The city of Houston learned this week that it will host the Super Bowl LI in early 2017, the first time in 13 years. In the lead-up to the announcement, there was a lot of talk about why itâs a good idea for the NFL to hold the Super Bowl here. Thereâs no doubt about the intangibles: itâs exciting for Houston to be in the national spotlight. But just what are the benefits and challenges of hosting such an event, and whatâs the true economic impact? We had three guests discuss the implication of Houston hosting another Super Bowl.
- Ric Campo, the chairman of the Houstonâs Super Bowl 51 Bid Committee. Heâs also CEO of Camden Property Trust, which owns and operates apartment complexes across the country.
- Greg Ortale, the President and CEO of The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, and is also on the Super Bowl Bid Committee.
- Victor Matheson, an Associate Professor of Economics at the College of the Holy Cross in Worchester, Massachusetts. He specializes in the economic impact of major sporting events, and back in 2006, he co-authored a report examining the NFLâs revenues claims for Super Bowl host cities. He concluded their numbers were dramatically inflated.