Goodell

IRVING, Texas — Steam coming from the quarterback's mouth. The Statue of Liberty in the distance. NFL championship at stake.

Live from new Meadowlands Stadium, it's Super Bowl 2014.

NFL owners voted Tuesday for a title game that could be like no other. While there have been sub-40s temperatures for an outdoor Super Bowl, and it's snowed outside a domed stadium on game day, never has the league chosen to hold its marquee event in a place where players and fans could be freezing at kickoff.

They decided it was worth the risk to bring the Super Bowl to the New York area, and to the new $1.6 billion stadium that this season will become home to the New York Jets and Giants.

"We promise the greatest game in the greatest venue in the greatest city," Giants co-owner Steve Tisch said. "Now we've got to deliver."

The NFL has required an average temperature of 50 degrees or a dome for a team to even bid on hosting the Super Bowl, but the league bent the rule to let New York bid.

"Everyone knows it's risky," said Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, one of two Florida teams whose bids were rejected.

"We'll all pray that it doesn't snow that day," Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said.

The coldest kickoff temperature in Super Bowl history was 39 degrees, and that would be considered a warm February day in East Rutherford, N.J. Average February temperatures there are 24 to 40 degrees, with several inches of rain, according to the bid documents.

Remember, the game kicks off after the sun goes down in the Eastern time zone, so temperatures would be dropping throughout the night.

So, why take the chance?

"I do believe that New York is a unique market and the membership recognized that," said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, whose offices are in Manhattan. "I think it will turn out to be a great event."

Being just outside the Big Apple means lots of glitz and spectacle, Buildup will include everything from a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to parties at internationally renowned destinations. There will be game-day shots of the Manhattan skyline in the distance, and thousands watching on the jumbo-screen TVs in Times Square.

The flip side is that security will become a bigger issue, perhaps among the most expensive pieces of the budget. An expected economic impact of $550 million would help offset some of the cost.