:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/13149733/166323221.0.jpg)
Today, in our very own Golden Nuggets, Mr. James Brady linked to an article from the Mercury News by Mike Rosenberg. In it, he reported that a whole host of local companies ("Google, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Yahoo, Seagate, Virgin America and Gap") have pledged a cumulative $30 million for the Bay Area Super Bowl bid.
Wowza. Let that sink in.
Most of that would fund the "stuff" (yes, that's the technical term) that a Super Bowl requires, like "police overtime, free public events and expanded transportation options." Nearly $8 million, though, would go to charities. That in and of itself is pretty darn cool.
What I like most about this news, though, is that it pairs quite nicely with the recent announcement that Levi's has purchased the naming rights of the 49ers' new stadium. On the heels of that news, I wrote a piece arguing why it was a good fit. I hope that the history Levi's carries will transfer over to a new stadium that houses a franchise with a lot of history.
This teaming up of corporations, however, pairs nicely because it looks in the other direction. One of the major selling points of moving to Santa Clara is that it would represent a greater Northern California identity: Silicon Valley. Those were the buzz words in the initial stages. Silicon Valley this. Silicon Valley that. And while I wasn't originally persuaded, I've bought into the idea now. We want a stadium that can hold the history created in Candlestick without the problems of Candlestick. A large part of that is building a technologically innovative stadium that will last for a long time without getting all rundown and Candlestick-like.
So, if we want to read this teaming up, Avengers style, of corporations as an engagement with Silicon Valley, then great. Not only do we get a lot of money for Super Bowl-related activities, but we also get the Silicon Valley ties.