Tag Archives: NFL

The dry run for the Super Bowl

It went pretty well. In less than a year, the Super Bowl is expected to draw almost twice as many as the 70,000 out-of-towners who flocked here for the Final Four. More than 1 million are expected to come downtown … Continue reading

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Got some free time next January?

The Houston Super Bowl Committee wants you. As Houston prepares to host the Super Bowl next year, the Super Bowl host committee is seeking volunteers to pitch in for the big game. The committee seeks up to 10,000 volunteers and … Continue reading

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Meet the woman in charge of prepping Houston for Super Bowl LI

The countdown is on, and the spotlight is already ours. When Sallie Sargent applied to take charge of Houston’s preparations for next year’s Super Bowl, she faced a rather daunting audition: find 11 major sponsors to finish a $25 million … Continue reading

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An Election 2015 threefer

Three links of interest that weren’t quite worth a post on their own. Cort McMurray deconstructs Bob McNair: It’s not easy, being Bob McNair. Back in the old days, being a Houston billionaire was fun: Whether you made your fortune … Continue reading

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Who cares about Bob McNair?

Another bad decision. Houston Texans owner Bob McNair donated $10,000 this week to opponents of the city’s embattled equal rights ordinance, entering the political fray over the law headed to voters in November. McNair, a frequent GOP donor, mailed the … Continue reading

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And now we have a lawsuit over HERO repeal ballot language

Oh, for crying out loud. Last month the Texas Supreme Court suspended the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, more commonly known as HERO, and ordered City Council to either repeal the non-discrimination measure or put it up for a public vote. … Continue reading

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Who will pay for Super Bowl stadium improvements?

Gotta say, I’m with Steve Radack on this one. If the NFL has its way, luxury boxes and club seats at NRG Stadium will undergo major upgrades at the expense of Harris County or its tenants before Super Bowl LI … Continue reading

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The NFL would like us to spruce things up for the Super Bowl

It’s only $50 million. What else do we have to spend it on? Before Houston hosts Super Bowl LI in 2017, NRG Stadium needs upgrades, including Wi-Fi installation and improvements to suites and club seats, according to Peter O’Reilly, the … Continue reading

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Losing our sports history

This is sad. The original championship banners for the Rockets and the WNBA’s defunct Comets remain on display at Toyota Center, as do banners saluting both teams’ representatives in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. After that, Houston’s legacy … Continue reading

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On beautifying the city for the Super Bowl

Chris Andrews has some thoughts about what Houston should and shouldn’t do in preparation for Super Bowl LI in 2017. Things More Important Than Beautification Projects to a Super Bowl Visitor As a sports fan, and through my own experience, … Continue reading

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Oakland Raiders to San Antonio?

There’s more than one Oakland-based sports team that’s been scoping out San Antonio as a possible place to relocate. Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis and two top lieutenants met recently with several San Antonio officials to discuss the potential of … Continue reading

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Can we really measure the economic impact of sports events?

I don’t know, but they’re going to give it a try in Dallas. Spending in the region on mega sporting events since the Dallas Cowboys moved to Arlington could top $1 billion when next month’s Final Four and next year’s … Continue reading

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MLB adopts expanded instant replay

Excellent. Baseball’s replay age has finally dawned, thanks to Thursday’s unanimous approval by owners of what commissioner Bud Selig called a “historic” expansion of replay to correct missed calls. The new system, which will go into effect this season, will … Continue reading

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RIP, Bum Phillips

A sad day in Houston. Oail Andrew “Bum” Phillips Jr., who spent half his adult life as a football coach and every waking moment as the personification of all things Texan, died Friday at his ranch in Goliad. Phillips was … Continue reading

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Enrolling the uninsured

This is going to be such a huge job. Fresh produce wasn’t the only thing you could find at the Farmers Market [last] Saturday. Volunteers with the Get Covered America campaign were passing out flyers and letting people know that … Continue reading

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Hooray for the hotels

We’re going to have a lot of people coming into town for Super Bowl LI. We’re going to have to put them somewhere. Mayor Annise Parker said Thursday that hosting the 2017 Super Bowl will be another step in Houston’s … Continue reading

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Does the Super Bowl doom the Dome?

