Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants Super Bowl in Chicago

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CHICAGO, June 1 (UPI) -- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he is hoping to convince NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to schedule a Super Bowl at Soldier Field.

Emanuel said at a Thursday news conference he had met with Goodell and they discussed the Chicago facility, which is the first NFL stadium to receive certification for its environmentally sustainable attributes, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

"We talked about 'Why Chicago?' " the mayor said. "Two weeks ago, had a bunch of world leaders here, NATO summit, and if we can do that, it would be an appropriate place to have a Super Bowl."

"I found out a secret, and that is the commissioner's in-laws live in the area, and I'm holding them hostage until that happens," Emanuel said jokingly.

Goodell said the NFL will have an open-air Super Bowl in cold weather in 2014 in New Jersey and that will help determine the future prospects for Soldier Field. He said the amount of available seating may also be an issue.