NFL owners are beginning to construct the three-year slate of Super Bowl destinations from 2019-2021. While deciding on those destinations, it is also very possible that owners may be willing to commit to a certain destination should the proper pieces fall into place.
It has been reported that owners could guarantee a Super Bowl in San Diego, though that promise could hinge on whether the Chargers opt to build a new stadium for its franchise in the coming months.
The goal would be to provide a tangible inducement to San Diego citizens who will vote in early November on a proposal that would contribute significant taxpayer money to the construction of a new venue. Typically, the league declines to make specific promises about Super Bowl location, relying instead upon the wink-nod quid pro quo that almost always results in the city that builds a new stadium landing a championship game. To help secure a favorable vote in San Diego, the NFL may need to be more explicit.
It’s important to note a Super Bowl guarantee for San Diego does not specify a specific year, but instead creates a bigger window of opportunity for staging the game.
While securing stadium funding is certainly a must to build the stadium (especially since they are funded by taxpayers living in the city of San Diego and not the franchise itself), some owners might think that the league is not setting the best precedent by guaranteeing a Super Bowl to San Diego, especially in regards to when it comes to the competitive process that cities undergo to even have the opportunity to host a Super Bowl. But based on the interest in this new stadium, it might soon become a matter of if, not when, the Super Bowl is hosted in San Diego.
