Joe Henderson
As we approach zero hour for Super Bowl 55, the Tampa Bay area and Host Committee members are receiving universal praise. The job that Committee CEO Rob Higgins and his staff did to navigate a pandemic and prepare for a massive event is phenomenal.
Everyone associated with the NFL understands that.
However, regions like the Tampa Bay area go all out to host Super Bowls because of what it means for business. The NFL loves to remind cities what’s in it for them economically if they do what it takes to make the game and the week leading up to it something special.
However, as you may have heard, this year is a little different. Tampa did the work but won’t come close to reaping the economic benefit.
Add to that the fact that Tampa was an emergency fill-in for Los Angeles, where construction problems delayed the opening of So-Fi Stadium. No problem, right?
It wasn’t until COVID-19 crashed the gate.
People here aren’t complaining (not out loud, anyway). However, it’s legitimate to ask the league, “Hey, we did this for you; what’s in it for us?”
“There’s a lot of talk about the barriers, but in Tampa Bay, we don’t see barriers,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said. “We see possibilities. We have come together in that collaborative way we always do to ensure this is the best Super Bowl.
“And we may not see that economic boon, but we have that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be on the world stage.”
You don’t just throw a Super Bowl together.
Here, the city proved for the fifth time that it can handle whatever challenge the game presents. That was true in 1991 during incredibly tight security because of the Gulf War. Tampa came through with a grand performance in 2009 despite the Great Recession.
It did this time, too.
Translation: When will Tampa be awarded another game?
“I think everyone knows the unique circumstances that we face this season, and they also know how extraordinary Tampa has been working through that,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at his annual Super Bowl news conference earlier this week.
“I think that will be a big consideration in (owners’) minds when they do sit down and vote. We recognize it may not be the full extent of economic benefit. But in some ways, this whole pandemic, and the ability to work through this, is really going to be a reflection on this community’s can-do attitude and how they get things done.”
The next three sites are already awarded – Los Angeles in 2022, followed by Glendale/Phoenix in 2023, and New Orleans 2025. The 2024 game is open, but that almost assuredly will go to Las Vegas and the magnificent new stadium there for the Raiders.
That leaves 2026 as the first reasonable opportunity for Tampa Bay.
Miami, which hosted last year’s game, wanted the 2026 slot. Pushing Miami back a year under these extraordinary circumstances is a reasonable move.
It won’t be that easy, of course. It never is.
After owners finish patting Tampa organizers on the back for a job well done, the memory of what happened here could fade.
Let’s hope not.
“We have the good fortune of dealing with a lot of cities and a lot of communities,” NFL Club Business & League Events Vice President Peter O’Reilly said. “There are a lot of slogans out there associated with them.
“But Team Tampa Bay, when I got to know Rob and that phrase was thrown around, great, great — Team Tampa Bay. It is very, very real and it has come to life in very, very real ways. It’s special.”
Do you know what would make it more special?
If the NFL moves Tampa back near the head of the line of host cities. We’re not greedy — 2026 is a reasonable solution for both sides.
It’s the right thing to do.
