Credit: Unsplash

Los Angeles may not be the best spot for a massive event right now.

Super Bowl 56 is currently scheduled to run on Sunday, February 13 at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Normally, the Super Bowl would be the NFL event of the year, something objectively cool to look forward to, but unfortunately, due to the circumstances we’re currently living in, there’s now a big fat question mark next to that event. Case rates of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 are on the rise around the country, and especially in California, which has prompted the NFL to begin drafting up back-up plans in case the event is deemed unsafe.

“As part of our standard contingency planning process that we conduct for all regular and postseason games, we have contacted several clubs to inquire about stadium availability in the event we cannot play the Super Bowl as scheduled due to weather-related issues or unforeseen circumstances,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a public statement.

“Our planning process for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles is ahead of schedule and we look forward to hosting the Super Bowl there to culminate another fantastic NFL season for our fans and clubs.”

BREAKING: WFAA has confirmed that the NFL has reached out to AT&T Stadium to check on its availability as a possible backup 2022 Super Bowl venue; Arlington officials say the city is ready to host the game if needed.
https://t.co/S7gyeCqHxv

— WFAA (@wfaa) January 5, 2022

In absolute fairness, the NFL actually puts together contingency plans for the Super Bowl every year, even before the pandemic began. Since it’s such an important event for professional football, it only makes sense to have a back-up on deck. Currently, Los Angeles has been clamping down on large indoor gatherings, so in order to host the event, the NFL would need to take it somewhere with looser restrictions. Rumor has it that their primary target is AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve swapped in Texas for California; 2021’s Rose Bowl was originally supposed to be in Pasadena, but was brought over to Arlington due to COVID restrictions.