Could Arizona lose Super Bowl LVII bid because of Kari Lake’s gubernatorial campaign?

Arizona is in jeopardy of losing Super Bowl LVII to another state due to controversial policies from gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

As Election Day looms on the horizon, the NFL finds itself in a tug of war with Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, Kari Lake. In recent interviews, Lake stated “I don’t answer to the NFL. I answer to the people of Arizona,” and that, “If the NFL wants to play chicken over the 2023 Super Bowl, I can promise you that I win that game.”

These comments came in response to suggestions that the NFL could consider removing the game if Lake were to win the election and implement some of her immigration policies. While it’d be difficult to relocate the game at such a late date, it wouldn’t be the first time Arizona lost a Super Bowl due to a political controversy.

Could Kari Lake cost Arizona another Super Bowl bid over politics?

In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill instituting the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The state legislature of Arizona, however, initially voted against its creation, but Governor Bruce Babbitt signed an executive order authorizing the holiday. Evan Mecham, Arizona’s next governor, rescinded the order, controversially stating in public that MLK did not deserve a holiday. The decision was left to voters. In Super Bowl XXVII was slated for Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, but the NFL threatened to move it if the ballot initiative failed. When Arizona voters rejected the MLK holiday, the league voted to move the game to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It should be noted, though, that the initial vote may have been confused by conflicting initiatives, because when asked simply whether they wanted the holiday in the 1992 election, voters approved.

The main difference between the MLK holiday controversy and the current immigration threat brewing in Arizona is that the NFL had two years’ notice to plot an alternative site in the early 1990s. If the NFL were to relocate the current Super Bowl, it’d have only a couple short months. Nearby sites like Las Vegas or Los Angeles are certainly capable of hosting this marquee event, but this would require an immense amount of last-minute planning, making a move at this juncture unlikely.

It’s unclear whether either side will blink or make do on their threats. But as of now, Super Bowl LVII will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Come February, it’s anyone’s guess.