Atlanta awarded Super Bowl in 2019

Other bidders are Miami, New Orleans and Tampa for the February 2019 game and Los Angeles, Miami and Tampa for the 2020 and 2021 games. A decision is expected by late afternoon.

Each bid group will make a 15-minute presentation to the NFL owners this afternoon. Other league business is on the morning agenda.

Atlanta’s presentation, scheduled to start around 1:30 p.m., will be delivered by Equifax chairman and CEO Rick Smith and United Distributors president and CEO Doug Hertz

Also in the presentation room from Atlanta’s bid group will be Falcons president Rich McKay, Atlanta Sports Council executive director Dan Corso, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau president William Pate and Georgia World Congress Center Authority chief commercial officer Carl Adkins.

“The presentation will highlight Atlanta’s unique attributes as a host city for major sporting events, including Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a walkable downtown district, first-class attractions and several thousand hotel rooms in close proximity to the stadium that will all add to the fan experience,” Corso told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Atlanta’s presentation also includes a video that covers the city’s history of hosting major sports events and the new stadium.

The bid group has titled its pitch “Atlanta Transformed,” a reference to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and other downtown attractions not in place when the Super Bowl was last played at the Georgia Dome in 2000.

After the presentation, Falcons owner Arthur Blank will get five minutes to make a final appeal to his fellow owners.

Both Blank and McKay have said they feel good about the work and preparation that have gone into Atlanta’s bid, but that they take nothing for granted because the competition is strong.

The Atlanta bid committee’s preference is the 2019 game, but the city also is bidding for the other two in case the first goes elsewhere.

Please check back for updates.

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