Here’s Why The Chiefs Might Not Play in a California Super Bowl
The Kansas City Chiefs hold their Super Bowl destiny in their hands. If they play well and they win their playoff games. They'll make it. If they don't, well then we can all just pay attention to the Super Bowl commercials. If the Chiefs make it they won't, however, get to decide if the Super Bowl is held as planned at SoFi Stadium in California, AT&T Stadium in Dallas, or some other stadium.
WFAA TV out of Dallas / Ft. Worth is reporting that the NFL has reached out to AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, to check its availability on Sunday, February 13. Superbowl Sunday.
WFAA TV says, "A Dallas Cowboys front office source tells WFAA that the team and league have engaged in preliminary discussions about AT&T Stadium serving as an emergency site for the 2022 Super Bowl should possible COVID restrictions in California create problems with playing the game in Southern California."
And that right now is the rub. According to the television station, the omicron variant of Covid-19 is spiking cases in Southern California, with Los Angeles County reporting 10,000 Covid cases on Christmas Eve alone. And those numbers continue to go up.
What the NFL is doing is hedging its bets. You be they want fans in the stands on football's biggest day. And bluntly, there's no telling what California or Los Angeles will say about a stadium full of fans watching a football game if Covid is still raging in February. Not to mention, everything that goes with a Super Bowl. That's lots of tourists, lots of events, and lots of opportunities to spread Covid-19 germs around.
Earlier today, the Recording Academy just announced the postponement of the Grammy Awards, "After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Show."
You have to think the NFL has taken notice of the line "consideration and analysis with city and state officials" line. And the last thing they want is some meddling city or state screwing up their party.
Of course, these are concerns most of us won't have to worry about. Most of us will be at home with family and friends, hopefully watching the Chiefs in the big game. Enjoying a few Budweiser's. A couple of slices of pizza. And Tostitos.
The NFL for its part is downplaying AT&T Stadium as a backup site saying they have one every year, just in case. Of course, if the last two years have taught us anything, there's no such thing as business as usual when it comes to the coronavirus.