A History of California in Six Super Bowl Stadiums

The State and Its Football Fields Have Gotten Glitzier, Gaudier, More Exclusive, and More Disconnected

On February 13, the most watched event in America visits its birthplace, California.

Inglewood’s oversized, overpriced SoFi Stadium—the most expensive stadium ever built in the United States—is hosting Super Bowl LVI. SoFi is the sixth California stadium to hold the game since the first Super Bowl was held in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1967.

To think back on those stadiums—five still open and operating, one recently deceased—is to see how much is changing in a state known for mass entertainment and global spectacles.

As California, like the Super Bowl, has become …

Quit Playing Games With Our Health

Can Californians Take COVID Gathering Guidance Seriously If the State Still Plans to Host the Super Bowl?

When is California going to stop playing COVID games?

Your columnist is a devout follower of state public health officials and their guidance. I wear two masks in public settings and …

Why We Let Sports Teams Break Our Hearts

As the Super Bowl Draws Near, Zealous Fans Yearn for Shared Storylines That Last a Lifetime

When I was growing up in Mexico, I rooted for a scrappy, financially troubled soccer team named Atlético Español that ultimately broke my heart by being relegated to a lower …

Why My Hometown Regrets Hosting the Super Bowl

Not Only Were the Economic Gains for Glendale Exaggerated, But I Can't Even Go Shopping This Sunday

My family and I moved to Glendale, Arizona–where the Super Bowl will be played next week–in 1968, when it was one of many small Arizona towns ringing Phoenix.

Why Glendale? Serendipity. …