Redefining the Super Bowl: An Economic Impact Analysis

Mega sporting events typically justify their use of public funds through pre-event estimates of economic impact. Super Bowl 50, hosted in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2016, took a different approach. The Host Committee intended to redefine how a Super Bowl is hosted, by making SB50 the most giving, shared, and participatory Super Bowl ever. This case follows Host Committee chairman Daniel Lurie’s attempt to evaluate the economic and social impact after the event, presenting a wide range of data and perceptions from both event proponents and detractors. Together, students will estimate financial gains and cost, net economic impact, and evaluate social impacts. Ultimately, students are forced to critically analyze the degree to which economic and social impacts can be compared and contrasted, leading to a manager’s assessment of the overall benefit or cost to a host city.