LAS VEGAS — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke Tuesday at the Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee brunch, saying the gambling mecca’s changing image over the past few years has helped the city advance to the league’s championship game. He said it helped him do that.
Goodell also spoke for 25 minutes with Las Vegas Raiders President Sandra Douglas Morgan at the event, which was attended by other professional sports executives from the UFC, the NHL’s Golden Knights and the WNBA’s Aces, and talked about the game’s global appeal and more. Other topics were also touched upon. , F1 and NBA.
“You really have become Sportstown USA,” Goodell told a gathering of Las Vegas business leaders. “We really had and that vision was set out and that vision was clear. We wanted to be a part of it, but when that happened, everything seemed to change, and the stadium Obviously that’s a big part of that.That’s one of the things.”One of the reasons we struggled in Oakland was being able to get a long-term stadium. The great news is that this is our home, so we’re happy to be here.
“I want to commend this community because I think you’ve changed this city on a global scale. This is an extraordinary entertainment city and I think people are looking at this city in a different way. .Sports may be a part of it, but we say all of the sports that are here today have changed it, changed their narrative, changed their image, changed their platform. I think.
“And 10 years ago, I probably wouldn’t have said I would see myself sitting here in the Super Bowl. But I’m not surprised.”
Super Bowl XI will be held on February 11th at Raiders-Allegiant Stadium, but it wasn’t that long ago that cities weren’t allowed to buy airtime to promote themselves as tourist destinations during the Super Bowl. It’s not about. Sin city. Now, Goodell said a 30-second TV spot during an upcoming CBS broadcast would cost “$6 million to $7 million.”
Raiders owner Mark Davis moved the team from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020, and the city has since hosted the Pro Bowl and NFL Draft. Goodell said Davis had been asking questions about the Super Bowl from the beginning.
“This community is more than just a sports town, it’s truly the entertainment capital of the world in many ways,” Goodell said. “So for us to have a platform like that, a stadium, we knew almost immediately that this was clearly our stage for the Super Bowl. In fact, Mark Davis said this from day one. “When? Can we win the Super Bowl? ”
“Literally, he hadn’t even been in town yet and I don’t think he was talking about it. But at this point, all of our owners knew that we were going to be doing a lot of big events here. I think I understood that from day one of the Super Bowl.
“Listen, I think about a lot of things at night, but I don’t think about Vegas being able to pull this off with a really great class.”
Goodell laughed when asked by Douglas Morgan if Las Vegas would be in the Super Bowl “rotation.”
“We don’t have a Super Bowl rotation, but I have no doubt that this Super Bowl will be a success. We’ll be back here again and again for the Super Bowl,” he said. .
Meanwhile, Raiders owner Mark Davis recently told ESPN that Las Vegas’ win in the Super Bowl was a testament to “the amount of work we put in to get here and really build something world-class.” It reaffirms all our efforts.”
Goodell also spoke about his excitement for flag football being included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the NFL’s international appeal.
The NFL held three games in London and two in Germany this season.
“And next year we’re going to do another one in a new market,” Goodell said.
“We could have sold 4.5 million tickets for the two games in Germany. They literally sold out in minutes. … We’re going to see a very global NFL, but not necessarily a franchise. But it’s probably like playing a game on a global scale, like F1. And I think that’s going to happen in the next five to 10 years and we’re going to see an expansion. [on international games] This season is coming again this year. But it’s going to continue to accelerate, and that’s going to change the face of the NFL.”