‘No chance’ Super Bowl moving, mayor says

(NewsNation Now) — There’s “no chance” the Super Bowl will be moved from SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California Mayor James Butts said.

The NFL has looked into other potential sites for next month’s Super Bowl. That’s not unusual because the league does so every year. But with Los Angeles the site for this year’s title game, and restrictions increasing for attendance at indoor events, it has become more noteworthy.

Still, Butts said it’s not going anywhere. On Thursday’s “NewsNation Prime” he said local public health leaders pledged they would not recommend to move the game.

California is under a mask mandate, and Butts said leaders “want people to be vaccinated, preferably to have the booster,” but did not say if it would be required. He also pointed to the stadium’s design with a retractable roof and open sides that should improve circulation.

The NFL also insisted the event will go on as scheduled and at SoFi Stadium.

“We plan on playing Super Bowl 56 as scheduled at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 13,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Wednesday. “As part of our standard contingency planning process that we conduct for all regular and postseason games, we have contacted several clubs to inquire about stadium availability in the event we cannot play the Super Bowl as scheduled due to weather-related issues or unforeseen circumstances.

“Our planning process for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles is ahead of schedule and we look forward to hosting the Super Bowl there to culminate another fantastic NFL season for our fans and clubs.”

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, reportedly is one of the facilities contacted. The stadium hosted the Rose Bowl in 2021 when it was switched from Pasadena because of COVID-19 restrictions in California.

California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said that it’s not just the Super Bowl that brings people to Los Angeles County, but a week or more of events across the region. He said officials are committed to making sure the events go forward as planned, “that the mitigation strategies that create safety around that event are in place.”

“I know L.A. County is closely in contact with the NFL to make sure that strategies are put in place to ensure that people can enjoy this important event while making sure that we put things in place that allow COVID mitigation to be an important feature of the approach to that game that is just over a month away,” Ghaly said Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, the Grammy Awards were postponed indefinitely. They were scheduled for Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Jan. 31. Organizers cited health and safety concerns.

Butts says the Grammys and Super Bowl are not comparable because the Grammys are held indoors.

The Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium is scheduled for Feb. 13.