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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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Super Bowl Week & #711; The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Super Bowl Week , The Good, Bad, and Ugly

It was the best of times:

“I would certainly like to come back to San Diego. I think it’s one of the nicest places we have Super Bowls, and I’m on the Super Bowl Committee” , Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson.

It was the worst of times:

“I think it is unlikely that there will be a Super Bowl in San Diego in the near future.” , NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Two views, two visions. One seemed to capture the feelings a lot of people had after the Super Bowl here in San Diego. The other, well, it was ill advised, poorly timed, overtly political, and just plain dumb.

There’s no rest for the wicked, or for San Diegans wanting to bask in the glow of a wonderful, masterfully-staged Super Bowl for a week or two. Commissioner Tagliabue’s Shot Heard ‘Round the Bay made sure of that.

Rather than add to the gnashing of teeth, the overflow of outrage, the general crankiness people rightly have over the commissioner’s comments, let’s review the good, the bad, and the ugly that came out of San Diego’s third Super Bowl experience:

The Good: There really has been far too little said about the thoroughly professional and expert job the Super Bowl Host Committee did in staging the latest Big Game. Chairman Ron Fowler, President Ky Snyder and the entire host committee staff made the entire effort look effortless to the teams, the visitors and the entire outside world.

It wasn’t effortless, of course, but the committee staff and what seemed like a zillion volunteers made it work , along with local law enforcement (San Diego Police, County Sheriff, the CHP, and more), the Convention & Visitors Bureau, and so many others who helped out. They helped show the world how great San Diego really is. Mega-kudos to everyone who helped make the game such a grand success.

The Bad: Anyone with the slightest bit of intelligence and common sense knows that having a Super Bowl in San Diego is a major economic benefit for the area. That’s why cities lobby the NFL so hard and compete so fiercely to get one. So, why is it that a major English-language daily newspaper in this region , no need to name names; they know who they are , seems to work so hard, so often, to find a negative slant?

We read a story this newspaper published last week that purposely went out of its way to find the most negative analysis of the economic impact of the Big Game to the San Diego area. Never mind that there is a wide range of economic forecasts and analysts weighing in on this topic. Never mind that this publication ignored the upper range of economic forecasts available from the Convention & Visitors Bureau and NFL.

Never mind that this newspaper failed to ask their own experts why these lowball economic impact numbers they published are so much less than what has been previously reported. This newspaper seems bound and determined to see the glass as perpetually half empty rather than half full. We pity their inability to see the forest for the trees.

The ugly: No two ways about it , Commissioner Tagliabue’s comments were offensive and seemed designed to put San Diego on notice. No new stadium, no more Super Bowls. This is a local issue that the commissioner would do well to steer clear of, but now that he’s in it, there’s no going back. Rather than take potshots, perhaps the commissioner could offer some constructive help , like working with the Chargers and the city to get the stadium mess straightened out.

We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again: the San Diego Chargers are a civic asset. Big-league cities have big-league amenities , good roads, fine schools, great beaches, top-notch performing arts, world-class zoos and attractions, and, major college and professional sports.

Although it’s fair to say San Diego has a lot to do before it can be considered big league in all of these areas, we need to keep working to bring the city up to big league status in all of them, as well as many others too numerous to list here.

It is understandable that some people are angry with the Chargers in the wake of the Qualcomm Stadium renovations that now seem like a waste of time and taxpayer money. That’s an issue the Chargers would do well to address head on and help resolve.

But as the NFL commissioner made all too clear, there is a link between the Chargers, a new stadium and future Super Bowls in San Diego. No new stadium, no more Super Bowls. It’s easy to dismiss the game, the Chargers, and the economic impact to the area , as so many who should know better are so eagerly willing to do , but it’s not right. As ABC broadcaster Al Michaels told a huge worldwide audience: “They should move it (the Super Bowl) here permanently.” How much was that comment alone worth to the San Diego area?

Super Bowl XXXVII was the best of times for all who love and treasure San Diego. Although Commissioner Tagilabue doesn’t have the final say, he has put us on notice. Let’s hope that clear heads can work together for a win-win solution to the stadium mess that is satisfactory to both the taxpayers and the Chargers. It would be painfully shortsighted if we let his politically motivated comments deter us from resolving the issues that stand in the way of another Super Bowl coming our way.

, John Hollon

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