For the first time in National Football League history, the Super Bowl was hosted by New York and New Jersey, and also for the first time in NFL history, the game took place outdoors. MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Giants and New York Jets, played host to the game. The venue choice in East Rutherford was met with criticism since it was announced in May 2010.
Still, Super Bowl XLVIII swept through New York City with all the pomp and circumstance the NFL had promised. The Super Bowl is bigger than just a football game; it is an event that captures the attention of our nation every year. Yet the media seemed to keep all that attention pointed toward New York and far away from New Jersey.
The Asbury Park Press estimated that the Super Bowl will cost New Jersey taxpayers $17.7 million, but the question for New Jerseyians remains, was it really even worth it?
The influx tourists in the area leads to problems with public transportation. According to "Sports Illustrated," fans suffered over an hour wait both to and from the game at the Secaucus Junction NJ Transit station. Those who lived closest to MetLife Stadium would even stay away from their homes.
"It's good for the stores for their businesses, but it is not good for the locals when the stores will be all cleaned out," said Yemily Lopez, a student who lives in the area.
According to the New York/New Jersey Super Bowl XLVIII host committee, the game was estimated to bring $500-600 million dollars to the New York/New Jersey area. But is that the whole story?
Victor Matheson, an economics professor at Holy Cross University, told the International Business Times about his findings while studying the Super Bowls from 1970 to 2000.
"The NFL and other sports leagues like to publicize large economic-impact numbers because that is a carrot they can wave in front of reluctant taxpayers," he continues. "The NFL and the other leagues do fairly good jobs of measuring economic activity, but they do pretty poor jobs of measuring economic activity that doesn't factor in the substitution effect."
The substitution effect is when money that is spent during Super Bowl week at Super Bowl events would go to a local business instead.
When Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League, announced MetLife stadium would be the location for Super Bowl XLVIII, he said, "It will be a great experience for our fans. It will be a great experience for the NFL."
But it might still be too early to tell if this historic event was a success or failure.
rmurphy2@ramapo.edu