The Texican ponders what the announcement about Houston landing Super Bowl LI means for everyone’s favorite unused arena. So what does this mean for our Dome? A parking garage would be an ignoble end for the Dome, though I am … Continue reading

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Houston gets Super Bowl LI

All right! NFL owners voted today to give Houston Super Bowl LI in 2017. At their spring meeting at the Hyatt Harborside, the owners voted the coveted Super Bowl L to San Francisco over South Florida. South Florida took another … Continue reading

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Florida’s failure to be insane is our gain

Good news if you’re rooting for Houston to host Super Bowl LI. Houston’s bid for Super Bowl LI received a major boost Friday when Florida lawmakers ended a 60-day legislative session without approving a plan that would have provided a … Continue reading

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A STEM vision for the Astrodome

Tory Gattis has an idea for what to do with the Astrodome. Where can America’s kids go to be inspired toward careers in our country’s most crucial need: science, technology, engineering and math (aka STEM)? Something far beyond their little … Continue reading

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Feeling good about the Super Bowl bid

The city of Houston has submitted its bid to host Super Bowl LI in 2017, and they feel pretty good about their chances. Houston’s competition will be San Francisco or Miami – the city that fails to get the coveted … Continue reading

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RIP, Jack Pardee

A sad day for Houston sports. Jack Pardee, a legend of Texas football from the six-man playing fields of Christoval to the barren wasteland of Junction to the Astrodome in Houston, has died of cancer, his family disclosed today. Pardee, … Continue reading

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County disputes cheaper Dome demolition price tag

It’s on. Harris County officials on Thursday disputed an estimate released this week showing it would cost $29 million to implode the vacant Reliant Astrodome and build a 1,600-space parking lot in two and a half years. The figure, calculated … Continue reading

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How cursed is Houston as a sports city?

So another Super Bowl is history, and as you might have noticed the Houston Texans were not be playing in the game. This continues an unbroken streak of Houston football teams not making it to the Super Bowl, some in … Continue reading

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Reliant gets its new scoreboard

As expected, and in time for the next push to get a Super Bowl in Houston. The state-of-the-art digital scoreboards will be manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric’s Diamond Vision Systems Division and installed for the 2013 season in place of the … Continue reading

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Will the Astrodome derail our Super Bowl bid?

Heaven forbid. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told a crowd on Tuesday that by 2017, Reliant will be 15 years old and therefore in need of some upgrades like digital scoreboards. Texans owner Bob McNair says the city must look at … Continue reading

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Maybe the fourth time will be the charm

The city of Houston is once again bidding for a Super Bowl. If everything goes according to an ambitious plan devised by city and county leaders, Houston will host its third Super Bowl in 2017. The NFL informed the Texans … Continue reading

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It’s all about the pensions

I didn’t stay up to see the end of the Monday Night Football debacle. Whether you endured it or not, perhaps you’re wondering what exactly this particular labor dispute is about. To be blunt, it’s about the NFL attacking the … Continue reading

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NFL will go with replacement refs in Week 1

Bad idea. NFL officials have been locked out since early June. In a memo sent to teams, obtained by USA TODAY Sports, NFL executive vice president Ray Anderson told clubs talks remained deadlocked, with the league remaining in contact with … Continue reading

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Why salary caps suck

In a sane world, the Houston Texans would not have to worry about whether they have or can free up the cap space to re-sign Mario Williams as well as whichever else of their free agents they would like to … Continue reading

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The bandwagon still has plenty of good seats on it

So hop on while you can. Aramark, which manages the Go Texans shop at Reliant Stadium, reports sales have been running more than 10 percent ahead of last year and likely will set a record if Houston reaches the playoffs … Continue reading

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Houston to get 2013 NBA All Star Game

Assuming the lockout has ended by then, of course. The game will be played Feb. 17 at Toyota Center, which also hosted the 2006 game. “It’s a done deal,” a person familiar with the bidding process told the Chronicle on … Continue reading

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No MLB or NFL for SA any time soon

San Antonio is many things, but a Major League Baseball or NFL city is isn’t, and won’t be any time soon. Those are the findings of California-based Premier Partnerships, which recently submitted the results of a six-month feasibility study commissioned … Continue reading

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RIP, Bubba Smith

Football great and actor Bubba Smith has passed away. Bubba Smith, an outsize presence in the National Football League who went on to a prolific career in television and the movies, was found dead on Wednesday at his home in … Continue reading

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