Although many will be focused on the rivalry between the Panthers and the Broncos this Sunday, the NFL and many economists will be focused on the economic impact of the Super Bowl on the host city.

Over 100,000 people will be heading to Levi’s Stadium in San Fransisco to be a part of Super Bowl 50, bringing an estimated $500 million to the city, according to The Super Bowl Host Committee.

However, in 2008, the city of Glendale, Arizona lost $1.6 million after hosting the Super Bowl.

The question on whether or not hosting the Super Bowl is beneficial to the host city or not has no simple answer.

Holy Cross Professor Victor Matheson is an economist who has studied the Super Bowl’s economic impact for many years. He says the city sees about $30 to $120 million in spending, which is far less than the Host Committee’s prediction.

Jerry Weiers, mayor of Glendale, Arizona said in a press conference with ESPN that, “…we will lose money on [the super bowl]”.

Weiers also stated that his city and taxpayers had to absorb $2.1 million for security costs for the event.

So who is really getting rich off the Super Bowl? Many experts believe that the NFL oversells the economic value of hosting the event.

The NFL keeps every dollar of ticket purchases, which can range from $5000 to $5500. They also make revenue from much of the souvenir purchases made before, during, and after the game. They claim that the Super Bowl has a positive impact on the host city, but many economists disagree.

Matheson explains, “Imagine an airplane landing at an airport and everyone gets out and gives each other a million bucks, then gets back on the plane. That’s $200 million in economic activity, but it’s not any benefit to the local economy.”

In contrast, countries that host the Olympics see a large spike in economic revenue for the time that they host the events. Although host countries spend a lot of money preparing for the event, the revenue that the visitors bring in make the net revenue very high.

Although the Super Bowl brings a lot of advertisement and revenue, the city does end up losing a significant amount of money.

Josh Peter comments, “You get the big game, you get the big bill.”