38 AMERICANWAY
JANUARY 1 2008
S T A R P OW E R
more than just money at that level. It’s
about egos, and it’saboutpolitics.Youdon’t
transcend that level of politics, youmanage
it. I’d say Roger was probably the perfect
one tomanage it.”
Phoenix’s bid was the first to be elimi-
nated. The Indy bid, braced by a thriving
downtown scene, a newdome, andpresen-
tations from respected Colts head coach
Tony Dungy and famous Indiana son Da-
vid Letterman, was especially strong. As a
counterweight, Jones said Staubach could
add context toDallas’splace inNFLhistory
asnoone else could.
But the Dallas bid needed a little some-
thing extra.While the retractable roof sub-
duedconcernsaboutgame-dayweather, the
owners still had to consider that weather
conditions inNorth Texas in February can
be dodgy.Wintryweather coulddiscourage
the well-heeled sponsors’ customary grip-
pin’ and rippin’ on an area golf course dur-
inggameweek, and that’sprobablyabigger
factor in site selection than anybody real-
izes, insiders say.
Evenwith domes available in places like
then, and the Arlington stadiumwill have
about 27,000 more seats than the other
two finalists. That’s almost $24million in
additional revenue, even before adding the
multipliers from ancillary streams such as
concessions and souvenirs.
“Even in a league that generates more
than$6 billion annually, an extra $25mil-
lion to$30million can’t hurt,”wroteESPN
.com’s Len Pasquarelli, who is among the
nation’s senior NFLwriters. NFL commis-
sioner Roger Goodell also talked up the
venue’s “extraordinary capacity.”
While finances certainly matter, never
underestimate the influence of ownership
politics in theSuperBowl selectionprocess.
Jonesadmits that theydoplaya role.Who’s
upsetwithwhom?Whoowes a favor?Who
is taking sides on revenue-sharing divides?
Are there small-market, large-market splits
in the room?
That’swhereStaubach’suniversal respect
paidhandsomely as thepointman to lobby
onNorthTexas’sbehalf.Heremainsrevered
by both the old guard and the newmoney
ofNFL ownership.He has two Super Bowl
wins and only recently stepped down as
CEOof theStaubachCompanybut remains
very active with the company as executive
chairman. With almost 70 offices nation-
wide and an annual revenue of more than
$400 million, his business is among the
country’s largest and most respected com-
mercial real estate brokerages. Respected
also as a civic leader, Staubach assuaged
concerns, brokered deals, and generally
helped contain any destructive acrimony
during theassemblyof theofficialbiddocu-
ment (200pagesplus thousandsofpagesof
supporting documents) throughout the six
months of its creation.
During the selection process, regions do
not have a limit on the number of speakers
allowed to make their pitch. Dallas chose
just one: Staubach, someonewho could ef-
fectively neutralize the careening politics
during those tense meetings last May in
Nashville.
“Ultimately, it comes down to money
and revenue streams that don’t exist in
otherplaces,” saysSham. “But all thoseguys
[
owners
]
have a lot ofmoney, so it is about
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