鈥?After years of planning and many millions in spending
Lawrence Taylor Giants Jersey , there was one thing organizers of Super Bowl 52 couldn’t control 鈥?a Minnesota winter.The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots played inside. But as fans were heading to U.S. Bank Stadium at noon Sunday, the temperature in Minneapolis was minus-2 degrees, with a wind chill of negative 23 鈥?by far the coldest Super Bowl on record 鈥?raising questions about whether the NFL’s marquee event would ever return to Minnesota.While warmer climates tend to be more popular host cities, a flashy new stadium and amenities often play a bigger role than the weather in determining who will host the big game.“The owners will do as they like. So that’s one of those decisions that’s just not up to the fan base,” said Mark Cobb, who has been to several Super Bowls in his work for the NFL Players Association. “Wherever has the newest, prettiest stadium, that’s who gets the game.”Cobb, of Washington, said everyone in Minnesota was nice, and he’d return to Minneapolis for a Super Bowl. But he said the weather felt “like I was being punished. Minnesota is where they send you when you’re bad. But if you embrace it like the people who live here, instead of fighting it, it’s not so bad.”The NFL has used the Super Bowl as a reward for municipalities that pump public money into new venues. Minnesota was awarded the game in 2014, two years after state lawmakers approved a financing package that had taxpayers paying nearly half the cost of the $1.1 billion stadium.Other northern cities have reaped similar benefits. New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium got a Super Bowl in its fourth season, the only outdoor Super Bowl at a northern site to date (2014). Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis hosted in 2012 and Ford Field in Detroit hosted in 2006, both at the end of their fourth seasons. The only other Super Bowls held in the north were in suburban Detroit at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1982 and in Minneapolis at the Metrodome in 1992.While warmer climates have held more Super Bowls
Anthony Miller Jersey Youth , there is no rotation of pre-selected cities that get picked, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. He said it’s up to club owners to take the initial step of expressing an interest in hosting. The sites of the next four Super Bowls are already chosen: Atlanta in 2019, followed by South Florida, Tampa Bay and Los Angeles.Atlanta has a stadium that opened in 2017. Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa have been renovated in the past three years, and Los Angeles will have a new stadium by the time it hosts the game.McCarthy said the weather in Minneapolis wasn’t a negative. Instead, he said it provided new experiences for fans, some of whom took advantage of the Minneapolis skyway system, a collection of enclosed 鈥?and heated 鈥?pedestrian bridges.“We knew weather was going to be a factor and we embraced it,” he said.Andrea Mokros, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee, said the event was a “huge success.” Visitor numbers were still being calculated, but Mokros said outdoor concerts and other events were well attended, even on the coldest nights during 10 days of festivities.“The cold didn’t slow anyone down and in fact made it a more memorable experience,” she said. Mokros said the winter climate allowed the host committee to offer a different sort of fun for guests, such as snowmobiling or skijoring (cross-country skiing while being pulled by a dog). And she said she felt some pride when she saw celebrities donning winter hats and embracing the cold weather.Paul Vaaler, a professor of management and law at the University of Minnesota law school and the Carlson School of Management
Tyron Smith Jersey Womens , said while warmer tourist destinations are more likely to get Super Bowls, there is some strategy to spreading the game to different franchises: The promise of a Super Bowl can lead cities to build new stadiums and keep teams from leaving certain markets.Because of that, he said, other northern cities are likely to host the Super Bowl before Minnesota gets another chance.“That incentive to build a stadium and attract the Super Bowl is gone (for Minnesota), but it’s not gone in a place like Cincinnati, or a place like Denver” or other northern NFL cities that have stadiums that are more than 20 years old. “For other northern climates, there will be pressure.”Some fans said the weather was tolerable and there were plenty of experiences in Minneapolis to keep them entertained. Others said that even though Minnesotans were hospitable, they’d prefer a warmer location.“The cold was just brutal,” said Philadelphia Eagles fan Terry Laufer of Carrollton, Virginia. His wife, Rhonda, said: “I would never be able to bring children here. It would be too risky.” The pair said they’d return with their grandkids in September, when it’s warmer.“You could have had the Arctic Circle and it would have been a great experience,” said Jody Haggerty of Milford, Pennsylvania. “Minneapolis made it work. … It’s not about the location. It’s about the experience, the atmosphere and the game.”Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski contributed to this report. The way Grayson Allen sees it
Jaire Alexander Jersey Elite , he might as well attack this full-court press head-on.
The guard from Duke understands the concerns NBA teams might have about him after four polarizing seasons with the Blue Devils during which he attracted about as much attention for play that crossed the line as he did for his accomplishments on the court.
”You have to address it, for sure,” he said Thursday at the league’s draft combine. ”It’s something that comes from my competitiveness. Competitiveness that I’ve had as a player, competitiveness that was pointed in the wrong direction and went over the line. It’s obviously something that I needed to work on and address.”
Allen said he’s gotten ”a lot better” controlling his competitiveness, without losing it.
”It’s something you don’t want to put away,” he said. ”You don’t want to put competitiveness and emotion away, so you learn to play with it. You learn to use it for your team. That’s what I’ve been saying.”
The question is whether Allen can channel that emotion in a positive direction.
He is projected as a late first-round or early second-round pick after helping Duke win a championship and at times attracting attention for the wrong reasons.
The Atlantic Coast Conference reprimanded Allen for appearing to trip two players on purpose in 2016. He served a one-game suspension by coach Mike Krzyzewski and got stripped of his captain’s title in the 2016-17 season after he got caught tripping an opponent. Though he basically stayed out of trouble this past season, Allen hip-checked North Carolina’s Garrison Brooks in the ACC Tournament.
And when it comes to the NBA, Allen no doubt has some explaining to do. With the draft on June 21, the next few weeks are his chance to ease any concerns league executives have, to show his emotions are under control.
”I think the NBA, they like competitive guys,” he said.
An overlooked member of a heralded recruiting class, Allen grabbed the spotlight as a freshman at the 2015 Final Four. He wound up providing a huge lift off the bench, scoring 16 points in the championship game victory over Wisconsin that gave Duke its fifth title.
Allen put off turning pro after his sophomore and junior years because he enjoyed college and wanted to make another run at the Final Four. He averaged 14.1 points in his career and joined Grant Hill, Jon Scheyer
Ty Montgomery Jersey Elite , Danny Ferry, and Johnny Dawkins as the only Duke players with at least 1,900 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists.
Allen’s leadership and ability to blend with four freshmen in the lineup last season, particularly after a switch to a zone defense in February, were crucial for the Blue Devils. Duke just missed another trip to the Final Four with an overtime loss to Kansas, after his bank shot over two defenders at the end of regulation hit the rim, bounced off the backboard and hit the rim again before rolling off.
Now, Allen hopes to show teams these next few weeks that he is not only an intelligent player but the type of person NBA executives want in their locker room.
”I just want to answer any questions they have,” he said. ”Just kind of show my personality, just let these teams get to know me, get to know me outside of what they see on the court, not just what kind of player I’ll be on the floor but what kind of person they’ll have in the locker room as well.”
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