Super Bowl to come with $70M price tag

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- At $70 million, organizers of this year's NFL Super Bowl expect the event, hosted at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, to be the most expensive ever.

A review of IRS documents related to the non-profit group organized to support the event, The New York/New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committee, shows organizers have already spent $11.4 million since it was established in 2010 -- and that doesn't include any expenses incurred in 2013, The (Newark, N.J.) Star Ledger reported Monday.

The committee raises money through sponsors and soliciting donations.

While the NFL covers the expense of the game itself, the host committee bears the responsibility of supporting logistics, promotional events, transportation, guest services and other tasks.

The committee is responsible for arranging everything from greeters at the region's airports assisting out-of-towners to turning a 10-block stretch of Broadway in the heart of Manhattan into "Super Bowl Boulevard."

Organizers said the hefty price tag reflects the inherent costs in putting on such a large event in the middle of a massive population center where space is at a premium.

"This region is expensive, and this game is the first of its kind -- the first game hosted by two states and two teams, and to take place in an open-air venue in a cold-weather city," said committee spokeswoman Alice McGillion.

The NFL said while there is no set price for putting on a Super Bowl, the league acknowledged doing so in the shadow of New York City would make it the most expensive ever.

"Every host community is different. Every community is different," said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy. "And New York-New Jersey is a lot different than New Orleans or Indianapolis or North Texas or Florida."