Pint-size football fans in the know are getting their fill of their favorite pastime — for free.
The word hasn’t spread widely about this surprising holiday fantasy at the NFL Experience, an interactive museum spread over 40,000 square feet in Times Square.
The museum — which boasts a simulated game in a 4-D movie theater and allows users to throw a football to a digital player and tackle a blocking dummy — was supposed to close on Sept. 30 after less than a year.
After announcing it was “ending its season early,” the venue instead ran an option play, quietly keeping its doors open and waiving its $37 admission fee.
The $40 million joint venture between the league and Cirque du Soleil will remain open for the rest of the year, according to staffers at the museum, located at 701 Seventh Ave. and West 47th Street.
“At this time, other partners involved in the project continue to consider options for extending operations, but no plan has been solidified,” a spokeswoman for Cirque du Soleil told The Post. “The space remains open to the public, free of charge, during these ongoing discussions.”
The NFL declined to comment. Maefield Development, which bought out the original partners in the deal — including Howard Lorber’s New Valley and developer Steve Witkoff — did not return calls.
In September, Cirque said the project failed to meet its financial goals, adding recently it “will not be involved in the long-term future of NFL Experience Times Square.”
“It’s always has been a head-scratcher,” said one real estate industry source, adding that it’s the landlord — rather than the NFL — who’s probably driving the decision to keep the museum open.
{ SOURCE: New York Post }
