For local economic policy.
- Click here for the article.
For more than a half century, sports teams and sporting events have been woven into the fabric of Houston. While the venues in which the big games are played have changed, our city's passion for playing host has remained fervent.
Space City is a host city, from the NCAA Final Four to the FIFA World Cup, Super Bowls, and to even BMX events.
"We really try not to make it cookie-cutter," Janis Burke, CEO of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, revealed about her team's approach to bidding on marquee events. "We really crawl inside the skin of that event. How can we put the Houston thumbprint on it and make it different and special and bigger and better than ever before? We just kept bidding on our reputation."
. . . The venue known most of the time as NRG Stadium has and will host major sporting events for years. But just steps away, the Astrodome has been dormant for decades. But the stadium known to many as the "8th Wonder of the World" just might be keeping its neighbor, NRG Stadium, from hosting its third Super Bowl.
"Greg Grissom, the president of Texans, and I have been talking about the next Super Bowl bid," Burke disclosed. "To be honest, we do need to figure out the Astrodome situation. I know (Harris County) has that on their radar, and they are trying to come up with a solution for that. I think that will matter. So, again, we're strategically looking at how we put that in the mix. Whatever we do, whether it's a renovation or a teardown, but I think that will matter to the NFL."
After being asked if it's safe to say Houston will not bid on another Super Bowl until the Astrodome's future is determined, Burke agreed it was safe to say.
The Astrodome, now stripped and empty, is owned by Harris County. As of 2021, the county paid $400,000 annually for maintenance and insurance. In 2018, the Astrodome became a Texas historical landmark. It's also designated as a State Antiquities Landmark and is part of the National Register of Historic Places.
. . . Ryan M. Walsh, CEO and executive director of NRG Park, provided a statement to ABC13 about the status of the Astrodome and the claim it's impacting Houston's next Super Bowl bid:
"We are working with stakeholders to find the solution that works best for our community. While those high-profile events are great, the County is interested in taking a well-reasoned, thoughtful approach to the re-energizing of NRG Park that will maximize benefit to our entire community for decades to come."
Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia also weighed in on Burke's assertion that the Astrodome's future must be decided before Houston can bid on hosting the biggest football game on the planet.
