April 29, 2017
Riding the high of the NFL draft being held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, former Philadelphia mayor and Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell said Saturday the city will try and secure both the Super Bowl and MLB All-Star Game in 2026.
Rendell made the claim on SportsRadio WIP, saying the city will bid on both events for the country's 250th birthday, according to producers and hosts on the station.
Gov. Rendell on @SportsRadioWIP with us, says Philly is bidding to be official city of USA 250th + get Super Bowl and all AS games in 2026.
— Glen Macnow (@RealGlenMacnow) April 29, 2017
Ed Rendell just called into @SportsRadioWIP and said that Philadelphia will put in a bid to host the Super Bowl & MLB All-Star game in 2026.
— Ben Livingston (@bliv94) April 29, 2017
If true, and if Philly is able to get both games (a big, big if), it would mean the first Super Bowl ever held in the city, and the first MLB All-Star game in Philly in 30 years.
The Phillies hosted baseball’s best in 1996 at Veteran's Stadium. It was the second All-Star game at the arena (1976, the Bicentennial, being the other). The 2026 game would be the first for Citizens Bank Park, which opened in 2004.
Speculation about Philly possibly hosting a Super Bowl heated up after MetLife Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands was picked for the 2014 game. It was the first Super Bowl played in a cold-weather, outdoor venue, a move that prompted Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to express interest in bringing the game to Lincoln Financial Field.
Rendell was a vocal proponent of having a future Super Bowl in Philly after the possibility was raised. Per a 2015 Daily Local article:
"Assuming that the NFL is willing to go to a cold-weather site again, there is no reason why Philadelphia can’t contend,” said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. “We’ve got a state-of-the-art stadium, enough hotels, including luxury hotels, plenty of great restaurants and a history of hosting big events.”
Just imagine: Carson Wentz contending for his fourth Super Bowl ring and South Jersey native Mike Trout winning All-Star Game MVP after signing with the Phillies in 2020, both in Philly in the same year.
It's OK to dream sometimes.
