Excitement builds as host committee reveals Super Bowl 50 logo

SAN FRANCISCO -- A little more than a year after the San Francisco Bay Area won a bid to host Super Bowl 50 at the brand new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 7, 2016, the host committee today unveiled its official logo for the big football game.

The new design, which features a tower of the Golden Gate Bridge with a football hovering over its center with sun rays emanating from the bridge, was revealed at a news conference this morning at San Francisco's Exploratorium museum on Pier 15.

Marin County-based artist Michael Schwab designed the logo, which includes many riffs on a "golden" theme, with the 50th golden game played in the Golden State in an area famous for its Golden Gate Bridge and golden rays of sunshine.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said the city is preparing to host the major event - despite the stadium's location about 45 miles south in Santa Clara.

He said a team was sent to New York to observe this year's Super Bowl and more research on best practices is underway.

"We're all getting ready," he said.

Lee said the logo "means so much," and pledged to make this game the "most exciting...and most philanthropic Super Bowl ever."

Lee announced an initiative to give 25 percent of all money raised to local nonprofits that support low-income children, families and communities. Nonprofits that advocate for healthy lifestyles and protecting the environment will also benefit.

The committee also announced today that $40 million dollars have been raised so far and several corporate partners have pledged support, including Apple, Gap, Dignity Healthcare, Yahoo, Google, Intel, Kaiser Permanent, and the San Francisco 49ers.

Lee said hosting the major sporting event will bolster regional tourism and the local economy. He expects hundreds of millions of dollars to be injected into local businesses, restaurants, hotels and more.

"I expect every hotel from San Jose to Santa Clara to San Francisco to be filled," Lee said.

The NFL Experience will be hosted at San Francisco's Moscone Center and Lee said there are plans to book other Super Bowl events in the area near the convention center.

Details about managing transportation between the host city and the stadium were sparse today, with more specifics expected to emerge once the stadium opens.

A transportation task force has been created and tasked with evaluating how logistics work, according to host committee CEO Keith Bruce.

"What will really help is seeing how the stadium operates," he said.

Bruce reiterated there is no target fundraising goal, but stressed that the $40 million mark is a solid start 20 months ahead of kickoff.

"Our goal is to deliver a phenomenal Super Bowl," Bruce said.

Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews called the newly released logo a "unique symbol" and emphasized the regional strength behind hosting the event.

"If we do this in a regional fashion -- we can't be beat," he said.

Levi's Stadium, a roughly $1.2 billion project, is expected to be completed in time to host a preseason 49ers game in mid-August against the Denver Broncos.

The first regular season game at the new stadium will be held on Sept. 14.

Lee said team Red and Gold is "ready to rumble" and "hopefully our team is there" when the 50th Super Bowl comes to the Bay Area.