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You are here: Home / Politics / Politicans / NANCY SMASH! / Open Thread: Can Christie Ruin the Super Bowl?

Open Thread: Can Christie Ruin the Super Bowl?

by Anne Laurie|  January 11, 20146:30 am| 58 Comments

This post is in: NANCY SMASH!, Open Threads, Sports, Assholes

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Out of pure idle curiosity, how effed up is the Meadowlands Superbowl liable to be? I mean, apart from the whole “toxic waste Superfund dump” and “Jimmy Hoffa’s burial ground” and “outdoor stadium in February” (“The NFL’s real reason, though officially unstated, for choosing the Meadowlands site is all about money. NFL owners “reward” communities that put up money for new facilities and the owners… “)?

From what I can find, sportswriters are not super happy about the “security” arrangements:

It doesn’t matter if you’ve dropped thousands of dollars on tickets. It doesn’t matter if you’ve traveled 3,000 miles to get there. And it doesn’t matter if you offer to shovel the snow that’s sure to come to the Meadowlands.

You will not be allowed to tailgate at Super Bowl XLVIII. Unless you literally stay inside your car while you do it.

“You will be allowed to have food in your car and have drink in your car,” game committee CEO Al Kelly said during a Monday news conference. “And provided you’re in the boundaries of a single parking space, you’ll be able to eat or drink right next to your car. However, you’re not going to be able to take out a lounge chair, you’re not going to be able to take out a grill, and you’re not going to be able to take up more than one parking space. And it’ll all be watched very carefully.”…

Don’t even think about hiring a taxi or limo to drop you off at the front gates. If a car doesn’t have a parking pass, it won’t get near the stadium…. Oh and by the way, there are only 13,000 parking spots for the use of fans.

Don’t even think about walking to the Super Bowl either.

“You can get your hotel to drop you off at one of the New Jersey Transit locations or get the shuttle to take you to a Fan Express location, but you cannot walk,” Smith said.

Here’s one thing you can do. Take public transportation, or as ESPN New York explains, you can take a charter bus called the Fan Express, “which will cost $51 and pick up and drop off passengers at nine locations around the region.”…

This does not sound, to my admittedly inexperienced mind, like the kind of Happy Fun Time the lite-beer and heavy-SUV marketing teams have promoted so assiduously for NFL fans. But it does sound like a target-rich environment for infotainment media and comedians looking to mine every SNAFU and FUBAR. And unless something changes really dramatically before February 2nd, Chris “I put out the traffic cones, okay?” Christie is gonna be a very easy target for mockery.

But is the blowback from Bridgegate liable to actually impact the logistics of the big game, for better or worse?

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Reader Interactions

58Comments

  1. 1.

    raven

    January 11, 2014 at 6:35 am

    no

  2. 2.

    JPL

    January 11, 2014 at 6:38 am

    haha! I thought the title was “Can Christie Run the Super Bowl”. By now we all know that he has been working out, but my answer would be no. He needs a helicopter and a limo to go across a field.

  3. 3.

    JPL

    January 11, 2014 at 6:40 am

    @raven: I saw your comment and must admit that I wondered what happened to you. Most of the time you are up before me.

  4. 4.

    raven

    January 11, 2014 at 6:40 am

    Sportwriters are fucking crybabies, don’t tailgate and, besides, the stadium crowd has zip to do with what the NFL get’s out of the game.

  5. 5.

    PurpleGirl

    January 11, 2014 at 6:44 am

    I don’t think the Bridge scandal will have an impact on the superbowl. However, I do think that the regulations around getting to the stadium, the small number of parking spaces, and the prohibition of tail-gating parties (although will people want to party outside if it’s snowing?) will definitely have an impact on the tone and atmosphere of the fans who do attend the game. Since the tickets are said to be sold by the teams which play (and are still to be determined) who knows how many tourists and how many local attendees there will be.

    The NFL owners are being very greedy with this game and it may be a loser for them. (Yes, I’m not a sports fan but I do listen to some sports news as I wait for other news to come on.)

  6. 6.

    raven

    January 11, 2014 at 6:46 am

    @JPL: Yea it was weird butI’ll take it. Should be balmy at the bakery this morning!

  7. 7.

