Tag Archives: Super Bowl

The NFL would like us to spruce things up for the Super Bowl

It’s only $50 million. What else do we have to spend it on? Before Houston hosts Super Bowl LI in 2017, NRG Stadium needs upgrades, including Wi-Fi installation and improvements to suites and club seats, according to Peter O’Reilly, the … Continue reading

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Urban Land Institute report on the Astrodome

Is this, at long last, The Plan for the Astrodome? The iconic, yet aging Astrodome is worth saving from the wrecking ball and could find new life as a massive indoor park and green space, a national land use group … Continue reading

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AirBnB in Houston

When people talk about “the sharing economy” for good or ill, the main players that get named tend to be Uber, Lyft, and AirBnB. We’ve heard a lot about the first two in Houston lately, but prior to this Chron … Continue reading

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How about Astrodome Indoor Park?

County Judge Ed Emmett gives his vision for the Astrodome. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Tuesday proposed turning the Astrodome into “the world’s largest indoor park” and recreation area, a concept he said would honor the reason his predecessor … Continue reading

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Transforming the GRB Convention Center

I don’t think I’d realized that there was a renovation of the George R. Brown Convention Center in the works, but after reading this story, I’m excited about it. By late next year, people strolling the George R. Brown Convention … Continue reading

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On beautifying the city for the Super Bowl

Chris Andrews has some thoughts about what Houston should and shouldn’t do in preparation for Super Bowl LI in 2017. Things More Important Than Beautification Projects to a Super Bowl Visitor As a sports fan, and through my own experience, … Continue reading

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The Rodeo and the Texans would like to demolish the Dome now, please

Yeah, I don’t know how well this will go over. County leaders said Thursday they are open to considering a $66 million plan devised by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the NFL’s Houston Texans to demolish the iconic … Continue reading

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The Super Bowl is making us get stuff done

Nothing like a deadline to focus the mind. The 2017 Super Bowl not only will drive thousands of football fans to Houston, it will put a hard deadline on projects from office and hotel construction to a light-rail extension, a … Continue reading

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Can we really measure the economic impact of sports events?

I don’t know, but they’re going to give it a try in Dallas. Spending in the region on mega sporting events since the Dallas Cowboys moved to Arlington could top $1 billion when next month’s Final Four and next year’s … Continue reading

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Back to private investors for the Dome

Sure, why not? Commissioner El Franco Lee, whose Precinct 1 is home to the county-owned Dome, said Commissioners Court is “not under any time constraint” in deciding what to do with the vacant stadium. “The only constraint we’re under is … Continue reading

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Here come the hotels

Lots of downtown hotel construction going on, or about to go on. The area around the George R. Brown Convention Center is about to see a burst of hotel construction as developers plan several new projects, two of which will … Continue reading

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Hooray for the hotels

We’re going to have a lot of people coming into town for Super Bowl LI. We’re going to have to put them somewhere. Mayor Annise Parker said Thursday that hosting the 2017 Super Bowl will be another step in Houston’s … Continue reading

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Does the Super Bowl doom the Dome?

The Texican ponders what the announcement about Houston landing Super Bowl LI means for everyone’s favorite unused arena. So what does this mean for our Dome? A parking garage would be an ignoble end for the Dome, though I am … Continue reading

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Houston gets Super Bowl LI

All right! NFL owners voted today to give Houston Super Bowl LI in 2017. At their spring meeting at the Hyatt Harborside, the owners voted the coveted Super Bowl L to San Francisco over South Florida. South Florida took another … Continue reading

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Florida’s failure to be insane is our gain

Good news if you’re rooting for Houston to host Super Bowl LI. Houston’s bid for Super Bowl LI received a major boost Friday when Florida lawmakers ended a 60-day legislative session without approving a plan that would have provided a … Continue reading

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A STEM vision for the Astrodome

Tory Gattis has an idea for what to do with the Astrodome. Where can America’s kids go to be inspired toward careers in our country’s most crucial need: science, technology, engineering and math (aka STEM)? Something far beyond their little … Continue reading

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County disputes cheaper Dome demolition price tag

It’s on. Harris County officials on Thursday disputed an estimate released this week showing it would cost $29 million to implode the vacant Reliant Astrodome and build a 1,600-space parking lot in two and a half years. The figure, calculated … Continue reading

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How cursed is Houston as a sports city?

