# 2014 Super Bowl in the cold. Will viewer ratings go down? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 25, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756 "2013-11-25T14:58:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/41 "2013-11-26T01:07:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Bijou Drains** : > > Jacksonville had to bring in cruise ships to have enough hotel rooms to qualify. They were docked near the stadium. Y’know, that actually strikes me as a pretty good idea. Have extra lodgings available when you need them, without paying for permanent lodgings that you’ll have even when you don’t need them. Have other cities hosting big events used this same trick? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/42 "2013-11-26T01:18:49Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Indeed, it could be, though it has yet to have ever happened. The closest that a team has come to playing a Super Bowl “at home” was when the 49ers played at Stanford Stadium, down the road in Palo Alto. XIV: Steelers vs. **L.A.** Rams in the Rose Bowl Stadium. I think Pasadena is a little closer to Los Angeles (Anaheim?) than Palo Alto is to San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/43 "2013-11-26T05:05:34Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > It would never happen. It could never happen. Having been to numerous Steelers games, the stadium is in a really fabulous location but it is totally impractical for a Super Bowl. As fans we can tolerate the multi-hour traffic jams trying to get up the Parkway through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, but that won’t wash with the NFL trying to make the Super Bowl a great experience. The city layout is all wrong, and the best way to get to the game is to take the boat, which further delays the exodus. > > New York is getting the Super Bowl because it’s New York. That’s it. I believe there have been campaigns to get it done, though. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/44 "2013-11-26T11:42:36Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Unfortunately, I suspect that Green Bay would never get one – it’s actually primarily an issue of available hotel rooms. The Super Bowl host city has to be able to provide an enormous number of “quality” hotel rooms within a reasonable distance to the game. A game played in GB would have attendees staying in Milwaukee (2 hours away) or further, and that likely wouldn’t fly. GB doesn’t even have the space for regular season games (and probably not even preseason games). Lots of folks stay in the Fox valley (Appleton, et al). As neat as a Lambeau Superbowl would be, the logistics just don’t work out. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/45 "2013-11-26T12:57:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Y’know, that actually strikes me as a pretty good idea. Have extra lodgings available when you need them, without paying for permanent lodgings that you’ll have even when you don’t need them. Have other cities hosting big events used this same trick? Its being used during [this](http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2013/11/05/norwegian-cruise-bud-light-hotel/3440601/) Super Bowl despite the fact that there are tons of lodging in the area. I’m guessing mostly for advertising purposes for Norwegian’s new ship and for Budweiser. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/46 "2013-11-26T14:21:47Z")
To answer the OP: No, I don’t think the location of the game in a snowy or otherwise cold location will matter one bit in terms of ratings. Considering that most Super Bowls are godawful routs or boring as watching paint dry, I think playing one in wintry conditions might actually be a step up in terms of excitement. That said, most people are watching it because it’s the only thing on, or because they’re at a party. The commercials have become almost as much of an attraction as the game itself in recent years, with more people using the bathroom, getting beer, etc… during regulation play time instead of the commercials. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/47 "2013-11-26T15:10:10Z")
> [@bump](#): > > To answer the OP: > > No, I don’t think the location of the game in a snowy or otherwise cold location will matter one bit in terms of ratings. > > Considering that most Super Bowls are godawful routs or boring as watching paint dry, I think playing one in wintry conditions might actually be a step up in terms of excitement. > > That said, most people are watching it because it’s the only thing on, or because they’re at a party. The commercials have become almost as much of an attraction as the game itself in recent years, with more people using the bathroom, getting beer, etc… during regulation play time instead of the commercials. Have you been asleep for the last 20 years? The vast majority of Super Bowls over the last couple of decades have been great games or at least reasonably competitive. People watching for the fun commercials has been a thing since the 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/48 "2013-11-26T15:22:50Z")
