Falcons owner Arthur Blank optimistic about Atlanta’s bid to host Super Bowl

Atlanta is one of four cities, along with New Orleans, Miami, and Tampa Bay, vying to host either the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowl.

With NFL owners set to vote May 25, Falcons owner Arthur Blank "feels good" about his city's chances of snagging one of the two events.

"I think favorably for us, not just our stadium, but the uniqueness of everything that has happened downtown over the past 16 years since we hosted it, the largest aquarium in the country, the Civil Rights museum, Centennial Olympic park and the World of Coco-Cola," Blank said, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "The list goes on and on and it's walk-able. Which some of the Super Bowls are not. To a lot of the owners, to their fans and fans of the NFL being walk-able (is important.) Having 10,000 (hotel) rooms within a half mile of our stadium is a major plus. I feel good about this."

Atlanta has hosted the Super Bowl twice, in 1994 and 2000. If it does earn the right to host either Super Bowl LIII or LIII, the Falcons' new $1.4-billion stadium will be the venue, as the team is scheduled to move away from the Georgia Dome next summer.

In 2000, Super Bowl XXXIV was nearly crippled by an ice storm that hit Atlanta, but Blank believes that the weather won't be a concern this time around.

"I had one owner ask about it," Blank said. "I said that was a hundred-year storm. It's an indoor facility with a retractable roof. So, I think most people think the Southeast to be a relatively safe place for the weather."

Atlanta is facing stiff competition. Miami and New Orleans are the two most popular sites for the Super Bowl in NFL history, with both cities hosting the event a record 10 times.