Yahoo!: Lack of halftime show could be just one of many problems with cold-weather Super Bowl (1 Viewer)

[Moon]

Y! SPORTS

As you're no doubt aware, Super Bowl XLVIII is set to be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., which will make it the first intentionally cold-weather outdoor Super Bowl in NFL history. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said that the game is made to be played in the elements, and while that's true, there are all sorts of complications when it comes to a specific game that is as much a corporate outing and media crush as it is a football contest.
[Watch: Check out all of the Super Bowl ads | Commercials winners/losers]
One such complication: There may not be a halftime show next year. As Josh Margolin of the New York Post reports, one source close to the situation believes that the logistics of setting up a stage and pulling a show off in a short space of time would be nearly impossible under inclement conditions.
NFL PR man Brian McCarthy has already shot down the report, insisting that there will be a halftime show, but that's pretty easy to do when reality is still a year away.
“It’s not only the acts and the singers but [also] the crews that have to put the stage together," the source told Margolin. "You know, the assembly has to be done a certain way. It’s choreographed and rehearsed so it can be assembled and disassembled as fast as possible. And you just can’t assemble the stage and break it down fast enough in the cold.”
And if you thought the 34-minute Superdome blackout in Super Bowl XLVII was bad, imagine something along the lines of what happened when Syracuse and USC tussled at MetLife last September: Storms delayed the game nearly 90 minutes, and fans were asked to seek shelter inside the corridors when a lightning storm hit. Not what the NFL wants after last Sunday's blackout.
[ Video: Behind the scenes during Super Bowl blackout]
Regarding the halftime show, the NFL has a few options here. They could do a major concert near the venue earlier in the week, or some sort of video presentation when halftime starts. But the potential lack of halftime festivities is just one issue, and given the amount of planning that has to go into making the game week glitch-free under the best possible circumstances, some in the league are starting to wonder if this was a good idea at all. Once source told Margolin that the NFL is "freaking out" over the possible negative outcomes, and as much as Goodell likes to think of himself as all-powerful, he hasn't yet figured out a way to control the weather.
And that brings up the ultimate "doomsday" question: What if the New York/New Jersey area is hit with a major snow or ice storm as the game week gets underway? If 2012 was a bad year for Goodell (and it most certainly was), putting the Super Bowl in doubt for even a minute might be the ultimate black mark. As one source posited to Margolin:

“How do you cancel a Super Bowl or postpone it? Who decides? When? How do they decide? Will it be the next day, the next week? What if the teams can’t get there? What if the George Washington Bridge is shut down?”
​

Good questions all, and given Goodell's usual "ready-fire-aim" stance on things, it's an even bet that these issues will not be properly dealt with until it's too late. We can but wait and see whether the lack of a halftime show is the biggest problem the NFL will face in Feb. 2014.

And the "What have we done?" freakout officially begins. Rog did us a favor with this one---we'll be smelling like a rose this time next year

 

[Rdanderson91]

just read on ESPN that they definitely plan a halftime show next year

 

[saintmike23]

Remember when the Giants hosted our "home game" in 2005? Well they owe us one. How about we host their Super Bowl in a pinch? There is no other city that could put on a Super Bowl on short notice. Make it happen Mother Nature!

 

[Bill]

Remember when the Giants hosted our "home game" in 2005? Well they owes us one. How about we host their Super Bowl in a pinch? There is no other city that could put on a Super Bowl on short notice. Make it happen Mother Nature!

Right! In ONE WEEK New Orleans could pull off a better Superbowl than a winter-battered East Rutherford, NJ could plan in a whole year!

 

[dajmno]

The halftime show next year will be David Blaine in his underwear walking a tightrope from one goal post to the other.

 

[saintsfanfl]

just read on ESPN that they definitely plan a halftime show next year

That's because Aiello (I believe) came out today and said there will be a halftime show.

And we all know ESPN will tow the NFL company line no matter how obscure, even if it means jumping off the Empire State Bldg. behind them.

 

[GasBag]

Even if the Saints make it to the next SB, I won't be making that drive (it's only about 6-7 hours from here). The idea of sitting in an open air stadium in the frigid NorthEast in February does not compute.

 

[Moon]

Alicia Keys is already preparing for next year

 

[RockyMtnSaint]

Not sure why that would be a problem.

 

[Bill]

Even if the Saints make it to the next SB, I won't be making that drive (it's only about 6-7 hours from here). The idea of sitting in an open air stadium in the frigid NorthEast in February does not compute.

I totally agree, but not for myself. Let's face it, the Superbowl is a celebrity free-for-all and a corporate fantasyland.

Only the actual fans of the respective teams would not be complaining about the misery of an unbearable climate for Superbowl week and the big game itself.

Frankly I even hated to see the Superbowl game in Miami that got deluged the year Peyton Manning finally won his ring. The only way to control the climate for the years biggest game is to make sure you have a good roof over your head.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Could we see the first Superbowl halftime mini-movie in the making?
scorsese directing colim Farrell in the rocky bleier story or some such

 

[redlandssaintsson]

I, for one, being a fan of a North East out door team, am excited to finally see those teams get a representitive Super Bowl. I mean, there's plenty of teams that play in that kid of weather for a couple months already, and no one seems to complain about those. In fact, those cities have all had new stadiums built open BECAUSE they like the weather element.

 

[Bill]

I, for one, being a fan of a North East out door team, am excited to finally see those teams get a representitive Super Bowl. I mean, there's plenty of teams that play in that kid of weather for a couple months already, and no one seems to complain about those. In fact, those cities have all had new stadiums built open BECAUSE they like the weather element.

True, but there's no guarantee that the fans and their teams who LIKE that kind of weather will be anywhere near the playing field next February.

Besides, the Superbowl is more than just a football game. It's a whole week (or two) of parties and business deals. If travel & commuting becomes a problem during that time, the corporate types will want someone's head on a platter for making that decision.

 

[Moon]

I'm looking forward the press conference the day after:

"Hey! Stupid! This was your idea???????

 

[Madhattr]

Alicia Keys is already preparing for next year

Awesome.

 

[AmerVet]

I, for one, being a fan of a North East out door team, am excited to finally see those teams get a representitive Super Bowl. I mean, there's plenty of teams that play in that kid of weather for a couple months already, and no one seems to complain about those. In fact, those cities have all had new stadiums built open BECAUSE they like the weather element.

It simply aint fair to southern or southwestern teams who are not use to those conditions. any team from a cold weather city would be alright with it but if you want a fair, balanced SB, the South is where its at. and it should only be between New Oleans, Miami, Houston,and LA.