Super Bowl XLVIII is finally over and while many still question the decision to have the big game in a cold-weather city like New York, other issues sprung up over the weekend as well. From the unavoidable corporate takeover in Times Square to snarled transit systems, fans and visitors suffered a fair amount of struggle in the name of football.
Perhaps the biggest issues to pop up was the enormous swell of people riding MTA and NJ Transit. As thousands headed to East Rutherford, N.J., they were met with overheated trains, overcrowding and some minor medical emergencies such as people fainting from the heat.
Folks took to Twitter showing the massive throng clogging up the exits for the train stations, with many complaining NJ Transit officials left the heat on inside the enclosed stations despite complaints.
Heading out of Metlife Stadium, the home of the New York Giants, it was just as bad according to photos snapped. One Twitter user posted a photo of what they estimated was 25,000 people trying head into a NJ Transit train station with just two working doors.
Of course, security was a bit of an issue too at MetLife Stadium, this after an independent journalist bum-rushed a podium at a postgame news conference last night. If that individual was able to slip past security that easily, it is a miracle that only four minor arrests were reported by local authorities for the big night.
There is also the rumored economic boosts that New York and New Jersey were to receive from hosting the game. Without a doubt, tourism skyrocketed over the weekend and hotels were largely sold out throughout the entire tri-state region. An economist claims that the NFL’s projected numbers of economic windfall are a bit exaggerated, saying that the $550 million to $600 money boost might be inflated by as much as 96 percent.
New York officials are already hoping to cash in on hosting the game again after the completion of Super Bowl XLVIII, although a location won’t be announced until five years from now.
Hit the jump to see the Super Bowl XLVIII transit struggles in picture form.
[Props to Gothamist]
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Photos: Twitter
