Backup Plan: Super Bowl Would Move To AT&T Stadium In Texas In Event Of New Lockdown Or Bad Weather
INGLEWOOD (CBSLA) — The Super Bowl is coming! Or is it?
The Super Bowl is scheduled to take place at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13. But with California experiencing a major surge of COVID-19 infections and reporting a staggering 21.3% positivity rate on Wednesday, backup plans are being made in the event the state goes into a new lockdown.
If new restrictions are enacted in California that prevent the game from being played in Inglewood, the NFL has identified AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas as a backup for the big game. In an unprecedented pandemic, there happens to be precedent for such a move – last year, the stadium hosted the Rose Bowl when it was switched from Pasadena due to regional stay-at-home order.
The NFL says they always had a backup plan in case the Super Bowl couldn't take place in California.
"As part of our standard contingency planning process that we conduct for all regular and postseason games, we have contacted several clubs to inquire about stadium availability in the event we cannot play the Super Bowl as scheduled due to weather-related issues or unforeseen circumstances," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement. "Our planning process for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles is ahead of schedule and we look forward to hosting the Super Bowl there."
Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state's health director say there are no plans for any new lockdowns that would force the game out of the state.
Los Angeles has been waiting decades for the Super Bowl. The last time the big game was played in Southern California was in 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
