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Nisa Chavez Taylor
Startup PR @ nisachatay.com. Likes life hacks, ruby/rails, wellness and djing.

Why this San Franciscan isn’t so pumped about the Super Bowl

Initially I thought it was cool to have Super Bowl in my hometown. But after reading about the negative financial and social impacts it may have on the city, I’m not as thrilled. I may be coming from a biased frame of mind since I’m not in SF to enjoy Super Bowl activities or the game. So, maybe there is a little FOMO about that. I’m also not a huge football fan so it’s not really a part of my values or passions. Bandwagon fan would be a better description, however, I do have a lot of fun when watching games with friends- the excitement, the fun, the snacking, the drinking.

That being said, there are some things that don’t make sense to me about the Super Bowl being hosted in San Francisco, and they bug me a little.

  1. The game is being held at the stadium in Santa Clara, not all that close to San Francisco. It should’ve been hosted around there. I reckon that the Peninsula and South Bay would’ve had plenty of space to host adoring fans flocking to Super Bowl 50.
  2. San Francisco is kind of small, about 46.9 square miles and it’s pretty crowded already. When huge events take place in SF, bumper-to-bumper traffic ensues, people scramble for hotel rooms and airbnb rentals that are hilariously overpriced, bars and restaurants get packed. I suppose that more spending at local businesses is good for the economy, but my main point is that sh*t becomes mayhem when big events and conferences like Dreamforce come through. Rush hour during that conference became every hour of the day around Howard Street (not trying to throw shade at Benioff).
  3. Tax dollars are going to cover the remaining cost of the Super Bowl, only about $5 million… *coughs, spews* Wait, what??
  4. People experiencing homelessness are getting shoved from the streets they call home. They already don’t have legit homes, let’s displace them even more! Great idea! Shouldn’t we be spending $5 million on trying to solve homelessness rather than pushing people aside to make way for corporate sponsorships? Would the majority of the ads, sponsorships and “Super Bowl City” shenanigans revenue get allocated back to SF anyway? If so, would they even offset the $4.8 million bill that taxpayers are paying? I’m speculating here, but I’m guessing that is a lot of money for the city alone to make back. I also feel that the NFL and Super Bowl Committee, two GIANT corporations, financially benefit most from this event more so than SF tax payers, humans that have to pay for living expenses, rent, health insurance, just the non-important every day human survival stuff. No biggie.

I read in Deadspin that San Francisco had only budgeted about $300,000 for expenses and there was no apparent disclosure about how much the Super Bowl would really be costing the city. Also, Santa Clara is getting back the $3.5 million it shelled out for hosting the game from the Super Bowl Host Committee, while the Committee has agreed to only give back $104,000 to San Francisco for the $4.8 million cost of hosting Super Bowl activities (SF Weekly). My observation is that our city leaders f*cked up on the math big time and Super Bowl Host Committee might be a little greedy, just a little…

At least Supervisor Jane Kim knows what’s up,

“They say you should be grateful that the Super Bowl is coming to San Francisco. I am grateful, but I just don’t believe taxpayers should be footing the bill for corporate marketing events” (Time).

I gather that there is a lot of opportunity for celebration, partying and revenue, but I wonder if the Super Bowl is really holding up San Francisco’s charm or drowning out the culture with corporate sponsorships and ads. I bet I would have a more balanced view if I was in San Francisco to experience it. Hopefully the increase in economic activity will help local businesses offset the fat tax payer bill.

I hope all my fellow San Franciscans and friends enjoy the Super Bowl anyway, it does look like a lot of fun!

Here is a cheeky Be Like Bill-inspired meme with my perception of the $4.8 million Super Bowl bill drama, enjoy!