Arrowhead Hosts Super Bowl XLIX

That was the hope in 2005, anyway. Kansas City made a bid to host the game, anticipating passage of a tax measure. According to the Kansas City Star:

“Kansas City would have been the site for Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 had the measure for a $170 million rolling roof between Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums been approved in 2006 when Jackson County citizens passed the sales tax initiative that financed the renovations for the Truman Sports Complex. The tax, primarily on businesses, failed by about 4,000 votes.”

The roof (which was an idea from the 1960s) wasn’t the only snag. The area needs to add 10,000 hotel rooms to accommodate fans and teams—the NFL requires a host city to have 40,000 hotel rooms ready to go. The other requirement is the necessity of having two indoor practice facilities. The Chiefs, of course, have one, but the next nearest adequate facility is in Lawrence at KU. The next closest is over an hour away at the Chiefs’ training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.

It may yet happen. Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium set something of a precedent for a cold-weather open-air game. We’ll have to wait and see. With a nod from a few state legislators, Missouri formed a Super Bowl Task Force last summer to keep working toward a bid in 2019 or beyond. Missouri is also busy at the other end of I-70 working on a formula to keep the Rams in St. Louis. Just this week plans were released for a new 80,000 seat stadium and commercial development on property in Inglewood, California pending voter interest and approval. Cynics say the Rams are just fishing for more economic concessions from St. Louis and the likelihood of a move is small.

Meanwhile, Super Bowl XLIX will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Visit the official site of the game for more information. NBC will broadcast the game. Katy Perry will perform at the Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show.

The library’s Sports Neighborhood has a variety of books and videos on college and pro football. Gear up for the Super Bowl with videos like these:

This DVD includes the game recaps and behind-the-scenes stories from Super Bowls 1-39. Complete with NFL Films footage and interviews with the players and coaches that made the game what it is today. 1 videodisc (155 min)

This groundbreaking three-disc set celebrates the glorious history of the pro football Hall of Fame, from the inception through the 2005 inductees including Dan Marino and Steve Young.  3 videodiscs (488 min)