If planning a Super Bowl were a TV show, Frank Supovitz would call it NFL Supreme Makeover. The vice president of events for the NFL was giving a tour of the work being done at Cowboys Stadium on Wednesday, dressed casually in shirt and slacks and a Super Bowl XLV vest. Even a state-of-the-art, 2-year-old stadium is subject to "massive" changes to accommodate the biggest single-day sports event in the country, and Supovitz is overseeing the transformation.
Everything is progressing on time, he said, although that doesn't mean there aren't challenges. "Every day there is a curveball, and we check it off and move on to the next curveball," he said. The latest unexpected development is the prospect that President Obama could attend the Feb. 6 game if his Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Supovitz smiled when asked and said, "I've heard that."
"We will coordinate with the Secret Service, which already has a presence in the Super Bowl," he said, "and add additional details to our plan. We may have to change some procedures and add assets, but we will deal with it." No sitting president has ever attended a Super Bowl game. But Supovitz appeared unfazed by the potential appearance by the commander in chief as he talked about changes in a stadium under construction for a second time.
He pointed out the temporary seats that are almost all installed. He noted that the playing field is an alternate field the Cowboys had in stock and said it will be painted with the Super Bowl logo and names of the teams soon after the NFC and AFC championships on Sunday. Supovitz walked out the east end of the stadium, where the outside plaza will accommodate "several thousand" season ticketholders who will watch the game on video screens. And he explained how it's possible for fans not physically inside the stadium to count as part of the attendance - making it possible for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to realize his dream of breaking the Super Bowl attendance record of 103,985.
"Actually, this was an original concept, elements of which were proposed in the bid," Supovitz said. "The party plaza is within the stadium campus, and you need a ticket to get in the perimeter. That is the same as it is for every game here. The difference is that during the regular season, ticketed fans can all walk in the building. "It's like having a grounds pass to the U.S. Open tennis," he added. "You can watch matches on other courts, but a grounds pass doesn't allow you inside the stadium."
Supovitz said that the league ran the plan past its broadcast partners because paying to watch the game in offsite venues is not allowed. He said the fact that the video screens in the outside plaza are already in place and used during the Cowboys season makes them part of the regular stadium experience. Earlier this week, representatives of the final four playoff teams were in North Texas, visiting the team hotels in Fort Worth and Irving, practice facilities at TCU, SMU and Highland Park High and getting an extensive tour of Cowboys Stadium.
Weather cooperating
What would a visit with Supovitz be without a discussion of the weather?
It was a bit chilly and windy in North Texas on Wednesday, but those would be ideal conditions for the Feb. 6 game beneath the Cowboys Stadium roof. He allayed any fears that an ice or snow storm would postpone the game, as happened late in the regular season in Philadelphia. "That wasn't a snowstorm but a blizzard," Supovitz said, describing it as the difference between a rain shower and a hurricane. "Here for the Super Bowl, we are working with the Host Committee and TxDot (the Texas Department of Transportation) in a coordinated effort to clear routes to the stadium. And we are bringing assets from other parts of the state to help clear snow or ice. "I'm not trying to tempt Mother Nature, but our objective is to play any game on the day it is scheduled."
Everything is progressing on time, he said, although that doesn't mean there aren't challenges. "Every day there is a curveball, and we check it off and move on to the next curveball," he said. The latest unexpected development is the prospect that President Obama could attend the Feb. 6 game if his Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Supovitz smiled when asked and said, "I've heard that."
"We will coordinate with the Secret Service, which already has a presence in the Super Bowl," he said, "and add additional details to our plan. We may have to change some procedures and add assets, but we will deal with it." No sitting president has ever attended a Super Bowl game. But Supovitz appeared unfazed by the potential appearance by the commander in chief as he talked about changes in a stadium under construction for a second time.
He pointed out the temporary seats that are almost all installed. He noted that the playing field is an alternate field the Cowboys had in stock and said it will be painted with the Super Bowl logo and names of the teams soon after the NFC and AFC championships on Sunday. Supovitz walked out the east end of the stadium, where the outside plaza will accommodate "several thousand" season ticketholders who will watch the game on video screens. And he explained how it's possible for fans not physically inside the stadium to count as part of the attendance - making it possible for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to realize his dream of breaking the Super Bowl attendance record of 103,985.
"Actually, this was an original concept, elements of which were proposed in the bid," Supovitz said. "The party plaza is within the stadium campus, and you need a ticket to get in the perimeter. That is the same as it is for every game here. The difference is that during the regular season, ticketed fans can all walk in the building. "It's like having a grounds pass to the U.S. Open tennis," he added. "You can watch matches on other courts, but a grounds pass doesn't allow you inside the stadium."
Supovitz said that the league ran the plan past its broadcast partners because paying to watch the game in offsite venues is not allowed. He said the fact that the video screens in the outside plaza are already in place and used during the Cowboys season makes them part of the regular stadium experience. Earlier this week, representatives of the final four playoff teams were in North Texas, visiting the team hotels in Fort Worth and Irving, practice facilities at TCU, SMU and Highland Park High and getting an extensive tour of Cowboys Stadium.
Weather cooperating
What would a visit with Supovitz be without a discussion of the weather?
It was a bit chilly and windy in North Texas on Wednesday, but those would be ideal conditions for the Feb. 6 game beneath the Cowboys Stadium roof. He allayed any fears that an ice or snow storm would postpone the game, as happened late in the regular season in Philadelphia. "That wasn't a snowstorm but a blizzard," Supovitz said, describing it as the difference between a rain shower and a hurricane. "Here for the Super Bowl, we are working with the Host Committee and TxDot (the Texas Department of Transportation) in a coordinated effort to clear routes to the stadium. And we are bringing assets from other parts of the state to help clear snow or ice. "I'm not trying to tempt Mother Nature, but our objective is to play any game on the day it is scheduled."
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