    Baud

    January 11, 2014 at 6:47 am

    Clearly, if anyone has a bad time or anything goes wrong, it’s because of the union thugs in Jersey.

  8. 8.

    raven

    January 11, 2014 at 6:51 am

    @PurpleGirl: Bah, “fans” don’t go to the superbowl. It’s a corporate playground.

  9. 9.

    JPL

    January 11, 2014 at 6:52 am

    @Baud: Christie can teach the union leaders how to be real thugs. Real thugs tell people to shut up and sit down.

  10. 10.

    raven

    January 11, 2014 at 6:55 am

    Average fan can’t get affordable Super Bowl tickets, lawsuit alleges

    According to the NFL, the league doles out Super Bowl tickets as follows: The two teams that make the Super Bowl share 35 percent of the tickets; the host teams – this year the Giants and Jets – share 6.2 percent of the tickets; the remaining 28 teams share more than 33 percent of the tickets; and the NFL retains 25 percent of them.

  11. 11.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 11, 2014 at 6:57 am

    I heard there’s a traffic study planned for that wkend….

  12. 12.

    PurpleGirl

    January 11, 2014 at 6:59 am

    @raven: If that’s the case then I hope this year’s superbowl sucks big time.

  13. 13.

    JGabriel

    January 11, 2014 at 6:59 am

    The New York Times is running an important correction, at the bottom of the article, in a Christie bridge story:

    Correction: January 10, 2014
    An earlier version of this article misidentified the state where Andrew M. Cuomo is governor. It is New York, not New Jersey.

  14. 14.

    PurpleGirl

    January 11, 2014 at 7:04 am

    @JGabriel: I saw that in a story and I can’t believe that the error was let through into print. How can a state have two governors at the same time?

  15. 15.

    JPL

    January 11, 2014 at 7:04 am

    @raven: The average fan can’t afford to take his/her family to a game during the season.

  16. 16.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 11, 2014 at 7:05 am

    @Baud: We get blamed for everything else, why not that?

    @JPL: I’ve been taking lessons…

  17. 17.

    JPL

    January 11, 2014 at 7:14 am

    There’s a few interesting facts about the Christie story. He’s always been an ass. Wildstein was statistician of the baseball team, Christie was on in high school. Christie made several statements suggesting they were in different in circles. Let’s face it, Christie would never hang out with a nerd. Also, I want to know, as does the state senate, when Darcy Licorish was promoted. What a great name!

  18. 18.

    JPL

    January 11, 2014 at 7:15 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Christie has a bunch of youtubes, that might be of help.

  19. 19.

    PurpleGirl

    January 11, 2014 at 7:16 am

    @JGabriel: The top executives of the grey lady should be ashamed to admit this error but I know they won’t be. They really need to investigate how this happened.

  20. 20.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 11, 2014 at 7:25 am

    @JPL: I saw that name and was trying to figure a joke with it. Still too early I guess.

  21. 21.

    Raven

    January 11, 2014 at 7:30 am

    @PurpleGirl: that will have the NFL in the fetal position.

  22. 22.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 11, 2014 at 7:31 am

    @JPL: Yes, they are a part of the online course.

  23. 23.

    Baud

    January 11, 2014 at 7:33 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Hell, I still blame unions for Miley Cyrus.

  24. 24.

    Raven

    January 11, 2014 at 7:36 am

    Gail Collins:I’m telling you that when I ask for an answer from a member of my staff and they lie … they’re gone. So I never had to get to the conduct, the underlying conduct,” he said.
    What do you think about that, people? Andrew Jackson-like decisiveness? Seems more like a really eerie lack of curiosity.
    But then we have had presidents who were less inquisitive than a sidewalk. Look at George W. Bush. And he got elected twice.

  25. 25.

    Raven

    January 11, 2014 at 7:37 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: what online course?

  26. 26.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 11, 2014 at 7:52 am

    @Raven: It’s free. You’ll find it at NJGuv.gov. Been a big help to me. ;-)

  27. 27.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 11, 2014 at 7:54 am

    Holy sheeyut, tornado warnings in metro Atlanta! Not my county, but there may be some nasty weather heading this way.

  28. 28.

