• Loading stock data...
Thursday, September 18, 2025

Atlanta Scores Another Super Bowl: Adds to Growing List of Sports Events

  • The Georgia capital has a major run of top-tier sports coming in the next few years.
  • NFL leaders also present encouraging early results from the league’s new kickoff results.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

ATLANTA — The Georgia capital further solidified itself as a major locale for top-tier sporting events as NFL owners awarded the 2028 Super Bowl to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The unanimous vote to place Super Bowl LXII at the Falcons’ home facility, though expected for weeks, nonetheless sets up Atlanta as one of the preeminent destinations for championship events. The future sports lineup for Atlanta includes:

“This is a huge statement about this community, the leadership in both the public and private sectors,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “Atlanta has been known on a global basis as a city that can make things happen.”

Though Atlanta is not a preferred leisure destination in the way that other frequent Super Bowl hosts such as New Orleans and Miami are, the city boasts the world’s busiest airport, a growing and walkable downtown, a solid base of hotels and sought-after restaurants, and one of the industry’s most technologically advanced venues in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The facility also hosted Super Bowl LIII in 2019, and Falcons owner Arthur Blank championed a repeat bid for not only the stadium, but one that leans in to Atlanta’s continued growth. 

“There’s a lot of things that go into the decision of where a Super Bowl is going to be, and this really shows [the league’s] belief in our franchise, their belief in the city, their belief in the stadium, and their belief in our ability to support another Super Bowl,” Blank said. 

With this awarding, the next four Super Bowl locations are now settled with Atlanta to be preceded by New Orleans (2025), Santa Clara, Calif. (2026), and Inglewood, Calif. (2027). 

Kickoff Dynamics

League officials, meanwhile, said they were encouraged by initial results from the new “dynamic kickoff” rules designed to create more on-field action, fewer touchbacks, and a decrease in severe injuries from that portion of the game. After Goodell previously expressed support for the new rules, data presented to owners Tuesday provided further backing for that. Among the key results:

  • Kickoffs are now being returned at a 32% rate through the first six weeks of the regular season, up from 17% at this point last year.
  • There has been only one player concussion suffered in the new kickoff format so far, and no major knee injuries such as a torn ligament.

While these are specifically on-field rule changes, the shifts surrounding the kickoffs also are helping increase scoring, which, in turn, can boost television viewership. Further tweaks to the rules will likely be considered after the season, when full-year data can be received and analyzed, as opposed to pursuing any midyear changes. 

“There’s a lot more work to do, a lot more study. The sample size is not tremendously large at this point,” said NFL EVP Jeff Miller. “But we did see that lower player velocities [on kickoffs] yielded fewer major injuries in the preseason, and so far we’ve seen that unfold into the regular season.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

$3.8 Billion Commanders Stadium Deal Approved Despite Late Drama

A decisive final vote on the stadium followed some last-minute snags.
Donald Trump
exclusive

Trump’s Unprecedented Super Bowl Visit Cost Secret Service More Than $120K

Trump was the first president to attend the Super Bowl.

CFB TV Ratings Stay Hot As Georgia-Tennessee Sets ABC High of 12.6M

ABC has had four games that have topped 10 million viewers this season.
Maria Taylor

Maria Taylor Talks About ‘Moving Differently’ in ESPN-NBC Jump

Taylor will be NBC Sports’ lead NBA and WNBA studio host.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.

Commanders’ $3.8B D.C. Stadium Nears Key Council Vote

The Commanders’ proposed $3.8 billion stadium deal is poised for final approval.
Aug 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the Denver Broncos helmet against the New Orleans Saints during warmups at Caesars Superdome.
September 9, 2025

Broncos Eye 2031 Opening for New Multibillion-Dollar Stadium

The NFL team plans a new venue and mixed-use development.
January 5, 2025; Maui, Hawaii, USA; Hideki Matsuyama hits his fairway shot on the 13th hole during the final round of The Sentry golf tournament at Plantation Course at Kapalua.
September 15, 2025

PGA Tour’s January Season Opener Won’t Be Played At Kapalua

The Sentry’s longtime home is no longer able to host the tournament.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Aug 22, 2025; Bridgeview, Illinois, USA; Chicago Stars FC forward Jameese Joseph (8) passes the ball during the first half of a match against the North Carolina Courage at SeatGeek Stadium.
September 4, 2025

Chicago Stars FC Move to Evanston After 12 Years in Bridgeview

Stadium plans beyond the 2026 season aren’t solidified. 
August 28, 2025

As CFB Programs Add Corporate Field Logos, Are Jersey Patches Next?

Texas is adding a sponsor’s logo to its football field this season.
Dec 10, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; A general view of the Delta Center before the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Minnesota Wild.
August 19, 2025

Utah’s Sports Boom Expands Into Music, Emulating Atlanta

The Jazz and Mammoth owner strikes a major deal with Live Nation.
August 18, 2025

Browns $2.4B Stadium Plan Runs Into Airspace Turbulence

The team’s proposed stadium is deemed a threat to nearby airport operations.