> [@For You](#): > > XIV: Steelers vs. **L.A.** Rams in the Rose Bowl Stadium. I think Pasadena is a little closer to Los Angeles (Anaheim?) than Palo Alto is to San Francisco. It gets a little tricky, since as you note the Rams played their home games in Anaheim rather than Los Angeles. Google Maps reports [29.9 miles](https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=candlestick+park&daddr=stanford+stadium&hl=en&sll=37.26531,-119.311523&sspn=10.641697,15.622559&geocode=FSJ3PwIdjou0-CG3zpdaBejrjylng-MnMX-PgDG3zpdaBejrjw%3BFXYyOwIdEfW3-CHuXSYCW_sucikzVVVVKbuPgDHuXSYCW_sucg&t=h&mra=ls&z=11) (by road) between Candlestick Park and Stanford Stadium, while [40.2 road miles](https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Angels+Baseball,+East+Gene+Autry+Way,+Anaheim,+CA&daddr=Rose+Bowl+Stadium,+Rose+Bowl+Drive,+Pasadena,+CA&hl=en&sll=37.269174,-119.306607&sspn=10.641697,15.622559&geocode=FSK9AwId7jz5-CF6ZsNQ6-KPLSkdsD6InNfcgDF6ZsNQ6-KPLQ%3BFalCCQIdsef0-CEvvyocx_1PTCmRFLkopMPCgDEvvyocx_1PTA&oq=rose+bowl&t=h&mra=ls&z=10) separate what is now known as Angel Stadium of Anaheim from the Rose Bowl. To my mind, those distances are near enough that it’s really splitting hairs to worry too much about the trivia of which one is closer. In both instances, one team was clearly playing the game “in town” while the other one was not. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/49 "2013-11-26T15:27:09Z")
I just double-checked, and the Rams played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during the 1979 season! They didn’t move to Anaheim until the season _after_ the one in which they lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl. So… [13.9 miles](https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Los+Angeles+Memorial+Coliseum,+South+Figueroa+Street,+Los+Angeles,+CA&daddr=Rose+Bowl+Stadium,+Rose+Bowl+Drive,+Pasadena,+CA&hl=en&sll=33.976271,-118.066589&sspn=0.693538,0.97641&geocode=FdYDBwIdyhHz-CEUULEFSluXlSkRWyDYB8jCgDEUULEFSluXlQ%3BFalCCQIdsef0-CEvvyocx_1PTCmRFLkopMPCgDEvvyocx_1PTA&oq=Los+angeles+me&t=h&mra=ls&z=12) for the Rams that season. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/50 "2013-11-26T15:29:51Z")
Some Superbowls might be boring, but Steelers-Cardinals in 2009 was one of the best football games I’ve ever seen. And not just because the Steelers won. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/51 "2013-11-26T16:11:32Z")
Apropos of not very much, my father was at the Ice Bowl. He was an up and coming executive at JC Penney in Chicago, IL and his job was to make sure the client “had a good time.” The client wanted to see the game, so my Dad had to take him. They stayed through to the end of the game. Dad said Korea was colder. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/52 "2013-11-26T17:15:18Z")
The average margin of victory for the last 18 SBs has been just under 10 points. Ten of those games were decided by a touchdown or less, though the final score in some of them has not been indicative of an actual close game. The worst blow-out was a 27 point margin (but I found that satisfying because I cannot stand the Raiders). Every SB the Patriots have played in this century has been pretty close. And there was that Rams-Titans game in '99 that was decided by less than two feet on the last play. So, “boring”? Not any more than any random NFL game. Probably better than the lion’s share of NCAA bowl games. ---
**Author:** ![Haunted\_Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/53 "2013-11-26T18:11:06Z")
I’m in favor of playing the game where blizzard conditions are possible because it increases the odds of a Super Bowl ending in a final score of 5-4. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/54 "2013-11-26T19:53:40Z")
Football must gain something in translation, because based on what I’m reading in the Wikipedia article, the Ice Bowl was one of the greatest games of all time. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/55 "2013-11-26T22:40:08Z")
> [@Haunted\_Pasta](#): > > I’m in favor of playing the game where blizzard conditions are possible because it increases the odds of a Super Bowl ending in a final score of 5-4. I would not count on that. There was a game that came to be called the “Monday Night Massacre”, back in '05, IIRC, played in some rather heavy snow – seven TDs were scored, all by one team. ---
**Author:** ![marrymepeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@marrymepeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marrymepeach)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/56 "2013-11-26T22:42:34Z")
Last year the power went out lol. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/57 "2013-11-27T00:29:13Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Football must gain something in translation, because based on what I’m reading in the Wikipedia article, the Ice Bowl was one of the greatest games of all time. While it is certainly among the most famous games of all-time, due in no small part to having been shown to death via NFLFilms and ESPN, I don’t think many fans or experts would necessarily consider it a great game. Depending on one’s definition of great. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Fluke\_Starbucker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3e96dc/32.png) [@Fluke\_Starbucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluke_Starbucker)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/58 "2013-11-27T13:49:30Z")
Why would conditions on the field effect viewers at home? Even if they’re not fans of football, they’ll tune in for the commercials, right? ---
**Author:** ![Fluke\_Starbucker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3e96dc/32.png) [@Fluke\_Starbucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluke_Starbucker)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756/59 "2013-11-27T13:51:09Z")
Plus, it would be fun to see Bruno Mars’ lip get stuck to his frozen microphone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-super-bowl-in-the-cold-will-viewer-ratings-go-down/674756.md?page=2)