Jock Itch Denver, the Super Bowl, and our dirty weather secret

The Super Bowl is typically scheduled for warm weather climates like Florida—this year’s XLIV roster is set with the New Orleans Saints taking on the Indianapolis Colts Feb. 7 in Miami—or in dome-capped stadiums in cold weather locales. But the one place the Super Bowl will never be played is right here in Denver. (We feature neither the former nor latter geographical attributes, unfortunately.) Shocking? No. But the Super Bowl could be played here, if only the NFL could see that our winters really aren’t that bad.

But, you ask, isn’t Denver in late January/early February too cold and snowy to host a Super Bowl? Not really, though I’m sure that’s what the ski resorts want everyone to believe. A few years back, after Broncos owner Pat Bowlen naively expressed interest in hosting the game here, I started to mark the local weather on the day of the Super Bowl. Now, it makes sense why the NFL would want a guaranteed warm climate, or at least a dome, for the league’s biggest game, but truth is, in the last ten years, Denver’s weather has been mild enough to host a game. It’s no Miami heat, of course, but the temperature has been agreeable for football.

My own weather/game stats:

Super Bowl XLIII: Feb. 1, 2009, 46 degrees, Steelers 27 — Cardinals 23

Super Bowl XLII: Feb. 3, 2008, 43 degrees, Giants 17 — Patriots 14

Super Bowl XLI: Feb. 4, 2007, 46 degrees, Colts 29 — Bears 17

Super Bowl XL: Feb. 5, 2006, 42 degrees, Steelers 21 — Seahawks 10

Super Bowl XXXIX: Feb. 6, 2005, 37 degrees, Patriots 24 — Eagles 21

Super Bowl XXXVIII: Feb. 1, 2004, 28 degrees, Patriots 32 — Panthers 29

Super Bowl XXXVII: Jan. 26, 2003, 60 degrees, Buccaneers 48 — Raiders 21

Super Bowl XXXVI: Feb. 3, 2002, 46 degrees, Patriots 20 — Rams 17

Super Bowl XXXV: Jan. 28, 2001, 24 degrees, Ravens 31 — Giants 7

Super Bowl XXXIV: Jan. 30, 2000, 33 degrees, Rams 23 —Titans 16

As you can see, the low temperature was 24 (a little chilly) and the high was 60, for an average of 40.5 degrees. In Colorado, that’s a green light for the fat guy in the stands to take off his shirt. And the most important thing: zero precipitation on those days. No snow and, more importantly, no rain.

On the 60 degree day, especially, it would have been nice for Denver to host the Super Bowl: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the holy piss out of the Raiders that day, and you could have easily thrown trash on the Raiders as they left the field.

And even if game day does turn out cold, it shouldn’t affect what goes on in the field. Football is a cold weather sport and games played in chilly weather—particularly snow—are often celebrated as “classics” and what fans claim football to be all about. How is it that when we reach the pinnacle of the season, those weather conditions are suddenly deemed unfavorable? Maybe all regular season games should be moved to domes and warm climates, if it’s so important. And maybe they shouldn’t tackle each other anymore either.

Denver, on the other hand, is in consideration as a future site for the NHL’s Winter Classic, a fabulous outdoor hockey game most recently played this past New Year’s Day at Boston’s Fenway Park between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins. Ironically, the high in Denver that day was a modest 42 degrees, which basically would translate to a slush bowl.  

So, Super Bowl Sunday, take a minute, pull your face out of the cheese dip, and walk outside. Chances are good the weather will be perfect for football. Just not in Denver.