A Winter Wonder

By Jason Gewirtz

There is no doubt that Super Bowl XLVIII will be a Super Bowl of firsts for the National Football League. It will be the first to be hosted by two teams: the New York Jets and New York Giants. It will be the first with supporting events held in two states. And it is being referred to as the first “mass transit” Super Bowl, with attendees encouraged to take trains and buses rather than drive.

But there’s a certain other first that has drawn the most attention since the New York/New Jersey region sought the February 2 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. For the teams playing, the fans attending and the NFL preparing, this Super Bowl is momentous because it will be the first to be staged outdoors in a cold-weather host city. And for one of the largest sporting events in the world, being played on one of the biggest stages in the world, that has warranted a new level of planning.

“We are planning for any eventuality,” said Jonathan Tisch, co-owner of the New York Giants and co-chairman of the New York/New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committee. “As I like to say, our contingency plans have contingency plans.”

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