    JMG

    January 11, 2014 at 7:54 am

    Permitted or not, I’ve never seen tailgating at any Super Bowl of the 14 I attended, because parking is always strictly limited due to the entertainment stuff and corporate hospitality tents (the equivalent of tailgating) set up outside every one of them. An enormous majority of fans will be staying in the city and taking buses to the game, which is the only sane way to travel to a Super Bowl. NYC area fans will take buses, trains and shuttle buses, too.

  29. 29.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 11, 2014 at 7:58 am

    @JPL:
    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I was all over the name “Darcy Licorish” in some of yesterday’s threads. Seriously one of the best names I’ve ever seen. But I hadn’t heard anything about a questionable promotion for her.

  30. 30.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 11, 2014 at 8:02 am

    Ariel Sharon has died.

  31. 31.

    Debbie(aussie)

    January 11, 2014 at 8:08 am

    I met some very nice Hispanic(is that the correct usage) families at my bro’s 50th. He works for Boeing, former RAAFie nice people. game of mini-golf and pizza.

  32. 32.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 11, 2014 at 8:13 am

    @SiubhanDuinne: He died years ago. His body was infected by zombies and just wouldn’t give up the ghost.

  33. 33.

    Tumbrel for Hire

    January 11, 2014 at 8:17 am

    This tailgating crackdown doesnt really apply to everyone, of course. Suites are open a whopping 4.5 hours prior to kickoff. Originally it was going to be longer (I think 6 hours!) but those union thugs complained and got the time reduced.

  34. 34.

    Tumbrel for Hire

    January 11, 2014 at 8:17 am

    This tailgating crackdown doesnt really apply to everyone, of course. Suites are open a whopping 4.5 hours prior to kickoff. Originally it was going to be longer (I think 6 hours!) but those union thugs complained and got the time reduced.

  35. 35.

    tybee

    January 11, 2014 at 8:21 am

    @PurpleGirl:

    georgia had 3 at the same time. sorta.

    http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/three-governors-controversy

  36. 36.

    RepubAnon

    January 11, 2014 at 8:30 am

    Traffic problems, like sex scandals, are easy to present in a quick TV soundbite. If traffic goes smoothly, it’ll be “vindication” – but if traffic goes poorly, it’ll be very bad.

    I’d like to see someone point out the 0.1%-ness of no tailgating. Funny how it’s elitist to ask people to be polite to each other, but not elitist to restrict SuperBowl tailgate parties to large corporate-funded tents…

  37. 37.

    Shortstop

    January 11, 2014 at 8:31 am

    @PurpleGirl: Whoever wrote it doesn’t really think Cuomo is governor of NJ. He or she just blipped out while typing it and the copy editors didn’t catch it. Agree it’s a hilarious error, though. Cuomo should threaten to sue for libel. ;)

  38. 38.

    Ash Can

    January 11, 2014 at 8:33 am

    Christie can’t possibly do anything to the Super Bowl that the league brass already haven’t, so I wouldn’t worry about it.

  39. 39.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 11, 2014 at 8:34 am

    @tybee: Heh. I expect that kind of behavior from SC, not GA.

  40. 40.

    Mike in NC

    January 11, 2014 at 9:12 am

    Chris Christie should sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. After which we’ll need a new one.

  41. 41.

    Comrade Dread

    January 11, 2014 at 10:01 am

    The Super Bowl isn’t for the average schmuck who saved up and laid out a few grand for the trip of a lifetime, it’s for the TV revenue.

    And no, we’re all so pants-wettingly afraid of terrorists that people would probably put with anal probe checkpoints if they thought it made them a little bit safer.

  42. 42.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    January 11, 2014 at 10:32 am

    @Comrade Dread:

    And no, we’re all so pants-wettingly afraid of terrorists that people would probably put with anal probe checkpoints if they thought it made them a little bit safer.

    Now you’ve gone and tipped off AQ that we know about their latest weapon; the Butt Bomb. The anal probes were supposed to be secret until the day of the game. That way we would catch all of the terrorists who are bound to attend.

  43. 43.

    Ben Franklin

    January 11, 2014 at 10:49 am

    ““The goal the president has set here is to take measures that create more transparency, introduce reforms that improve the system in a way that gives the American people more confidence,” Carney said.”

    Well, that’s what I’ve heard…..

