Should the NFL allow the Super Bowl to played in outdoor, cold-weather stadiums? ESPN columnist Ashley Fox, whom we've met before around these parts, seems to be very conflicted about the issue.
In May, Fox wrote the following while arguing that Super Bowl L should be played at Lambeau Field, which is located in Green Bay, Wisc. (emphasis mine):
That's why the NFL should hold Super Bowl L at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. What cooler way to celebrate all that the league and the sport has become than by going to the oldest, most special venue there is? What greater way to show how the game has evolved than playing its biggest game in a stadium located on a street named for Vince Lombardi? What other NFL city — Titletown — has its own NFL-related nickname? What other turf — The Frozen Tundra — does?
I can hear John Facenda calling the game from heaven, his deep, unmistakable voice making every play, every collision seem like the biggest that ever was. I can see players from both teams trying a Lambeau leap after scoring. And I can see shivering fans cheering every second of football the way it was meant to be played: outside and in the cold.
Cool idea, Ashley Fox! It's just too bad that Ashley Fox so heartily disagrees with herself. Here's Fox writing about yesterday's Lions-Eagles Snow Bowl:
Imagine football in a snow globe.
It was a beautiful, iconic afternoon that no one who attended will forget. It just wasn't the way a Super Bowl should be decided.
But that's exactly what might happen.
[...]
Imagine if you worked the entire season to build your team's identity and then had to completely adjust because of a snowstorm in the biggest game?
That shouldn't happen. Severe weather should not be an issue. Rain is one thing, and that is bad enough. But a blizzard, in which teams can't kick field goals because the footing is so poor and offensive skill position players have a distinct advantage because defenders can't run and cut the way they normally do? That shouldn't be a concern.
[Rubs temples]
h/t Adam