Baseball is the usual forum in which Boston and New York wage their intense sports battles, but football — ahem, Super Bowl XLII, for crying out loud — is the rare stage for these two powerhouse cities and their sports fans to go nuts. TV executives probably didn’t anticipate this gem landing in their laps, but they have to be smiling ear-to-ear with rates of $2.7 million for a 30-second spot.
OK, the New England Patriots don’t really play in Boston — it’s Foxboro, MA, and the New York Giants don’t really play in New York — their stadium is across the Hudson and Hackensack rivers in East Rutherford, NJ, but like we did for the Zindex World Series (hey — Boston was there, too!), we’ll provide a little Tale of the Tape in assessing the cities, their Zindexes, and the values of the teams.
| Teams | New England Patriots | New York Giants |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll | $122,725,423 | $110,106,554 |
| Forbes Value | $1.2 billion | $974 million |
| Cities | Foxboro, MA | East Rutherford, NJ |
| Median income | $64,323 | $68,566 |
| Zindex | $396,000 | $365,000 |
Hmm, it looks like both teams are fairly close in every category, so there’s no runaway team to win our little Zindex Super Bowl. So, now onto the real game: who has the best chance of winning the Super Bowl? If you go by Vegas odds, the Patriots are 12-point favorites and can make history by becoming only the second team in NFL history to go unbeaten during the regular season and win the Super Bowl. The real winner, however, will be the city of Glendale, Arizona, the site of this year’s game. Personal favorite? My heart is with the Giants (born and raised in upstate New York watching Phil Simms, baby!), but seeing the Patriots go all the way will be history in the making, too. Should be fun. Go Big Blue!