Vegas Gets Another Super Bowl? Good for the NFL, Bad for the Game.
Look, Adam Schefter dropping the news that Las Vegas is the expected host for Super Bowl LXIII in 2029 isn't exactly shocking. The league loves Vegas. They held Super Bowl LVIII there just this past February, a game where Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to a 25-22 overtime victory over the 49ers. That was the first time Allegiant Stadium, opened in 2020, hosted the big show. Now, it seems like they're going back for more, just five years later.
This isn't just about one city getting a second bite at the apple. This is about the NFL's ongoing love affair with glitz and glamor, sometimes at the expense of what makes the Super Bowl truly special. Remember when the game rotated through a wider array of cities? Jacksonville hosted Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. Detroit got Super Bowl XL in 2006. Those weren't perfect hosts, sure, but they offered different experiences, different backdrops. Now, it feels like a smaller club of cities is getting all the action. Miami has hosted 11 Super Bowls, New Orleans 10, and Los Angeles 8. Vegas, with its massive influx of tourism dollars and state-of-the-art facilities, is quickly joining that exclusive group.
The NFL's Vegas Gold Rush
The league's move to embrace Las Vegas has been swift and decisive. The Raiders relocating there from Oakland in 2020 was the first major step. Then came the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023. The NFL Draft landed there in 2022, drawing an estimated 300,000 fans to the Strip. Everything the NFL touches in Vegas seems to turn to gold, at least from a revenue perspective. Super Bowl LVIII reportedly generated an economic impact of over $1.2 billion for the region. You can't fault the league for chasing that kind of money.
But here's the thing: does every Super Bowl need to be a week-long corporate party in a purpose-built entertainment district? Part of the charm used to be seeing how different cities embraced the event, how they integrated it into their own unique culture. Think about Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans in 2013, when the city's vibrant energy was on full display despite a partial power outage. Or Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis in 2012, a smaller market that punched well above its weight in terms of hospitality. Vegas offers a spectacle, no doubt, but it's a very specific kind of spectacle, one that feels increasingly manufactured.
Is Familiarity Breeding Contempt?
My hot take? Hosting Super Bowl LXIII in Las Vegas just five years after LVIII is a mistake. It dilutes the event. The Super Bowl should feel like a rare, once-in-a-decade occurrence for a host city, not a regular pit stop. When a city gets it too often, the novelty wears off, and the local excitement, outside of the direct economic benefit, can wane. We saw this to some extent in Los Angeles, which hosted Super Bowl LVI in 2022 at SoFi Stadium, just three years after the stadium opened. While it was a success, there wasn't the same "first-time" buzz that a new host might generate.
The NFL should be looking to expand its reach, to bring the Super Bowl experience to new fan bases and new markets. There are plenty of cities with NFL teams and suitable stadiums that haven't hosted in decades, or ever. How about Nashville, with Nissan Stadium getting a new roof? Or even a return to a city like Seattle, which last hosted Super Bowl XL in 2006? The league has a chance to create new memories in new places, but instead, it seems content to stick with what's comfortable and, more importantly, what's profitable.
I predict that by 2029, the shine will have worn off the Vegas Super Bowl experience for many fans, and the conversation will shift to why the league keeps going back to the same well.