Super Bowl Madness: T-Minus Six Months

In less than six months, or roughly 4,400 hours, Super Bowl XLVIII will kick off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. Football fans from all over the world will congregate in Northern Jersey to celebrate one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

If you’re a fan of sports, this could be an entire week of excitement. If you’re not, this could be an entire week of traffic and aggravation.

As Patch has reported in the past, Super Bowl XLVIII is expected to have a $550 million economic impact on New York and New Jersey.

Media Day, which has become an annual tradition where players and coaches run  the gauntlet of radio, television and print interviews all in one shot, will be held in the Prudential Center in Newark on Jan. 28, 2014.

“We are thrilled that visitors to the region will have an opportunity to experience multiple landmarks in New Jersey, beginning with MetLife Stadium, and now extending to the Prudential Center and the Meadowlands Racetrack,” said Woody Johnson, Co-Chairman of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee, in a statement released by the office of Gov. Chris Christie.

Florham Park will also play a role in the largest American sporting event. The Atlantic Health Jets Training Center will host practices for the team representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. The Giants training grounds, the Timex Performance Center, will host the NFC representative.

Hotels

Lets do a quick search of hotel availability in the area. According to Hotels.com, on the weekend of the Giants home opener against the Denver Broncos, about 17 hotels show availability for prices ranging between $90 and $219. Each of those 17 hotels are within two miles of the stadium.

In comparison, for Super Bowl weekend, the top result on hotels.com is a $700-a-night room in an Econo Lodge located approximately 4.1 miles away from MetLife in Jersey City.

The next 10 nearest hotels with availability are located in Manhattan. 

Volunteering

The Super Bowl XLVIII Host Committee is looking to amass a team of 15,000 volunteers who will play various roles in the success of the entire week.

According to the Super Bowl Host Committee's website, volunteers are required to be at least 18 years of age by Nov. 1, available to work a minimum of 2 shifts of 3-4 hours each for the volunteer assignment and undergo a background check.

Assisting visitors will be the main role of volunteers. Everything from acting as a hospitality guide to providing visitors with information about the Super Bowl and related activities is in the job description.

After your work is done you will be able to keep your volunteer uniform and, as it says on the volunteer page of the Host Committee's website, you will “know that you made a difference in how the world views New York and New Jersey.”

Click here to register as a potential Super Bowl volunteer.

Other Sporting Events

Super Bowl week should be a blast for all sports fans in the area. The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils will face-off in the elements at Yankee Stadium on Jan. 26, 2014, the Sunday prior to the Super Bowl. This would be a big time sporting event on its own, but the spotlight will shine even brighter with the large number of people in town for the Super Bowl. The Rangers will also play the Islanders at Yankee Stadium on Jan. 29, 2014.

It has not yet been confirmed but according to NBCSports Pro Basketball Talk, the Knicks may host the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 1. Just 24 hours prior to kickoff at the Super Bowl. No other league wants to go up against the Super Bowl but the NBA is looking to take the spotlight on the evening prior. The Knicks, Heat game would undoubtedly be a star-studded affair.

If you’re still looking for more action after the Super Bowl champion is crowned, well, you’re a bit nutty for one thing and I love that about you; head back down to the Prudential Center.  The Devils will host the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, February 3. The Avalanche had the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and picked Nathan MacKinnon and this will be your chance to see what he is all about.  

Follow @PatchSportsNJ on Twitter for updates as the Super Bowl approaches and email any of your Super Bowl related questions or ideas to Rob.Heinemann@patch.com