The NFL could be opening a new front in the war on fun this February in the chilly parking lots of Northern New Jersey. Officials are considering a ban on tailgating at Super Bowl XLVIII as part of the enhanced security measures for the big game, according to a report from the Newark Star Ledger.
Super Bowl tailgate ban being considered
Security concerns and scaled back parking lots have the league and MetLife Stadium officials looking into the possibility of putting a ban on tailgaters at the big game.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Additional security measures will be put in place at the Meadowlands sports complex, where MetLife Stadium is located, the week before the game. That includes a significant reduction in the number of available parking spaces at the facility.
The vice president of the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority told the paper that the number of parking spaces will be reduced by roughly 60 percent. General security needs and television trucks will take over most of the parking lots during the game and in the lead up to it.
For now, a ban on tailgating is still in the discussion phase. Other options, like banning grills, are being considered as well.
Super Bowl XLVIII will be the league’s first outdoor game in a part of the country used to seeing freezing temperatures in February. The league has warmed to the idea of a cold weather game. Fans buying tickets will receive a cold weather care package complete with hand warmers and ear muffs. Whether or not they’ll be able to use those for tailgating remains to be seen.
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