Super Bowl XLII is bringing more to the Valley than the biggest show in town. It's bringing in traffic jams, more than 100,000 fans, and hundreds of millions of dollars for the state.
With the popularity of America's largest sports event, at least 125,000 visitors will be visiting Arizona for Super Bowl XLII, said the Super Bowl Host Committee's Vice President of Media and Public Relations, Christina Estes in an e-mail.
The Feb. 3 NFL championship game between the New York Giants and undefeated New England Patriots will be hosted in Glendale. However, all 125,000 people can't fit into that city's hotels.
Before the Super Bowl teams were decided, 90 percent of Tempe's hotel rooms had already sold out for the weekend of the football game, said Toni Smith, the communication manager from the Tempe Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
"An event like this will showcase the Valley on a national and international scale," Smith said. "Those fans that come for the game will be eating at our restaurants, shopping along Mill Avenue and our other shopping areas so it will definitely be a big economic boost for us."
And Arizona has more to offer this year than it did in 1996 when the Grand Canyon State last hosted the game.
The game was held at Sun Devil Stadium in 1996, but will be held this year in Glendale's University of Phoenix Stadium, constructed in 2006.
The new stadium hosted the 2007 season's college BCS championship game and the Fiesta Bowl for the past two years.
In 1996, an ASU business-college study found a $306 million economic impact, said Estes through e-mail.
The Super Bowl is estimated to contribute more than $400 million into Arizona's economy, while showcasing the Valley's attractions, she added.
This year will bring extra attention to many of the Valley's businesses, said David Drennon, the director of communications from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce.
The Super Bowl Host Committee has created an emerging business program to involve different, small businesses in the event, Drennon said.
"Obviously, the Super Bowl will be great for tourism-related industries, but it will give businesses an opportunity to market themselves," Drennon said. "It's a great opportunity to put the state in the limelight."
David Engle, a management senior, said he thinks the Super Bowl will help stimulate the Valley's economy.
"It will rejuvenate the Valley, which has normally relied on the no-longer booming housing market," Engle said.
Reach the reporter at: ryan.calhoun@asu.edu.