So another Super Bowl is history, and as you might have noticed the Houston Texans were not be playing in the game. This continues an unbroken streak of Houston football teams not making it to the Super Bowl, some in … Continue reading

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Friday random ten: That’s just super

Ten super songs for Super Sunday. 1. Super Freak – Big Daddy 2. Super Frog – Asylum Street Spankers 3. Super Trouper – from “Mamma Mia” 4. Champagne Supernova – Oasis 5. John Lee Supertaster – They Might Be Giants … Continue reading

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Reliant gets its new scoreboard

As expected, and in time for the next push to get a Super Bowl in Houston. The state-of-the-art digital scoreboards will be manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric’s Diamond Vision Systems Division and installed for the 2013 season in place of the … Continue reading

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Will the Astrodome derail our Super Bowl bid?

Heaven forbid. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told a crowd on Tuesday that by 2017, Reliant will be 15 years old and therefore in need of some upgrades like digital scoreboards. Texans owner Bob McNair says the city must look at … Continue reading

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Maybe the fourth time will be the charm

The city of Houston is once again bidding for a Super Bowl. If everything goes according to an ambitious plan devised by city and county leaders, Houston will host its third Super Bowl in 2017. The NFL informed the Texans … Continue reading

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Houston to get 2013 NBA All Star Game

Assuming the lockout has ended by then, of course. The game will be played Feb. 17 at Toyota Center, which also hosted the 2006 game. “It’s a done deal,” a person familiar with the bidding process told the Chronicle on … Continue reading

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Lawsuits filed over Super Bowl experiences

A couple of ticket-related issues from Super Bowl XLV will be going to the courthouse. Two ticket holders, Mike Dolabi, who lives in Tarrant County, and Steve Simms, a Pennsylvania resident, filed the lawsuit in federal court late Tuesday night … Continue reading

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Still estimating the impact

Despite the awful weather, the sort of people who make projections about the economic impact of hosting a Super Bowl still think it was a pretty good week for Dallas Arlington North Texas. Winter weather delivered a blow, but the … Continue reading

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About those Super Bowl economic projections…

You can pretty much throw them out the window. North Texas’ weeklong weather whipping is blunting the economic bonanza from Super Bowl XLV. The White Bluff Resort on Lake Whitney, about 70 miles south of Cowboys Stadium, and a sister … Continue reading

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Saturday video break: Let them play

Via Deadspin, an ad from the NFL Players Association that CBS refused to run: I’ve never quite understood why it’s the players and not the owners who always get the worst of public opinion in labor disputes, but maybe that’s … Continue reading

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Time once again to play “Guess the economic impact”

So just how much money does Dallas Arlington North Texas hope to rake in from Super Bowl XL? Opinions differ. Yeah, I’m shocked, too. A larger stadium, an improving economy and die-hard fan bases for the Green Bay Packers and … Continue reading

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Hey, spread some of that wealth around, willya?

Some Metroplex cities are seeing more of an economic benefit from hosting the Super Bowl than others. I know, try to control your shock. Some Frisco hotels located an hour’s drive from Cowboys Stadium, the game site, are packed. Lewisville, … Continue reading

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“How much was that game worth?”, Dallas edition

The question of how much a big sporting event affects a city’s economy is one I’ve pondered numerous times over the years. With the Super Bowl coming to Dallas Arlington, following on the heels of the NBA All-Star game, it’s … Continue reading

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You’re next, Dallas

Super Bowl XLIV is over (congrats, New Orleans!), and the prep work for Super Bowl XLV is underway. North Texas officials in town last week were generally impressed with South Florida, but except for beaches, they said they didn’t see … Continue reading

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