Super Bowl Audible? Game may change location at the last minute because of California’s COVID Law

Super Bowl 2022 was scheduled to be played on February 13 at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, but the recent spike in the number of COVID-19 cases has forced National Football League (NFL) to explore its options.

Finding these alternative locations is not unusual, as the NFL often contacts several other teams about Super Bowl alternate locations in the event of an emergency. However, as COVID cases continue to rise, tightening restrictions in California could force the NFL’s contingency plan into action.

Another potential key to the Los Angeles Super Bowl is the fact that the SoFi Stadium is covered, although the translucent vents and open sides mean the stadium isn’t technically an arena. “in the home”. However, LA officials will likely still consider the game an indoor event because of the closeness of the fans to each other.

If the Super Bowl is moved, it will entail the cancellation of another major event, the Grammy Awards. Music’s Biggest Night, also scheduled to take place in Los Angeles at the Crypto.com Arena, announced Wednesday that it is being postponed indefinitely because of public health concerns.

Even as the Omicron variant swept across the city and state, California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr Mark Ghaly stated “mitigation strategies aimed at creating safety around the event”. that has been applied” to allow the game to continue as planned.

“I know LA County is in close contact with the NFL to ensure that strategies are in place to ensure that everyone can enjoy this important event while ensuring that we offer what allows. mitigating COVID became an important feature,” Ghaly said of the Super Bowl.

Additionally, even as the NFL is exploring alternative sites, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that “we plan to play Super Bowl 56 as scheduled at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 13” and added that finding a stadium remains just a precaution.

“As part of the standard contingency planning process we conduct for all regular and post-season games, we have contacted a number of clubs to inquire about the availability of stadium in case we can’t play the Super Bowl as planned,” McCarthy continued. “Our planning for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles is going ahead of schedule and we look forward to hosting the Super Bowl there to cap off another great NFL season for the fans and the club. our set.”

One of these areas is believed to be AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The home ground of the Dallas Cowboys, the stadium that hosted the Rose Bowl of college football last year, usually takes place in Pasadena, California, due to COVID restrictions at the time.

The Los Angeles Rams, who share a SoFi Stadium with the Los Angeles Chargers, will likely enjoy the chance to play the Super Bowl at their own stadium, but moving the game away from the City of Angels wouldn’t be a godsend. ever happened.

Los Angeles was originally selected to host Super Bowl 55 in 2021, but construction issues delayed the opening of SoFi Stadium. As a result, the NFL instead opted to play the game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida.

SoFi Stadium Officials Introduce Newsweek at the NFL’s statement when reached for comment.