INDIANAPOLIS —
It didn’t take long during NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s annual state of the game address for the topic to turn to the question on everybody in the host city’s mind.
Is it possible Indianapolis will be considered to host future Super Bowls?
“Sure it is,” Goodell said. “We’re here, and they are doing a fantastic job. I have said it repeatedly this week. I said yesterday (we’re) in the second quarter, maybe we are in the third quarter today, but we’ve got a weekend still to go and a game to put on. I know everybody in Indianapolis is focused on the future, but we want to make sure that this week turns out to be what everyone has worked so hard for. I believe it is going to be a great week. I believe the community here could not have done a better job of organizing this week’s events or embracing this. I think that it is great that Indianapolis is on the global stage.”
The fight to be at the center of that stage is growing more competitive each year.
With the league scheduled to host the Super Bowl for the first time outdoors in a cold-weather venue in 2014 at New York, questions were posed about the chances for the big game to be played in Chicago and Philadelphia.
Even Miami, which has hosted a record 10 Super Bowls, is feeling uneasy about its future. Reports surfaced at Super Bowl XLIV that the league would like to see improvements made to Dolphins Stadium before bringing championship game back to South Florida.
Goodell said he does believe Miami will host future games, but the Super Bowl is getting bigger every year.
“Clearly, they’re competing against better and better Super Bowl venues across the country,” Goodell said. “You’ve got one right here in Indianapolis, a great facility. And the reality is, that’s our stage. The Super Bowl has become a national holiday. People are watching all over the world on Sunday. Everyone is going to raise their game. Everyone. The players, this community, the NFL, the two teams. So what we have to do is make sure we keep raising the game of the Super Bowl.”
Recent rules changes designed to protect player safety were another big topic for conversation.
Goodell said offenses might be ahead of defenses now, but he believes defenders eventually will adjust and catch up. Any time there are changes to the rules, he said, there is an adjustment period. And he believes that’s what fans are seeing now.
“We think the players understand the rules,” he said. “They may not agree with them all the time, but the rules apply to every player in the league, every team in the league, and they have to be applied consistently.”
Goodell also addressed the NFL’s growing media presence.
The NFL Network’s Thursday night package will increase from eight games to 13 next season. Thursday night games will be spread from Week 2 through Week 15, and each of the league’s 32 franchises will appear in at least one primetime game every year.
Social media also has made a big impact in the NFL, and Goodell said he’s happy to see any avenue that helps promote the game.
“Football brings people together,” he said. “We are going to see that on Sunday. The world will be watching right here in Indianapolis, and people will be gathered around their television sets with their family and their friends enjoying football. If they do that on social media or other technologies or watch it on television, it’s all OK by me as long as they do it.”
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell answers a question during a news conference Friday in Indianapolis. David J. Phillip / The Associated Press
Discussion
Goodell impressed
Indy could be in line for another Super Bowl
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