By Mike Sunnucks | Phoenix Business Journal
Playing host to the Super Bowl and the National Football League has its advantages — and some significant costs.
Regional organizers for the game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale had to promise to raise $30 million to host the game and the hordes of official events. The NFL, which makes $9 billion in revenue annually, demands sales tax exemptions on game tickets and other official Super Bowl events. Host cities also pay for security and transportation for the game.
In 2008, the city of Glendale spent $2.8 million to host the Super Bowl. Jean Moreno, the city’s Super Bowl project manager, said that figure is down to $2.1 million for next month’s game because official NFL events have been moved to downtown Phoenix.
Glendale lost as much as $2 million after University of Phoenix Stadium hosted the Super Bowl in 2008, officials said. Most of the loss was because security costs outweighed sales tax gains. And Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers has been pessimistic about this go-around.
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