FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 17, 2001

SCHUMER INVITES NFL OWNERS TO VISIT GROUND ZERO, MEET WITH 9/11 HEROES AND VICTIMS' FAMILIES, AND SELECT NY TO HOST AN UPCOMING SUPER BOWL

After NFL Commissioner Tagliabue Suggests Lifting Super Bowl Cold Weather Policy, Schumer Asks NFL to Make New York a Host City As Soon As Possible
and Switch Dates With A City Scheduled to Host an Upcoming Super Bowl

Senator Repeats Call From September To Hold Super Bowl In New York; Cites Potential Economic, Psychological Boost to City Still Suffering From September 11 Aftermath

On the heels of NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's request to the Super Bowl Policy Committee to change the league's policy of only holding the Super Bowl in cities with warm weather or domed stadiums, US Senator Chuck Schumer today invited the members of the Super Bowl Policy Committee to visit New York and get a firsthand sense of what hosting an upcoming Super Bowl would mean to the city. In September, Schumer suggested holding this year's Super Bowl in New York, and called on the NFL to lift its policy prohibiting the game from being held at cold weather sites.

In a letter to the members of the Super Bowl Policy Committee, including Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson and New York Giants co-owner Bob Tisch, Schumer wrote, "I hope you will accept my invitation to come to New York at your convenience, tour Ground Zero, spend time with some of the heroes of September 11 and some of the families of the victims of the terrorist attacks, and meet with local civic, business and political leaders so you can see just what the Super Bowl would do for New York, and just what New York could do for the Super Bowl." Schumer also today spoke with Tagliabue about the policy and with Tisch about the visit.

Schumer also asked the Super Bowl Policy Committee to consider requesting that one of the upcoming host cities accept a slightly delayed date in recognition of the special circumstances facing New York, writing, "I know that a location has already been chosen for every Super Bowl until 2007, but New York has suffered the devastating economic impact of September 11 both on behalf of the entire nation and worse than any other city in the nation. If there is any way you would consider requesting that one of the upcoming host cities accept a slightly delayed date in recognition of the special circumstances at hand, our entire city would be very grateful."

Schumer pointed to the potential economic impact of the Super Bowl, citing statistics showing that the Super Bowl would provide an estimated $400 million boost in tourism revenues. According to the NFL, Super Bowls in recent years have generated between $218 and $396 million for the given host city. Marketing experts predict that a Super Bowl at Giants Stadium could exceed all previous records, generating over $400 million in total revenues for the New York City area.

In 1998, San Diego generated just under $300 million from Super Bowl XXXII; Miami generated $396 million from Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999; and Atlanta generated $292 million from Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000. Estimates for the economic gain for Tampa resulting from the 2001 Super Bowl are about $300 million. Overall, the Houston Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department estimates the economic impact attributed to a Super Bowl to be about seven times that of Major League Baseball's All-Star game.

The NFL estimates that an average person attending a Super Bowl spends $343.79 per day and spends an average of 3.3 nights in the city where the game is played. The average fan spends 30 percent of this sum on lodging, 20 percent on retail, 19 percent on food and alcohol, 16 percent on entertainment and 9 percent on vehicle rental/local transportation. In addition to those fans attending the game, about 25,000-40,000 visitors come to a Super Bowl host city for related activities alone.

Schumer said that New York City's 66,000 hotel rooms are more than double the number the NFL would mandate to support a Super Bowl in Giants Stadium, which seats 79,466 (the NFL defines the room requirement as 35 percent of the stadium's capacity). In addition, New York City has more than 18,000 restaurants, 150 world-class museums and more than 10,000 shops. The area is served by three major airports - JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark – which collectively have the capacity to handle 260-287 flights per hour. In addition, New York City can be accessed nationwide via railroad into Penn Station, which handles an annual rider-ship of more than 8 million annually. New York's subways carry 1.4 billion people each year, ranking only behind Moscow, Tokyo, Mexico City and Seoul.

Since the first Super Bowl was played in 1967, New Orleans and Miami have each played host to the game eight times. Pasadena follows with five Super Bowls, followed by Tampa Bay with three. Additionally, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Pontiac, Mich., San Diego, Stanford, and Tempe, Ariz. have all hosted at least one Super Bowl. The Super Bowl has never been played in the New York City area.

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