Eric Sorenson
The storm has passed but can the state of Arizona compensate for the damage already done?
This has nothing to do with our expected wet weekend and everything to do with the aftermath of Governor Jan Brewer vetoing controversial anti-gay bill Senate Bill 1062 earlier this week. Yes, the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee can breathe a sigh of relief and the state can move forward preparing for the big game February 1, 2015 in Glendale but will the latest black eye still be seen for years to come?
“I hope it’s temporary,” Senator John McCain explained to Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat in a phone interview Friday morning. “…it does us damage. Whether it was mis-portrayed in the media or not, fact is that was the message that went out to the American people…that was the perception that went out there in America. The Super Bowl was the most glaring of the problems we would have had.”
McCain mentioned the CEO of Apple, who said they were going to pull back from plans to open a major facility in the east Valley had SB 1062 been pushed through. The immediate ramifications from losing a major, booming corporation like Apple would hurt our rebounding economic status here locally. He called Apple the “nirvana” and “what we want” when it comes to additional employment.
He believes the trickle-down effect would impact things like in-state college recruiting and many sports-related conventions, who make their way through the state throughout the calendar year, would likely pursue other options if the Bill passed.
McCain’s final message on the issue was simple.
“I hope our friends in the legislature will calculate the impact of some of these things that they do before they pass this legislation.”
Arizona lost the 1993 Super Bowl to Pasadena after Arizona voted down the effort to establish a state holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1990. The measure eventually passed in 1992 and the Super Bowl was awarded to Tempe four years later.
