The NFL dangled a Super Bowl before voters.
The National Football League is responsible for the establishment of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Arizona. In 1990, the NFL said it would send Tempe a Super Bowl in exchange for a state residents yes vote for the holiday. Without the NFL’s guarantee of giving the Phoenix-area the Super Bowl, it might have taken a lot longer for Arizona to recognize the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The story of Arizona and the King celebration started after President Ronald Reagan created the holiday with his signature in 1983. In 1986 Arizona Governor Bruce Babbit joined in. But in 1987 new Governor Evan Meacham decided not to go along with Reagan. Bill Bidwill’s Cardinals franchise was still in St. Louis at that point but Bidwill moved to Tempe, Arizona in 1988.
In 1989, the Arizona state legislature passed legislation to create the holiday but opponents managed to get enough signatures on petitions allowing voters to decide on whether to honor King in November 1990. As a show of good faith in 1990, the NFL awarded Super Bowl 27 to Tempe knowing Arizona was not on board with the holiday. Arizona voters overturned the legislature’s decision and the NFL moved Super Bowl 27 to Pasadena, California. NFL owners along with the Players Association stepped up the pressure and told Arizona politicians that the league would never consider playing a Super Bowl in the Phoenix area unless the state changed course. The January 1996 Super Bowl became available, and the NFL was interested in going to Tempe if Arizona voters said yes to having a Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In 1992, the voters passed a referendum honoring the slain civil rights leader. In 1993, the NFL gave Super Bowl 30 to Tempe. The NFL has enormous political clout.
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