Image Credit: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout
***Note from The Tennessee Conservative – this article posted here for informational purposes only.
By Sam Stockard [Tennessee Lookout -CC BY-NC-ND 4.0] –
National Football League owners are reportedly set to vote Tuesday to hold Super Bowl LXIV at the Titans’ $2.1 billion stadium under construction in Nashville.
The enclosed stadium, which is being funded through a combination of state, local and NFL/Titans money, is slated to be complete for the 2027 season but is on the verge already of landing its ultimate goal.
NFL owners will vote on the Super Bowl site at their spring meeting in Orlando, Florida, a move expected to bring Nashville the league’s title game in February 2030, according to the NFL Network.
Gov. Bill Lee and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell have discussed the potential for playing the Super Bowl at the new stadium on the east bank of the Cumberland River, where multiple infrastructure projects are being built, including new streets and utility lines, as well as a Tennessee Performing Arts Center and the stadium.
The news is being met with mixed reaction after Titans ownership cobbled together a blend of taxpayer and private money to build the stadium.
State Sen. Mark Pody, a Lebanon Republican who also serves part of Davidson County, voted against allocating nearly $500 million in state funds to the project four years ago. But he acknowledged Monday that the game should bolster Metro Nashville financially.
“I believe that government needs to stay in the government lane and private industry in its own lane,” Pody said. “However, in this case it looks like it’s gonna be a solid win for Davidson County.”
Sales tax revenue from events such as the Super Bowl should “more than offset” the cost to the state, he said. Tennessee’s investment is to be paid off with sales tax revenue generated around the stadium.
Pody added that the game would put Nashville “on the world map” as a tourism destination, not just for the NFL championship but to lure visitors to other events.
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican, acknowledged Monday that lawmakers had reservations about committing funds to the project in 2022 at Lee’s request.
“While the Senate was always uncomfortable with the bond authorization for the stadium, it was ultimately approved in the overall budget as a potential revenue generator for the state. This kind of marquee interest in the facility before it is even fully operational is a great indication that revenue potential will ultimately be realized.”
Senate Republican Leader Jack Johnson of Franklin pointed out the stadium is designed to pay for itself, with much of the cost borne by out-of-state visitors.
“The fact that the NFL is already considering Nashville as a host for Super Bowl LXIV is clear evidence that Tennessee’s investment in the new stadium is doing exactly what it was intended to do: attract world-class events that boost tourism, support jobs, strengthen our economy, and generate new revenue to help cover the bond payments. The financing plan is structured so that bond payments are expected to be covered by the tax revenue generated by the stadium and surrounding development,” Johnson said in a statement.
Yet the stadium remains a point of contention for some Nashville legislators.
During House floor debate this year on a bill creating a Capital Tourism Board in Nashville, Democrat Rep. Aftyn Behn of East Nashville called House Speaker Cameron Sexton the “shadow mayor” of Nashville and blasted the push to land the game. She reiterated Monday that the stadium project shows a “disconnect” between “working” people and those in power.
“$500 million for a Super Bowl. $0 to end the grocery tax … Tennessee’s budget in a nutshell. We deserve a state government that invests in Tennesseans year ’round,” Behn said in a statement to the Lookout. “Giving billionaires money to not only build stadiums but then to hijack our tax dollars from funding schools, fixing potholes and lowering grocery costs is certainly a choice.”
Metro Nashville Councilman Russ Bradford wasn’t aware Monday whether Metro Nashville submitted a bid for the Super Bowl, either by itself or with the state.
“Personally, I think (the NFL needs) to say, ‘No,’ because of what the state’s been doing here politically,” Bradford said, referring to the legislature’s congressional redistricting two weeks ago that broke a majority-Black Memphis district in an effort to give Republicans a clean sweep of the state’s seats.
The Super Bowl was “one of the carrots dangled,” Bradford said, to entice the Metro Council to approve some $760 million for the stadium project. It is to be paid back with an increase in the local hotel tax.
Another enticement was the potential move of the Southeastern Conference football championship game to Nashville from Atlanta, but the SEC has declined to relocate, he said.
Bradford said the Metro Council hasn’t been advised about details related to any Super Bowl contract with the NFL, adding, “as usual we’re kept in the dark.”
The state legislature put $25 million toward a tourism special event fund in 2022 to attract a major “entertainment or sporting event.” The tourism department’s rules require the money to go toward events that can generate at least $10 million in direct economic impact, which would include the Super Bowl.
In 2024, lawmakers passed a bill allowing officials to keep the details of Super Bowl-related contracts secret until the tourism department spends the money. Initially, the bill, which was sought by the tourism department to help it negotiate a deal, would have allowed the tourism department to keep those records confidential for a decade.
The NFL often makes demands such as free high-end hotel rooms for executives, thousands of free parking spaces and police escorts for Super Bowl week.
One Response
Meh.