where to put a super bowl?

The culmination of every NFL season is the Super Bowl, which pits the best team from the AFC against the NFC.  This year's Super Bowl will be in Indianapolis, hosted at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis

The location of the Super Bowl is generally decided by the NFL 3 - 5 years prior to that year's Super Bowl.  Currently, there are known Super Bowl locations through 2015.

For the most part, Super Bowls are played in warm weather cities, but on occasion, like this year, a domed stadium in a northern climate can get the game.  The following year locations are in New Orleans, New York, and Phoenix.

I haven't been able to find a voting process for the Super Bowl, but cities vie to host a Super Bowl, and one would presume it is voted upon by the NFL owners and commissioner.  Non-NFL related sites say it is a secret ballot vote.  The NFL has not advertised the voting method online.

In many instances, cities are rewarded with a Super Bowl after the city has secured financing for a new stadium.  Last year's Super Bowl was in a new stadium in Dallas, as well as this year's Super Bowl in Indianapolis.  New Orleans has always been viewed as a good city for a Super Bowl because of the proximity of facilities and the personality of the city.  New Orleans has hosted the Super Bowl the most of any city, six times.  New York was guaranteed to get a Super Bowl because of their new stadium and partly because of some 9/11 sentiment, and to try out a Super Bowl in a non-domed cold weather location.

Getting the Call

On Monday, former Cincinnati Reds player Barry Larkin received enough votes to be elected into baseball's hall of fame.  The ceremonies occur later this year, but no doubt this is a big day for Larkin.

Barry Larkin getting the call
photo from Yahoo! Sports

Larkin was the only player to be elected in 2012.  To get elected to the hall of fame, a player needs to be retired for 5 years, and has to receive over 75% of the vote.  If a player is not elected, they can remain on the hall of fame ballot for up to 15 years.  The player will fall off the ballot altogether if they receive less than 5% of the vote.

In this year's vote, Larkin received 495 of a possible 573 votes (86.4%).  Next up was pitcher Jack Morris, who received only 67% of the vote.  While Morris did not make it into the hall of fame this year, he will likely make it soon.  Even though his career is over, he is on the cusp of the hall, and will have momentum to make it in the next few years.  It isn't that their statistics have changed, but kind of how the voters (writers) will slowly elevate a player until they are in the hall.