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Ravens QB Joe Flacco Calls NY/NJ Super 2014 "Retarded"
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 29, 2013
Modified Jan 29, 2013
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 29, 2013
Modified Jan 29, 2013
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Many people kind of hate the Ravens (Ray Lewis' murder indictment and plea deal, anyone?), so quarterback Joe Flacco is just giving them more fuel for the fire. At a pre-Super Bowl press conference, Flacco said of the2014 NY/NJ Super Bowl at the MetLife Stadium, "I think it's retarded." Because it's RETARDED to have a game in the country's media capital, right?
Flacco realized his mistake but went on anyway, "I probably shouldn't say that. I think it's stupid. If you want a Super Bowl, put a retractable dome on your stadium. Then you can get one. Other than that I don't really like the idea. I don't think people would react very well to it, or be glad to play anybody in that kind of weather." Yeah, a retractable roof would have only cost $400 million more to build! Easy-peasy. Go Niners?
When the NFL was selecting a 2014 Super Bowl location, the finalists were NY/NJ, Tampa and South Florida. But warm weather Super Bowls are so been there, done that. Last week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell said, "We made this decision obviously not knowing what the weather would be, but football is made to be played in the elements. We’re going to celebrate the game here. We’re going to celebrate the weather here. We’re going to make it a great experience," while Mayor Bloomberg said, "I went to games at Yankee Stadium all the time. Sometimes it was cold and sometimes it wasn’t. I grew up in the days when football was played outside in the weather."
The Post points out, "Flacco grew up in Audubon, N.J., near Philadelphia, and is called 'Jersey Joe' by some. He became “Traitor Joe” yesterday, though, by ripping the idea of his home state hosting a Super Bowl. Flacco always has played in the cold weather. He went to college at Pittsburgh and Delaware before getting drafted in 2008 by Baltimore."
Freakonomics co-author Stephen Dubner looked at cold weather scoring and found, "So even though it's a bit harder to complete passes and kick field goals in colder weather, NFL teams end up scoring just about the same number of points. Why? One good reason might be technology: Players' gear and uniforms, field surfaces, and toasty benches probably help compensate for the harsh natural conditions." Also, one of the most famous football championship games of all time—the 1967 game between the Packers and Cowboys—is the Ice Bowl ("game-time temperature at Lambeau Field was about −15 °F / −26 °C, with a wind chill around −48 °F / −44 °C").
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Baltimore Ravens
football
joe flacco
retarded
super bowl
super bowl 2014
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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