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/obama-to-unveil-surveillance-plans-next-friday-102026.html#ixzz2q6d3KDH7

  44. 44.

    Gretchen

    January 11, 2014 at 11:12 am

    Why would Hoffa be transported to New Jersey? He disappeared near Detroit.

  45. 45.

    pseudonymous in nc

    January 11, 2014 at 11:35 am

    @JMG:

    Permitted or not, I’ve never seen tailgating at any Super Bowl of the 14 I attended

    I’m pretty sure the only tailgating at most Super Bowls is courtesy of the strip clubs in the usual host cities in warmer climes. But you’re right: the playoffs are for the fans; the big game is for the corporate sponsors.

  46. 46.

    kc

    January 11, 2014 at 11:35 am

    I don’t understand. What are they afraid of? Exploding lounge chairs?

  47. 47.

    Omnes Omnibus

    January 11, 2014 at 11:41 am

    @kc:

    What are they afraid of?

    Attendees either not spending money or “competing” with the corporate hospitality tents.

  48. 48.

    Ben Franklin

    January 11, 2014 at 11:42 am

    When Hillary makes her move, I suggest she kick-off her campaign by publicly, and literally spanking Feinstein and the entire Security Goon Network on the Capitol steps.

    Some red cheeks in Congress would do us good.

  49. 49.

    ? Martin

    January 11, 2014 at 11:55 am

    As the sign says as you drive into the state. “Welcome to New Jersey. Fuck you.”

  50. 50.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 11, 2014 at 12:25 pm

    @JGabriel:

    Christ on toastpoints, ow the fuck does the NEW YORK FUCKING TIMES misidentify the governor of the state of NEW YORK as being from NEW JOISEY?

    How the fuck does this happen? Is there no one doing any editing at all, or all they all down on Seventh Avenue bantering with the working women?

    Do they aspire to the hackdom of Tigerbeat on the Potomac, or something?

  51. 51.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 11, 2014 at 12:26 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    It’s not called the No Fun League for nothing, you know.

  52. 52.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 11, 2014 at 12:27 pm

    @Gretchen:

    Tradition.

  53. 53.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 11, 2014 at 12:30 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    The shell that once contained the militarist asshole called Ariel Sharon has expired.

    Sharon departed it years ago.

  54. 54.

    Svensker

    January 11, 2014 at 12:32 pm

    Driving to the Meadowlands for an NFL game is just stupid. The cheapest, quickest, easiest way to get there is via NJ Transit train. Plus then you get to hang out on the train with drunk guys in NFL gear.

  55. 55.

    Mike G

    January 11, 2014 at 12:39 pm

    @Higgs Boson’s Mate:

    Now you’ve gone and tipped off AQ that we know about their latest weapon; the Butt Bomb.

    This was actually tried in Saudi Arabia. An AQ operative had a meeting with a Saudi prince and detonated a bomb located in his butt. It was not effective — apparently the surrounding body mass absorbs most of the blast. Combined with the limited capacity of the average colon the only serious damage is to the carrier.

  56. 56.

    SteveM

    January 11, 2014 at 12:54 pm

    This is going to upset the NYC-area elitists even more no limos or taxis at Super Bowl XLVIII.

    Oh well, guess they’ll have to take the private jet.

  57. 57.

    danielx

    January 11, 2014 at 1:05 pm

    But is the blowback from Bridgegate liable to actually impact the logistics of the big game, for better or worse?

    No, because Republicans will outnumber Democrats by three to one at that game. Logistics and transportation will run like a fucking Rolex.

    And no, it doesn’t sound like a fun experience, what with the ban on tailgating and the probable SS-type security measures to be in effect. “Why yes, the Patriot Act does allow us to require body cavity searches before attending an NFL game, you didn’t know?” The only surprise I’ve had is that the NFL didn’t pick Justin Bieber as the halftime show headliner. Although Bruno Mars doesn’t do much for me either…however, if Red Hot Chili Peppers are performing too, there’s at least hope that Flea will perform naked to make all the WASP fans turn lime green. Matching their pants, no doubt…

  58. 58.

    Glocksman

    January 11, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    @danielx:

    ‘Super Bowl Halftime Show’ = ‘Piss Call’ in Latin.
    Though it might be worth watching (or turning the volume up) during the Peppers’ set.

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