Super Bowl XLVIII was a failure, and I'm not just talking about the game, the commercials or the halftime show.
Disregard the economic side of things, because I'm sure the New York City area, along with the National Football League, being the cash cow that it is, made millions off of Sunday's big game and the festivities leading up to it.
I was never a fan of an outdoor, cold-weather venue for a Super Bowl.
Tell me why an NFL player would want to play the biggest game of his career, should he have the coveted opportunity to play in it, in cold, wet, snowy conditions.
But had it snowed on game day, or worse, had the area gotten Monday's six inches a day earlier, the league, along with Roger Goodell, would be forced to explain themselves for months as to why the decision to play the sport's pinnacle game was played in East Rutherford, N.J.
Another issue with the game being in our area was "Super Bowl Boulevard."
I attended the city's version of the pre-game party. Every event had a two hour wait or more. Times Square on a normal Saturday afternoon is a mess, let alone the Saturday before the Super Bowl. The city could not keep up with the crowds who flocked for XLVIII.
The bottom line is this Super Bowl was New York's thing, not New Jersey's. We had the venue, the league rented it out and the city made money off of it. It should not come as an insult. When the game is associated with the city; the Giants and Jets have been doing it for years. But together, neither was strong enough to handle the Super Bowl.
There is a reason why these games have been played in cities such as Miami, New Orleans, San Diego and Tampa for 47 years. Players are thrilled to finally play in the biggest game of their lives.
David Heim is a sophomore journalism major from Roselle Park, N.J. He can be reached at david.heim@student.shu.edu. Follow him on twitter @DavidHeim12.
