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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- **As MetLife Stadium awaits its place in history as the first 'cold-weather' outdoor venue to ever host a Super Bowl just eight days from now, one question has begun to circulate rather prominently throughout the Rocky Mountain region.
Why not Denver?
With temperatures hovering in the 50s on Saturday – just one week after the sunny weather broke into the 60s for the AFC Championship Game in the Mile High City – the question of Sports Authority Field at Mile High hosting a Super Bowl seems almost as relevant as Denver's reputation as a 'cold-weather' city.
Denver was recently named by Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated as one of eight cities that should have a chance to host the Super Bowl – coming it at number four on that list.
Burke wasn't the only one touting Denver as a potential future Super Bowl site, however. FOX NFL Sunday analyst and Super Bowl champion Michael Strahan – a four-time first-team All Pro during his 15-year career with the Giants – also backed Denver's credentials as a Super Bowl host during a conference call with national media on Thursday.
"I like Denver," Strahan said. "I think Denver is a great city. Denver, with the climate there, I think the climate there is better than New York – so I don't know why they wouldn't have the opportunity to host a Super Bowl."
With an official seating capacity of 76,125, Sports Authority Field at Mile High easily surpasses the NFL's desired size of 70,000 seats for a Super Bowl venue.
Just as importantly, however, is a weather climate that provides an annual average of 300 days of sunshine – and average February temperatures in the mid-40s.
That was quite apparent in an exchange on the conference call between Fox Sports President, COO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks and a reporter, as Shanks inquired about the recent weather in Denver.
"I think Denver would be a great town to host a Super Bowl, wouldn't it?" he said. "How much snow did you get yesterday in Denver?"
"(Wednesday) it was 62 degrees," the reporter responded.
Of course, as is always the case with the Denver weather, that comes with a variable.
"(Thursday) we did get a couple of inches (of snow)," the reporter added.
But while there is certainly no way to be completely certain of what the weather will bring in the Mile High City, Denver's attractive qualities have Strahan convinced that they city could one day host the Big Game.
"I think that would actually be pretty enjoyable because it's definitely a city that I like and I think they would be great hosts," Strahan said.
