.
"A little snow would be great for us, but whatever comes our way, we're going to be prepared for it," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said during the unveiling of the host committee's blue-and-white snowflake logo for the game.
"Some of our most memorable games were played in unusual weather circumstances. Winter and cold are part of football, and snow is also," he said.
If you’re not about that cold weather life, Super Bowl Blvd will have heating stations to warm you up. Or you could partake in one of the many indoor New York, New Jersey activities that the host committee is boasting that week. There’s New York City restaurant and Broadway week, the New Jersey International film festival and the MTA Holiday Train Show. Then Mercedes Benz Fashion week kicks off three days after the game.
The wonderful thing about the two states hosting Super Bowl XLVIII is that most of these events take place every year and they aren’t letting the Super Bowl get in the way. Outside of a few shut down streets, things should be business as usual in the bi-state area.
This way fans will be able to partake in an authentic NYC, NJ experience with the Super Bowl being the icing on a very chilly cake.
Do you think the weather will negatively affect Super Bowl XLVIII? Make your voice heard in the comment section below or on Twitter @NFLMondayQB . Also make sure to check out more Super Bowl XLVII photos on our Facebook and Instagram pages. You can also follow Adena Andrews on Twitter @adena_andrews.
