CFP passed on Minneapolis for 2020, but another opportunity could be a few years away

BleedGopher

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per Megan:

Hancock also said it’s probably better if a city doesn’t host any combination of the Super Bowl, Final Four and CFP back-to-back-to-back, as it “does stress the resources of the city in terms of finances and also in terms of volunteer manpower.” He estimated a city’s investment for hosting a CFP as $12 million to $16 million, though cities expect to make that back in tourism dollars. Only a few cities have pulled that off in conjunction with a Final Four and Super Bowl, such as Phoenix from 2015-17 and Atlanta from 2018-20.

Hancock said the next decision for potential venues is still two or three years away, and he’s unsure what the bid process would even be. So it’s “too soon to tell” if Minneapolis could be on the radar. He’s not even sure if the CFP will double down on another northern city game, as he wants to see how Indianapolis goes first. Though he did say only northern venues with roofs are in contention.

Minneapolis has a few other things going for it: a really good airport, easy transportation from it to downtown hotels as well as walking and bike paths. But one possible area of improvement Hancock will look for would be a concentrated coalition among sectors like the city, the public, local business, the stadium, owners of local pro sports teams and the university.

Hancock recalled how proud he was of the 1992 and 2001 Final Fours as he watched new visitors to Minneapolis “fall in love” with the city and how much it has to offer.

“It’s a special place,” Hancock said. “I don’t know whether our game will come here. I just don’t know. But the stadium and the light rail and the hotels put the city in a good light for all of us in college sports.”

http://www.startribune.com/the-coll...unity-could-be-a-couple-years-away/508440262/

Go Gophers!!
 

I bet the weather still hurts Minneapolis even with an indoor stadium. Sponsors have a ton of money invested and if we get one of those -50 degree windchill days on a day where there are events going on, there's a ton of money to be lost. I'm guessing they'll have something on Nicollet mall which won't work in the cold and even indoor things may take a hit if people don't want to walk from their car to the event. Even if it's not that cold, anything with negative wind chills could keep people away from events. With the Super Bowl people were complaining about 30 degrees.

Transportation is also a big downside. The light rail is nice but it can't compete with public transportation in some other cities. I was waiting outside for 45 minutes after the Final Four to catch a train and from what I heard, it was even worse on Saturday. I don't know any of the future sites other than Lucas Oil well but it looks like most of them either have better public transportation, are in better locations for traffic, or both. US Bank Stadium has horrible traffic and it gets even worse when they close stuff down for increased security.

Other than that, Minneapolis seems like a great place to host big sporting events. The city, stadium, and the Vikings work really well with organizers. Tons of businesses in the area willing to spend money on top of the NCAA/NFL's normal sponsors if they can get a chance. Tons of hotels in the area. The Nicollet Mall area is great for hosting things and the businesses there seem fine with it. Nicollet mall, the convention center, and the stadium are all within a mile of each other and connected by skyways plus Target Center is not much further if it's needed. Plus the U is right nearby and is willing to help as needed such as hosting the NFL awards, having the band play at events, and many students volunteering. If the transportation were a bit better and there wasn't the fear of extreme cold, I'd think Minneapolis would be one of the most frequent hosts of these types of events.
 

Yes weather is a huge factor for us. Can you imagine the bad press we would have had if the recent snow storm had occurred during the Final 4?
 

Let's get the big ten championship here first.

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Yes weather is a huge factor for us. Can you imagine the bad press we would have had if the recent snow storm had occurred during the Final 4?

And yet the high of 70 degrees on championship Monday was warmer than

2015 Indianapolis, IN (62)
2014 Arlington, TX (69)
2009 Detroit, MI (37)
2006 Indianapolis, IN (54)
2002 Atlanta, GA (69)
2000 Indianapolis, IN (59)
 

And yet the high of 70 degrees on championship Monday was warmer than

2015 Indianapolis, IN (62)
2014 Arlington, TX (69)
2009 Detroit, MI (37)
2006 Indianapolis, IN (54)
2002 Atlanta, GA (69)
2000 Indianapolis, IN (59)

But there's still that chance of a storm. And when it's an event during the winter like the Super Bowl and CFB playoffs, there's a greater risk. That has to play into the decision of who gets to host these big events.
 

Yeah, it’s a good thing we didn’t get all three.

That’s just impossible for a metro our size.


I mean sure, Phoenix just did it, and Atlanta is doing it now. But, you know, .... yeah ....
 




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