Just like birds in winter, the NFL generally also flies south to play the Super Bowl in search of better temperatures during the winter, and that is why New Orleans and Miami are the cities that have been selected the most times as hosts of the league’s grand final.
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With Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, February 9th at the Superdome, New Orleans will equal the 11 games that Miami has had since 2020.
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Why is the Super Bowl almost always played in the southern United States?
Of the 59 Super Bowls, including the one in New Orleans, 53 have been played in cities in the southern region with warm or moderate winter climates, allowing players and fans to enjoy pleasant temperatures during the game and the days leading up to it.
After Miami and New Orleans, the Los Angeles metropolitan area has hosted the event 8 times, considering that it was "blacklisted" for almost 20 years when there was no professional American football team in the city.
There have been some exceptions in which the NFL has decided to play the Super Bowl in northern cities, but with a covered stadium: Detroit, Minneapolis, and Indianapolis.
In 2014, the league took a big risk by hosting the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the most expensive stadium in the world but that does not have a roof. Luckily for the NFL, the game started at a "pleasant" 9°C (49°F) and the snow only began to fall later in the evening, minutes after the Seahawks' victory over the Broncos.
Since when has the Super Bowl been played in New Orleans?
The Super Bowl IV, which ended in a victory for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Minnesota Vikings on January 11, 1970, was the first one played in New Orleans, although at that time the hosting stadium was Tulane University's.
Two years later, the city and the stadium were repeated, with an anecdote: the game was played at 6 °C (43 °F), the coldest game in Super Bowl history.
The Superdome, a modern indoor stadium with artificial turf, debuted in 1978 for the Cowboys' victory over the Broncos. That was also the first prime time game.
One of the most remembered games in New Orleans was Super Bowl XXXVI, between the Patriots and Rams in 2002, Tom Brady's first victory in the big game.
The last time the Super Dome hosted the major sports event in the United States was in 2013, the “Harbaugh Bowl” which pitted head coaches and brothers Jim Harbaugh of the Ravens against John Harbaugh of the 49ers. Baltimore won over San Francisco with a score of 34-31.