Karsch's Blog: Detroit Did Better Than This

Before I sound like I'm complaining, I have to tell you that one of my least favorite parts of the business of sports journalism is when our media colleagues complain about Super Bowl sites – or anything for that matter. We are spoiled in the media – while we are indeed working at games – these are great jobs and we are fortunate to have them. And media members are treated to great seats, free meals, all access passes, parties before and after big events – all-in-all VIP treatment since we are the voices shouting out to so many listeners/readers/viewers. Events and sites want us to speak highly of their area.
Dallas got drilled by six inches of snow Thursday night. Cold temps dominated the headlines in the week leading up to the game. Millions of dollars in unrealized revenues have crippled Dallas businesses, which expected a lot more. One restaurant down here downgraded their expectation from $1,000,000 in profits to $80,000 in profits. Golf courses are closed – they won't earn cent one.
And as much of this can be attributed to bad luck, sadly Dallas wasn't prepared. 39 snow removal trucks were brought in from West Texas on Friday, which doubled the amount of trucks in the entire Dallas-Fort Worth area. DOUBLED IT! Think about that. Walking the streets – snow removal was non-existent. People trudged through slush, snow and mud each of the last two days.
And while ALL of this might sound like I'm complaining – I'm not. But what Dallas has fallen most victims to was expectation – and that's where Detroit comes in. The expectation was that Jerry Jones would throw a bash for the ages – but parties have gone unattended and restaurants have been half empty. Meanwhile the expectation for Detroit was so low in 2006 that when the weather didn't paralyze Detroit and events were well received and attended people were pleasantly surprise.
Fans however do have a right to complain. Especially the 1,250 that purchased tickets in riser sections put in specifically for this game. The local Fire Marshall never inspected the seats and those holding tickets to those four sections had to be moved into club areas to watch on TV, or to one of the suites behind the benches that doesn't have a view of the field. Around 400 were left out all together. They fell victim to Jerry Jones and the Organizing Committee haste to set an attendance record for this game.
I mostly feel bad for the people of Dallas and the organizing committee – who's Super Bowl, was described as "a disaster," by one writer. But I'm proud of our area and the job we did. As one writer put it last night, "Detroit did better then this."