Many North Americans like to combine their traveling with their favorite sports. With so many different professional sports teams in the nation this makes it quite easy to do. They have their choice of pro hockey, soccer, basketball, baseball, and football teams to select from. One of the biggest sporting events on the continent is definitely the National Football League’s Super Bowl with these being amongst the best host cities of the annual game so far.
1. Los Angeles, California – The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Although there’s currently no NFL team in Los Angeles, the Memorial Coliseum is one of just four venues that have hosted both football’s Super Bowl as well as the World Series of Major League Baseball. The Super Bowl was held there in 1973 and 1967 and 1973. When the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins there, they became the first NFL club to post a perfect winning season.
2. Miami, Florida – The Orange Bowl/Dolphin Stadium
Up until 2012, there have been a total of 10 Super Bowl games held in Miami. Most of them have taken place at the city’s Orange Bowl, but Dolphin Stadium has also been used as a venue for the big games. One of the most popular contests took place in 2007 when the Chicago Bears took on the Indianapolis Colts. When it was played it became the third most-watched television event ever in America, behind Super Bowl XXX and the finale of MASH.
3. Pontiac, Michigan – The Silverdome
The Silverdome, located near Detroit in Pontiac, became the first northern venue for a Super Bowl because it is a roofed stadium. Over 81,000 fans packed the stadium in 1982 when the Cincinnati Bengals were beaten by the San Francisco 49ers. The halftime show featured a tribute to the great Motown performers and over 85 million viewers watched the game on television.
4. Houston, Texas – Rice Stadium/Reliant Stadium
The city of Houston has held the Super Bowl once at Reliant Stadium and once at Rice Stadium. The game in 2004, which took place at Reliant Stadium, became famous when singer Janet Jackson suffered a ‘‘wardrobe malfunction” during the halftime show.
5. Minneapolis, Minnesota – The Metrodome
Minneapolis is another one of the cities that has held both the World Series and the Super Bowl. The roofed Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome hosted Super Bowl XXVI back in 1992 when the Washington Redskins beat the Buffalo Bills. Minneapolis will soon be getting a new stadium to replace the Metrodome.
6. San Diego, California – Qualcomm Stadium
San Diego has held the Super Bowl three times at the Qualcomm Stadium. In 2003 it held Super Bowl XXXVII, which is often referred to as the Gruden Bowl since Jon Gruden, who was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, used to be the head coach of their opponents, the Oakland Raiders. The underdog Buccaneers won the game.
7. New Orleans, Louisiana – Tulane Stadium/The Superdome
The southern city of New Orleans has already hosted the Super Bowl nine times and will be making it 10 in 2013. The game was held there in 2002 a few months after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in America in 2001. The halftime show featured the Irish band U2, and the giant screens displayed the names of those who had lost their lives in the attacks while the band played ‘Where the Streets Have No Name.’
8. Pasadena, California – The Rose Bowl
The city of Pasadena has seen the Super Bowl played five times at its Rose Bowl Stadium. Its first time hosting the event was in 1977 when the Oakland Raiders defeated the Minnesota Vikings. Oakland set a Super Bowl record in the first half with 288 yards gained.
9. Tampa, Florida – Raymond James Stadium/Tampa Stadium
Both of these stadiums have held the Super Bowl twice. Tampa Stadium was home to the games in 1984 and 1991 while Raymond James Stadium held it in 2001 and 2009.
