The biggest game of the year is here, everyone: Super Bowl XLVIII. The Seattle Seahawks are set to take on the Denver Broncos this weekend outside in the frigid cold city of East Rutherford, N.J., at MetLife Stadium.
The biggest story the last two weeks has not been Richard Sherman’s mouth, Peyton Manning’s legacy or even Champ Bailey’s first chance at a title 15 years into his career. The storyline hitting everyone’s news feed this year has been the stadium where the game will be played.
Media sources like ESPN, SportsCenter, Fox Sports and NFL Network have flooded the television and radio stations over the last two weeks about whether it is fair or not to play the Super Bowl in a city such as East Rutherford in February. They seem to act as though it will tarnish the game in some way.
This year’s game is predicted to be played in weather as high as 46 degrees, but by kickoff the weather will be more in the mid 30s with a zero percent chance of precipitation.
Here lies the problem the public cannot stop talking about: cold weather. Fans and analysts have pounded the NFL for the site picked for this year’s game and the effect the weather could have. People want the Super Bowl to be in 70-degree weather or in stadiums that have a dome where weather cannot play a factor.
What many fans tend to forget are games like the 1967 championship, known as the “Ice Bowl”, between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. Temperatures reached a chilling 48 degrees below with the wind chill. To this day, the game remains one of the most memorable championships in NFL history.
Football is meant to be played outside in any condition; it should not have to be played in perfect weather where the sun shines just right and the temperature sits at a perfect 75 degrees.
Super Bowl XLVIII could turn out to be a blizzard, but would that really be the worst thing? Fans and football analysts need to sit back and enjoy the Super Bowl, because this could turn out to be one of the most memorable games the NFL has yet to offer.
Whether you like it or not, the Seahawks and Broncos could not care less what the weather brings; their main focus will be taking home the Vince Lombardi trophy and becoming the Super Bowl XLVIII World Champions.
Do not forget to turn on your TV Sunday night. You will not want to miss the best game of the year. Plus, you will get to see the commercials (and that is all most people want to see anyways, right?).
